Access+Ability

1 May — 3 Sep 2018 at the Cooper Hewitt in New York, United States

26 May 2018

Neckace and bracelets are a wearable navigation system for people who are blind. Connected to a voice-controlled iPhone app and GPS, haptic vibrations not only guide the wearer, but are able to track obstacles above the knee.

There has been a surge of design with and by people with a wide range of physical, cognitive, and sensory abilities.

Fueled by advances in research, technology, and fabrication, this proliferation of functional, life-enhancing products is creating unprecedented access in homes, schools, workplaces, and the world at large. Access+Ability features over 70 innovative designs developed in the last decade.

From low-tech products that assist with daily routines to the newest technologies, the exhibition explores how users and designers are expanding and adapting accessible products and solutions in ways previously unimaginable.

Cooper Hewitt

Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum is the only museum in the nation devoted exclusively to historic and contemporary design.

Museum profile

Location

New York, United States

Founded in

1901

These prosthetic leg covers adorn and add a human silhouette to artificial limbs. Intended as a fashion accessory, the goal is to give amputees choice to select from a large variety of colors and patterns and the ability to shop in the same way they choose clothes.

This wheelchair navigates rough, unpaved, and uneven terrain, specifically in the developing world where the ground may be mud or sand. The three rather than four wheels provide extra Access+Ability stability when pushing, propelling, and even tipping around obstacles.

Los Angeles County Voting Booth (prototype), 2015, designed by IDEO

These prosthetic leg covers adorn and add a human silhouette to artificial limbs. Intended as a fashion accessory, the goal is to give amputees choice to select from a large variety of colors and patterns and the ability to shop in the same way they choose clothes.
This wheelchair navigates rough, unpaved, and uneven terrain, specifically in the developing world where the ground may be mud or sand. The three rather than four wheels provide extra Access+Ability stability when pushing, propelling, and even tipping around obstacles.
Los Angeles County Voting Booth (prototype), 2015, designed by IDEO

This wheelchair navigates rough, unpaved, and uneven terrain, specifically in the developing world where the ground may be mud or sand. The three rather than four wheels provide extra Access+Ability stability when pushing, propelling, and even tipping around obstacles.
Los Angeles County Voting Booth (prototype), 2015, designed by IDEO
These prosthetic leg covers adorn and add a human silhouette to artificial limbs. Intended as a fashion accessory, the goal is to give amputees choice to select from a large variety of colors and patterns and the ability to shop in the same way they choose clothes.