Basilikos wrote:

Not if the thing doesn't have anything to do with the sentence they're saying! There are many ND spaces such as “Autism Acceptance Studio” which invites people frequently to teach them of autism and stuff ( I've been invited ) and they do a far better job than a silly emoji.
Infact, you won't find any use of the emoji until you-

Basilikos wrote:

Za-Chary wrote:

That doesn't really have anything to do with this specific suggestion. The same thing could be said about any suggestion in the suggestion forum.

Wrong. Many suggestions such as blocks clearly serve a use and the debate is mostly whether their use is needed or not on Scratch. This suggestion, however, is currently being debated on for its actual intended use.

cs3868895 wrote:

all the different beneficial uses?

Za-Chary wrote:

Number-Lore_0 wrote:

Scratch Emojis don't always have to be this super impactful thing, their main purpose is to be a fun little thing that you can add to your post.

Also worth noting that so far I haven't seen any arguments stating why this would be a bad idea — I've seen claims that it “wouldn't help,” but not any explanations of why it would hurt. I see no harm in adding an emoji like this — so this suggestion definitely has merit.

Number-Lore_0 wrote:

To celebrate autism acceptance month, I think it'd be great if neurodivergency related emojis were added to scratch. A good one to add would be the rainbow infinity symbol (and maybe a gold infinity symbol, too), although, a sunflower emoji could also be added to represent the sunflower lanyard program. Symbols containing blue, puzzle pieces, ribbons, or anything else relating to autism speaks should not be added as neurodivergency emojis.

• A sunflower emoji.
  The sunflower is used to symbolise hidden disabilities. (Hidden Disabilities Sunflower website)
  
  
  (^ any sort of sunflower, this is just a lazy example I made)
  

  _sunflower_

  
  Pros:
  - Bright/colourful and fun to look at, fits the creative theme of Scratch
  - Doesn't have one fixed meaning, could also be used decoratively or for fun, outside of the context of disabilities.
  - Nice/useful for people who want to make disability-related content on Scratch, and using a sunflower in comments about disabilities could help disabled people feel included and proud of who we are.
  - Through usage within the context of disabilities, could help raise better awareness of disabled people and help normalise the prospect of people having disabilities, even if you can't recognise it when talking to someone on Scratch.
  
  Cons:
  - If the only reason for adding the emoji is for awareness, it would likely not be as affective as an obvious disability symbol, since many people using a sunflower emoji might not be aware that it represents hidden disabilities, and you can't learn that it does just by looking at it.
  - The sunflower is not very widely recognised as representing hidden disabilities, unless you are part of the disabled community or have heard of the sunflower lanyard program.
  - Scratchers might be angry if a sunflower emoji is added if they wanted other more important/urgent updates, if they do not understand or care for the symbolism or reasoning behind it. This might have a negative affect on disabled people.
  

• A rainbow or gold infinity symbol emoji.
  
  The rainbow infinity symbol is used to represent neurodiversity. The infinity represents the endless possibilities of neurodiversity, and rainbow colours represent diversity.
  The rainbow infinity symbol is made to represent all neurotypes (eg. autism, ADHD, dyslexia, OCD, & many more) and the concept of neurodiversity as a whole - though it can sometimes be presumed to represent autism in particular, as it's commonly used around the context of autism.
  
  
  (^ an infinity symbol coloured rainbow)
  

  _infinity_ / _rainbowinfinity_ / _neurodiversity_

  
  The gold infinity symbol represents autism in particular. The colour gold represents autism acceptance; “Au” on the periodic table is Gold. (The colour red is also used for autism acceptance as part of the #RedInstead movement, except red infinity symbols aren't very common.) The infinity represents the endless possibilities of the autism spectrum (or sometimes interpreted as the endless possibilities/potential of autistic people).
  
