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| A boy tries to shoot a basket designed to be wheelchair-friendly at the "2015 Universal Design Expo" which opened at the Dongdagemun Design Plaza (DDP), as part of the "2015 Seoul Design Week," Wednesday. / Yonhap |
By Kim Bo-eun
Seoul Design Week, which opened at the Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP) and COEX, Wednesday, features a large expo of minority-friendly designs, among other design exhibitions and festivities.
The "2015 Universal Design Expo," in which 55 companies participate, is divided into three zones _ a model house with various functions for an extended family comprised of disabled and elderly members, a zone featuring facilities at a hospital, school, office and silver town for the disabled and elderly and a transport zone with wheelchairs, buses and taxis for the disabled.
Visitors can use and experience products and features at these zones. They include a brail watch, a height-adjustable basin, a basketball hoop for players in wheelchairs and a dental care bus for the disabled.
The product and environment designs aim to be universal, in terms of being user-friendly to all, regardless of gender, age, nationality, culture and disability.
There will also be an international seminar on universal designs on Thursday afternoon.
Valerie Fletcher, Director of the Institute for Human Centered Design in the U.S. and an expert on universal design, will deliver a keynote address.
The seminar will discuss the application of universal designs in leisure, medical and public facilities.
The five-day design event will run through Sunday.
