#dyspunk

it isn't "you're only disabled because there aren't enough ramps". it isn't "your chronic pain will be cured if people are just, like, a bit nicer".

it is "the main reason why disabled people are isolated from 'normal' society is because of systematic barriers, and not something inherent to disability. if we work on breaking down those barriers - and what 'normal', abled, society is - then disabled people will be able to have a better quality of life, even with whatever is now defined as a disability. this might mean making the process of having a caregiver easier, and not dependant on having someone that's close to you (impossible for plenty of disabled people due to the isolating nature of disability). this might mean accomodations like ramps and lifts. this might mean college classes available online. this might mean public collective transport that's accesible to all, and means of personal transport for the ones that cannot go on, for example, buses or trains."

[Image ID: A transparent image of the Disabled Sun, which is the same as the astrological symbol of the sun. It is a large black circle with a smaller black circle in the center. End ID]

So... I wanted a symbol to represent disabilities, one that wasn't the wheelchair symbol. As a wheelchair user myself, I do like the wheelchair symbol, but it also feels like an incomplete image of the disabled community as a whole. Disabled people can come in every shape and size, and for many, many of us, the wheelchair symbol isn't representative.

Disabled people may have wheelchairs, or canes, or crutches, or hearing aids, or service dogs, or different body shapes, or even nothing at all visibly indicating a disability. There have been alternative symbols suggested in the past, but most hinge on showing a silhouette, and there would never be a way to demonstrate all of us with one little bathroom-sign-style human. So, I made this! The Disabled Sun!

This isn't meant to replace the wheelchair symbol, as that certainly has its history and place in our community, it's simply meant to be an optional other symbol for those who choose to use it.

This symbol was chosen for the following reasons and meanings:

Outer circle represents the body; physical disabilities, our relationships to our bodies, disabled bodies in general.

The inner circle represents the mind; mental disabilities, our relationships to our minds, disabled minds in general.

The circles represent wholeness, representing that we are whole, complete people. We are whole, not despite our disabilities, but we are whole including our disabilities. We are not incomplete or broken, nor are we “missing” anything.

Circles also represent unity. In this case, the circles represent the solidarity and unity of disabled people across the wide range of disabilities. It also represents universal design.

The sun represents shining a light on disabled people, and the light we provide ourselves.

It's simple, discreet, easy to reproduce, and has a unicode symbol already. ☉

The symbol is welcome to be used by anyone of any kind of disability, be it physical, mental, neurodevelopmental, sensory, invisible, anything! If you have any sort of impairment and consider yourself disabled, you are welcome to use this symbol.

[Image ID: A transparent image of the Disabled Sun, a large circle with a smaller circle in the center, in the colors of the Disabled Pride Flag by Ann Magill. The disabled pride flag is a mostly grey flag with five diagonal stripes that start at the top left corner and run down to the bottom right corner. In order from left to right, the stripes are red, yellow, white. blue, and green.]

Dyspunktional, medipunk, and amatopunk paws!

[ID: A set of three symbols, with the one on the top being the main one. It displays a grey ring with five chevrons in the middle of it. The chevrons are green, light blue, white, yellow, and red, and represent the disability flag. The symbol on the top has a black outline, the one on the bottom left has a dark grey ring and lighter grey middle, and the bottom right has a lighter grey ring and no middle color. The bottom symbols do not have a black outline. End ID]

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Dyspunktional symbol

So a while back, I made a flag for the term dyspunktional, a punk term meant for disabled people. After that point, I'd always wanted to make an accompanying symbol, and after months of remaking and tweaking the symbol while having the post sit in my drafts, here it is! I made multiple versions so you can use whichever suits your fancy.

The one on the top with the thick outline was mostly supposed to resemble some kind of pin, while the bottom two are probably friendlier for the internet, though I think both look great either way. It's meant to represent the flag, by having the circles with the chevrons coming through it. I had a pretty high number of vague homages when making this, namely the disability sun, the anarchy "A" symbol, etc.