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Brand Design • Icon Design • Inclusive Design
Inclusive Disability Icon
Windermere Child and Family Services
Brand Design • Icon Design • Inclusive Design
Windermere Child and Family Services
Windermere's existing disability iconography relied on a traditional wheelchair symbol — a representation that excluded the vast majority of clients living with non-visible disabilities such as mental health conditions, autism, chronic illness, and cognitive impairments. I was asked to design a new disability icon that authentically represented the full spectrum of disability across the organisation's communications, replacing the traditional wheelchair symbol with something more inclusive and unified.
I began with research into existing inclusive disability design movements globally — including the Accessible Icon Project and emerging best-practice examples from health and community sector design. I reviewed Windermere's existing materials to understand where disability iconography appeared across the organisation, then facilitated informal consultations with internal staff and community-facing teams to understand what representation meant to them.
The icon was built in Adobe Illustrator using Windermere's existing design grid to ensure it sat naturally alongside the brand. Every element was deliberately chosen — the design needed to feel human and dignified rather than clinical or reductive, representing the full diversity of disability experience without reducing it to any one condition.
What Each Element Represents
Every element in the icon was deliberately chosen to reflect a different aspect of the disability experience.
Cogs with Infinity Symbol
Represents neurodiversity — including autism, ADHD, and other cognitive variations that shape thinking, behaviour, and interaction.
Audio Waves
Symbolises hearing disabilities, including deafness, partial hearing loss, and auditory processing challenges affecting communication.
Shut Eye
Represents blindness, low vision, and other visual impairments that affect perception, clarity, depth, or field of view.
Brain Cogs
Symbolises cognitive disabilities and mental health conditions, including learning differences, psychological disorders, and intellectual disabilities.
Body, Spine, and Wheelchair
Represents physical disabilities affecting mobility, strength, or coordination — including spinal injuries, limb loss, and neuromuscular disorders.
Dotted Outer Ring
Reflects invisible barriers faced by people with immune conditions, chronic illnesses, or hidden disabilities.
The icon was delivered in multiple formats: SVG for web use, PNG at 2x resolution for digital documents, and vector EPS for print. Two colour variants were produced — white icon on Windermere's signature purple for bold applications, and purple icon on white for use on light backgrounds. An explanatory poster was also produced to help staff, stakeholders, and the broader community understand the meaning behind each element of the design.
The icon was adopted across Windermere's website, internal intranet, printed service guides, digital signage, and staff communications. It received strongly positive feedback from leadership, frontline staff, and community members — praised as a meaningful, visible step toward authentic representation. The project was highlighted internally as a flagship accessibility initiative and became part of the organisation's ongoing brand standards.
Work Samples
Both colour variants — designed for use across digital, print, and signage contexts where background colours vary.
Purple on white — showing the full composition including the dotted outer ring representing hidden and invisible disabilities.
White on purple — the primary usage variant, aligned with the international purple of disability awareness and advocacy.