  
  (^ an infinity symbol coloured gold)
  

  _infinity_ / _goldinfinity_ / _autism_

  
  The gold and rainbow infinity symbol were designed by the autistic community, and are used by the autistic and neurodivergent community. (Info about good vs harmful autism symbols)
  
  Pros:
  - Clearly represents neurodiversity and/or autism acceptance, is widely recognised and accepted as a symbol for neurodiversity and autism. (And a lot more accepted than a puzzle piece symbol.)
  - If you didn't know what it means you would probably be inclined to ask, search it up, or just consider what it might represent. This would lead to greater awareness and understanding of neurodiversity
  - The design of it is made to highlight inclusion and the strengths of diversity. It is difficult to find negative connotations from looking at it, and therefore is probably unlikely to be used in a negative way.
  - Could potentially be used as an infinity symbol in the context of maths/large quantities, if a Scratcher so wished.
  - Gold/rainbow infinity symbols don't exist on a normal emoji keyboard so would be cool to have as a scratch-specific emoji.
  
  Cons:
  - Isn't particularly scratch-oriented (but then again, the _blm_ and _pride_ emojis aren't. Though, @ScratchCat has made projects about those topics but not about neurodiversity).
  - Not much room for interpretation.
  - A gold infinity symbol would only represent autism, not other neurotypes.
  

• A disability pride flag emoji.
  
  
  (^ a flag design with red, yellow, white, blue, and green diagonal stripes, stretching from top right to bottom left, on a grey background)
  

  _disabilitypride_

  
  Each colour in the disability pride flag represents a different aspect of the disability experience, with the stripes going diagonally across the flag to show how disabled people have to cut across barriers in society.
  The flag was originally designed in 2019 by a disabled woman who has cerebral palsy, and she redesigned it in 2021 to be more accessible. The accessible design is the one that should be used from now on.
  
  Information about the disability pride flag:
  - Wikipedia page on the Disability Pride Flag
  - Wikipedia page on Disability Pride Month
  - BBC Newsround “What is Disability Pride Month?”
  - University of Massachusetts on Disability Pride
  
  Pros:
  - It's a flag which represents the disabled community very well, and is relatively well known within the disabled community. It's probably one of the clearest disability symbols when it comes to representation.
  - It would fit nicely with the LGBTQ+ Pride emoji if they were the same size. They would both represent similar causes.
  - It's recognisable, and clearly represents something, so if you didn't know what it meant you would probably be inclined to ask, search it up, or just consider what it might represent. This would lead to greater awareness and understanding of disability pride.
  
  Cons:
  - Isn't particularly scratch-oriented (but then again, the _blm_ and _pride_ emojis aren't. Though, @ScratchCat has made projects about those topics but not about neurodiversity).
  - Next to no room for interpretation, can only really be used in the context of disability pride.
  - It might be difficult to see the colours if the emoji is small. It might not be the most aesthetic choice.
  - Might be confusing to Scratchers that are not aware of the Disability Pride movement; you can't tell what it means just by looking at it. It isn't as colourful, creative or fun as many Scratch emojis are.
  

• A butterfly emoji, or rainbow butterfly symbol.
  
  The rainbow butterfly symbol represents ADHD. It was designed by members of the ADHD & neurodivergent community, and is used by the ADHD & neurodivergent community. It was inspired by the rainbow infinity symbol for neurodiversity. (About the butterfly symbol)
  
  
  (^ a simplified butterfly outline using a continuous line like an infinity symbol, with rainbow colours.)
  

  _butterfly_ / _rainbowbutterfly_ / _ADHD_

  
  A generic butterfly emoji could still be good as it could be used both within and outside of the context of ADHD. The colour orange also represents ADHD Awareness (chosen as it signifies enthusiasm, encouragement, and stimulation).
  
  
  (^ a generic butterfly emoji, preferably orange)
  

  _butterfly_

  
  Pros:
  - Bright/colourful and fun to look at, fits the creative theme of Scratch
  - A butterfly doesn't have one fixed meaning, could also be used decoratively or for fun, outside of the context of ADHD.
  - Nice/useful for people who want to make ADHD content on Scratch, and using a butterfly emoji in comments about ADHD could help ADHDers feel included and proud of who we are.
  - If a gold infinity symbol for autism was added, a butterfly symbol for ADHD would go nicely with it, as they represent two well-known neurotypes.
  - Butterflies and sunflowers also go quite nicely together aesthetically.
  
