diff --git a/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/helpers/application_helpers.js b/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/helpers/application_helpers.js
index 328472f5f..269f1c8da 100644
--- a/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/helpers/application_helpers.js
+++ b/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/helpers/application_helpers.js
@@ -407,3 +407,22 @@ Handlebars.registerHelper('link-domain', function(property, options) {
     }
   }
 });
+
+/**
+  Renders a font-awesome icon with an optional i18n string as hidden text for
+  screen readers.
+
+  @method icon
+  @for Handlebars
+**/
+Handlebars.registerHelper('icon', function(icon, options) {
+  var labelKey, html;
+  if (options.hash) { labelKey = options.hash.label; }
+  html = "<i class='fa fa-" + icon + "'";
+  if (labelKey) { html += " aria-hidden='true'"; }
+  html += "></i>";
+  if (labelKey) {
+    html += "<span class='sr-only'>" + I18n.t(labelKey) + "</span>";
+  }
+  return new Handlebars.SafeString(html);
+});
diff --git a/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/templates/header.js.handlebars b/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/templates/header.js.handlebars
index d1306aa82..03a8b76a1 100644
--- a/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/templates/header.js.handlebars
+++ b/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/templates/header.js.handlebars
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@
           {{/if}}
           <h1>
             {{#if topic.isPrivateMessage}}
-              <span class="private-message-glyph"><i class='fa fa-envelope'></i></span>
+              <span class="private-message-glyph">{{icon envelope}}</span>
             {{/if}}
           {{#if topic.category.parentCategory}}
             {{boundCategoryLink topic.category.parentCategory}}
@@ -42,16 +42,14 @@
       {{/unless}}
       {{#unless currentUser}}
         <button {{action showLogin}} class='btn btn-primary btn-small login-button'>
-          <i class="fa fa-user"></i>
-          {{i18n log_in}}
+          {{icon user}} {{i18n log_in}}
         </button>
       {{/unless}}
       <ul class='icons clearfix' role='navigation'>
         {{#if currentUser}}
           <li class='notifications'>
             <a class='icon' href="#" {{action showNotifications target="view"}} data-notifications="notifications-dropdown" id='user-notifications' title='{{i18n notifications.title}}'>
-              <i class='fa fa-comment'></i>
-              <span class='sr-only'>{{i18n notifications.title}}</span>
+              {{icon comment label="notifications.title"}}
             </a>
             {{#if currentUser.unread_notifications}}
               <a href='#' class='badge-notification unread-notifications'>{{currentUser.unread_notifications}}</a>
@@ -64,7 +62,7 @@
         <li>
           {{#if Discourse.loginRequired}}
             <a id='search-button' class='icon expand' href='#' aria-hidden="true" {{action showLogin}}>
-              <i class='fa fa-search'></i>
+              {{icon search}}
             </a>
           {{else}}
             <a id='search-button'
@@ -72,8 +70,7 @@
                href='#'
                data-dropdown="search-dropdown"
                title='{{i18n search.title}}'>
-               <i class='fa fa-search'></i>
-               <span class="sr-only">{{i18n search.title}}</span>
+               {{icon search label="search.title"}}
             </a>
           {{/if}}
         </li>
@@ -83,7 +80,7 @@
                href="#"
                aria-hidden="true"
                {{action showLogin}}>
-               <i class='fa fa-bars'></i>
+               {{icon bars}}
             </a>
           {{else}}
             <a class='icon'
@@ -92,8 +89,7 @@
                href="#"
                title='{{i18n site_map}}'
                id="site-map">
-               <i class='fa fa-bars'></i>
-               <span class="sr-only">{{i18n site_map}}</span>
+               {{icon bars label="site_map"}}
             </a>
           {{/if}}
           {{#if currentUser.site_flagged_posts_count}}