A traditional handicapped parking sign. At right is the new version that replaces the familiar image of a stick figure in a wheelchair with an action-oriented logo to emphasize ability, not disability.

HARTFORD, Conn. — The ubiquitous handicapped symbol that marks parking spaces, building entrances and restrooms around the world is getting an update, a modernization that emphasizes ability rather than disability.

What started as a street art project has grown into official acceptance. Yet, the restyled logo has been rejected by some who favor the familiar rigid stick-figure design, which has become one of the most recognizable in the world over the past 40 years.

Adoption of the new, modernized International Symbol of Accessibility — which depicts a figure leaning forward in a wheelchair — has been piecemeal:

New York adopted it last year, and Connecticut could soon become the second state to do so. Phoenix and El Paso, Texas, are also on board.

But the Federal Highway Administration rejected requests to allow “alternative dynamic designs” for traffic signs and pavement markings. And the International Organization for Standardization has argued against the new design, citing the universal recognition of the original.“On the face of it, it seems like a really positive step to take,” said Elizabeth Guffey, a professor of art and design history at State University of New York. “When you start thinking about it more fully, it brings up more questions.”Guffey, who is disabled and writing a book on the symbol's history, said there's been a backlash in the United Kingdom, where some view the revamp as American political correctness.

The new version that replaces the familiar image of a stick figure in a wheelchair with an action-oriented logo to emphasize ability, not disability.