"What would disabled people think if a wheelchair emoji popped up every time?!"
What you need to know
- Apple has been severely criticized by a UK charity over one of its emojis.
- STAMMA, a charity that supports people who stammer, says Apple's "woozy face" emoji should not be linked to stammering.
- The charity's head says using the emoji is ableist and demeaning.
A UK charity for people who stammer has slammed Apple over the iOS woozy face emoji that comes up when you search for "stammer" or "stammering" on an Apple device.
STAMMA published a report today stating "hundreds of you have contacted us to tell us that a 'woozy face' emoji automatically appears on iPhones and iPads when typing the word 'stammering' into messages."
The report describes the emoji as a yellow face "with a crumpled mouth and a cockeyed expression", claiming a similar emoji exists on WhatsApp which "also features a tongue hanging out", although we weren't able to find this in our search.
The charity says it has been "inundated" by complaints from its members, and STAMMA's CEO stated:
"This is demeaning and damaging. Stammering is how some people talk. Treating it as a joke is stigmatising. It can leave people embarrassed about how they sound, bullied and ashamed which can affect their mental health, careers and relationships."
As you can see from our image below, a quick search of 'stammer' in iMessage does indeed bring up the emoji mentioned.
One user told STAMMA:
"This comes up on my phone when I type stammering! This is ableist, as sometimes people who stammer make facial expressions when experiencing a block, and this almost mimics that. I hope Apple realise this and apologise"
Another user said they were "horrified" by the emoji and hoped it could be sorted.
iMore has reached out to Apple for comment on the matter.
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