  Cons:
  - A butterfly would only represent ADHD, not other neurotypes.
  - It isn't the clearest when it comes representation, as Scratchers might not realise the symbolism behind it.
  - Scratchers might be angry if a butterfly emoji is added if they wanted other more important/urgent updates, if they do not understand or care for the symbolism or reasoning behind it. This might have a negative affect on ADHDers
  

-Squiggle wrote:

(#51)

Number-Lore_0 wrote:

To celebrate autism acceptance month, I think it'd be great if neurodivergency related emojis were added to scratch. A good one to add would be the rainbow infinity symbol (and maybe a gold infinity symbol, too), although, a sunflower emoji could also be added to represent the sunflower lanyard program. Symbols containing blue, puzzle pieces, ribbons, or anything else relating to autism speaks should not be added as neurodivergency emojis.

Support - I think it would be cool if Scratch added an emoji that can be used to symbolise disability rights and/or neurodiversity acceptance - either directly or indirectly.

Some ideas!

• A sunflower emoji.
  The sunflower is used to symbolise hidden disabilities. (Hidden Disabilities Sunflower website)
  
  
  (^ any sort of sunflower, this is just a lazy example I made)
  

  _sunflower_

  
  Pros:
  - Bright/colourful and fun to look at, fits the creative theme of Scratch
  - Doesn't have one fixed meaning, could also be used decoratively or for fun, outside of the context of disabilities.
  - Nice/useful for people who want to make disability-related content on Scratch, and using a sunflower in comments about disabilities could help disabled people feel included and proud of who we are.
  - Through usage within the context of disabilities, could help raise better awareness of disabled people and help normalise the prospect of people having disabilities, even if you can't recognise it when talking to someone on Scratch.
  
  Cons:
  - If the only reason for adding the emoji is for awareness, it would likely not be as affective as an obvious disability symbol, since many people using a sunflower emoji might not be aware that it represents hidden disabilities, and you can't learn that it does just by looking at it.
  - The sunflower is not very widely recognised as representing hidden disabilities, unless you are part of the disabled community or have heard of the sunflower lanyard program.
  - Scratchers might be angry if a sunflower emoji is added if they wanted other more important/urgent updates, if they do not understand or care for the symbolism or reasoning behind it. This might have a negative affect on disabled people.
  

• A rainbow or gold infinity symbol emoji.
  
  The rainbow infinity symbol is used to represent neurodiversity. The infinity represents the endless possibilities of neurodiversity, and rainbow colours represent diversity.
  The rainbow infinity symbol is made to represent all neurotypes (eg. autism, ADHD, dyslexia, OCD, & many more) and the concept of neurodiversity as a whole - though it can sometimes be presumed to represent autism in particular, as it's commonly used around the context of autism.
  
  
  (^ an infinity symbol coloured rainbow)
  

  _infinity_ / _rainbowinfinity_ / _neurodiversity_

  
  The gold infinity symbol represents autism in particular. The colour gold represents autism acceptance; “Au” on the periodic table is Gold. (The colour red is also used for autism acceptance as part of the #RedInstead movement, except red infinity symbols aren't very common.) The infinity represents the endless possibilities of the autism spectrum (or sometimes interpreted as the endless possibilities/potential of autistic people).
  
