Malden unveils a new citywide “handicapped” accessibility parking sign.

Harvard design student Sara Hendren and reformed graffiti artist Brian Glenney painted the new symbol in the Triangle Inc. parking lot on Aug. 10. The new logo features a bright orange stick person actively bending forward on a moving wheel.

Glenney, the philosophy professor at Gordon College, has a keen interest in how symbols influence society’s perceptions, and said the idea “was to create a dynamic change from the universal straight-backed handicap symbol, something that would show wheeled individuals as active and real people, instead of passive sticks with wheels”.

Changing social perceptions is a priority for Hendren which is why she begun collaborating with Glenney on the new symbol two years ago. Both hope to change the attitudes of people viewing the ‘handicap’ logo.

“He doesn’t sit on a chair,” said Glenney. “He rides on it like a skateboard.” The motto to this logo is that “we are all people with ability.”

The mayor Mayor Gary Christenson loved the logo so much he suggested to taking the new symbol nationwide.

 Congrats to both Glenny and Hendren for their new creation! I personally love the evolved logo and hope to see this project continue.