ABOUT

Decathlon is a worldwide sporting goods manufacturer and retailer originating from France. It opened its first Canadian location in 2018 in Brossard, QC, and now operates 11 locations across the country. Decathlon’s mission is to make sports more accessible to all, regardless of discipline or proficiency. As the expansion into Canada continues, Decathlon is looking for ways to foster a positive impact in their communities. Since its creation in 1968, the International Symbol of Access has served as a single icon to represent all people with disabilities. Decathlon has reimagined this common wheelchair signage to show that sports are for everyone. Using Decathlon’s existing retail signage system, we designed 25 custom symbols. Called Ability Signs, these 25 new icons now depict the symbol with a sport, such as basketball, rugby and tennis to name a few. These new icons are intended to help broaden how we see people with disabilities. In addition to in-store signage, a website was created, abilitysigns, where people could download every icon available under a Creative Commons license to use however they please, for free. Along with the website, digital stickers were created as well as OOH. Since its launch in October 2021, Ability Signs has been met with an overwhelmingly positive response from international Decathlon stakeholders, disability advocates, and the media. While the initiative started in Canada, things took off with professional sports teams, recreational centers, gyms and even competitors agreeing to install their own Ability Signs. The movement now extends to Paris, where several cities of Seine-Saint-Denis added 16 accessible parking spots using Ability Signs visuals 1,000 days ahead of the Paris 2024 Paralympic games. The Ability Signs initiative earned 227 million organic impressions, 439% increase in brand mentions and reached 73 countries, making it the most shared social campaign in Decathlon’s history.