  
  (^ an infinity symbol coloured gold)
  

  _infinity_ / _goldinfinity_ / _autism_

  
  The gold and rainbow infinity symbol were designed by the autistic community, and are used by the autistic and neurodivergent community. (Info about good vs harmful autism symbols)
  
  Pros:
  - Clearly represents neurodiversity and/or autism acceptance, is widely recognised and accepted as a symbol for neurodiversity and autism. (And a lot more accepted than a puzzle piece symbol.)
  - If you didn't know what it means you would probably be inclined to ask, search it up, or just consider what it might represent. This would lead to greater awareness and understanding of neurodiversity
  - The design of it is made to highlight inclusion and the strengths of diversity. It is difficult to find negative connotations from looking at it, and therefore is probably unlikely to be used in a negative way.
  - Could potentially be used as an infinity symbol in the context of maths/large quantities, if a Scratcher so wished.
  - Gold/rainbow infinity symbols don't exist on a normal emoji keyboard so would be cool to have as a scratch-specific emoji.
  
  Cons:
  - Isn't particularly scratch-oriented (but then again, the _blm_ and _pride_ emojis aren't. Though, @ScratchCat has made projects about those topics but not about neurodiversity).
  - Not much room for interpretation.
  - A gold infinity symbol would only represent autism, not other neurotypes.
  

• A disability pride flag emoji.
  
  
  (^ a flag design with red, yellow, white, blue, and green diagonal stripes, stretching from top right to bottom left, on a grey background)
  

  _disabilitypride_

  
  Each colour in the disability pride flag represents a different aspect of the disability experience, with the stripes going diagonally across the flag to show how disabled people have to cut across barriers in society.
  The flag was originally designed in 2019 by a disabled woman who has cerebral palsy, and she redesigned it in 2021 to be more accessible. The accessible design is the one that should be used from now on.
  
  Information about the disability pride flag:
  - Wikipedia page on the Disability Pride Flag
  - Wikipedia page on Disability Pride Month
  - BBC Newsround “What is Disability Pride Month?”
  - University of Massachusetts on Disability Pride
  
  Pros:
  - It's a flag which represents the disabled community very well, and is relatively well known within the disabled community. It's probably one of the clearest disability symbols when it comes to representation.
  - It would fit nicely with the LGBTQ+ Pride emoji if they were the same size. They would both represent similar causes.
  - It's recognisable, and clearly represents something, so if you didn't know what it meant you would probably be inclined to ask, search it up, or just consider what it might represent. This would lead to greater awareness and understanding of disability pride.
  
  Cons:
  - Isn't particularly scratch-oriented (but then again, the _blm_ and _pride_ emojis aren't. Though, @ScratchCat has made projects about those topics but not about neurodiversity).
  - Next to no room for interpretation, can only really be used in the context of disability pride.
  - It might be difficult to see the colours if the emoji is small. It might not be the most aesthetic choice.
  - Might be confusing to Scratchers that are not aware of the Disability Pride movement; you can't tell what it means just by looking at it. It isn't as colourful, creative or fun as many Scratch emojis are.
  

• A butterfly emoji, or rainbow butterfly symbol.
  
  The rainbow butterfly symbol represents ADHD. It was designed by members of the ADHD & neurodivergent community, and is used by the ADHD & neurodivergent community. It was inspired by the rainbow infinity symbol for neurodiversity. (About the butterfly symbol)
  
  
  (^ a simplified butterfly outline using a continuous line like an infinity symbol, with rainbow colours.)
  

  _butterfly_ / _rainbowbutterfly_ / _ADHD_

  
  A generic butterfly emoji could still be good as it could be used both within and outside of the context of ADHD. The colour orange also represents ADHD Awareness (chosen as it signifies enthusiasm, encouragement, and stimulation).
  
  
  (^ a generic butterfly emoji, preferably orange)
  

  _butterfly_

  
  Pros:
  - Bright/colourful and fun to look at, fits the creative theme of Scratch
  - A butterfly doesn't have one fixed meaning, could also be used decoratively or for fun, outside of the context of ADHD.
  - Nice/useful for people who want to make ADHD content on Scratch, and using a butterfly emoji in comments about ADHD could help ADHDers feel included and proud of who we are.
  - If a gold infinity symbol for autism was added, a butterfly symbol for ADHD would go nicely with it, as they represent two well-known neurotypes.
  - Butterflies and sunflowers also go quite nicely together aesthetically.
  
  Cons:
  - A butterfly would only represent ADHD, not other neurotypes.
  - It isn't the clearest when it comes representation, as Scratchers might not realise the symbolism behind it.
  - Scratchers might be angry if a butterfly emoji is added if they wanted other more important/urgent updates, if they do not understand or care for the symbolism or reasoning behind it. This might have a negative affect on ADHDers
  

Thanks for reading! I'd love to hear any (constructive) feedback on these ideas, pros and cons that I didn't think of, or any other ideas for a neurodiversity/disability emoji.

Image credits: Sunflower & infinity symbols are my own art, butterflies and disability flag are images I found on the internet and made smaller.
All images are intended as a quick visual example, not a finished proposal.

WindowsAdmin wrote:

-Squiggle wrote:

(#51)

Did you write a thesis paper about emojis

GIitchInTheMatrix wrote:

Za-Chary wrote:

GIitchInTheMatrix wrote:

At this point, most people have seen neurodivergence

Do you have a source for this? There will always be young children on Scratch who either don't know or don't understand neurodivergence.

Most schools, at least in my experience, start teaching about mental health as soon as 2nd grade

nk30fish wrote:

I don’t like the blue one either, but the red instead community is overpositive and toxic and won’t admit severely autistic people exist. They even support *GASP* self diagnosis. So no red symbols. No rainbow symbols because lgbt already uses that ( I’m not homophobic but they are 2 different things.) Gold is fine tho. And it should just be called _infinity_ so it can be used for autism and ADHD. as well as being used for (MY FAV THING) math. This is coming from a neurodivergent person.
(Edit: alrhough I love red, neotypicals think it represents anger so that’s why it shouldn’t be used for atsim)

-Squiggle wrote:

WindowsAdmin wrote:

-Squiggle wrote:

(#51)

Did you write a thesis paper about emojis

guess I have now

rdococ wrote:

I've dealt with the realities of having high-functioning classic autism my whole life. “Neurodivergency emojis” are extremely patronizing, and I insist that the Scratch Team do not add them.

rdococ wrote:

I've dealt with the realities of having high-functioning classic autism my whole life. “Neurodivergency emojis” are extremely patronizing, and I insist that the Scratch Team do not add them.

Basilikos wrote:

(#6)
I don't understand why add an emoji while they can do more important things that actually benefit people.

roofogato wrote:

rdococ wrote:

I've dealt with the realities of having high-functioning classic autism my whole life. “Neurodivergency emojis” are extremely patronizing, and I insist that the Scratch Team do not add them.

how so?

GIitchInTheMatrix wrote:

roofogato wrote:

rdococ wrote:

I've dealt with the realities of having high-functioning classic autism my whole life. “Neurodivergency emojis” are extremely patronizing, and I insist that the Scratch Team do not add them.

how so?

A lot of the time, if someone finds out you have Autism, you are likely babies a lot, despite protests.
I say this as someone with high functioning autism
-Stephen

mumu245 wrote:

Emojis seem easy to add. If we added BLM and proud emojis, we can add these too.

Basilikos wrote:

mumu245 wrote:

Emojis seem easy to add. If we added BLM and proud emojis, we can add these too.

Yeah, too easy. To do good you have to put in a little effort.
This would be the equivalent of companies changing their logo for Pride Month to pretend like they care. If they actually cared they'd be doing way more.

-Squiggle wrote:

GIitchInTheMatrix wrote:

roofogato wrote:

rdococ wrote:

I've dealt with the realities of having high-functioning classic autism my whole life. “Neurodivergency emojis” are extremely patronizing, and I insist that the Scratch Team do not add them.

how so?

A lot of the time, if someone finds out you have Autism, you are likely babies a lot, despite protests.
I say this as someone with high functioning autism
-Stephen

sorry to hear that. how would it make an emoji patronising though? you wouldn't have to use the emoji if you aren't comfortable telling people you're autistic.