Seen at center: the Superflex Aura Power BodySuit by fuseproject. “I like to think of it as the 21st-century girdle or a corset, just in terms of the structure,” says Cara McCarty. “The structural parts really follow a person’s anatomy and their muscular structure. It’s meant to wear under your clothing. It’s an exoskeleton, essentially, so it’s used to help give a person strength when they are standing from a seated position.” Courtesy the Cooper Hewitt
The Cooper Hewitt’s Access+Ability exhibit conveys a powerful message: by catering to those with diverse mental and physical abilities, design can create a more inclusive society. Access+Ability highlights objects and wearables that empower their users, making them more self-reliant and capable. The museum itself is striving to cater to these users as well: One Saturday each month, the Cooper Hewitt opens early at 9 AM, so visitors with cognitive disabilities can enjoy the presentations at their own, relaxed leisure. “We all have more dignity when we have our independence,” says Cara McCarty, curatorial director at the Cooper Hewitt and co-curator of Access+Ability.
McCarty, who is tall and slender with wavy white hair, has been with the Cooper Hewitt since 2007. She oversees the museum’s collections and molds the exhibition program, but her excitement toward Access+Ability seems unparalleled to her other work. During a vacation in Scandinavia, McCarty discovered a profusion of beautifully-designed products that weren’t just a “clinical…makeshift solution” for people with disabilities. Through that exposure, in 1988 she curated a similar exhibit at the Museum of Modern Art (where she was an associate curator at the time) titled Designs For Independent Living. “The premise was similar,” McCarty says, “but the products were mainly for those with physical disabilities.” Now, 30 years later, Access+Ability aims to set a new standard of ideas in the world of tech and design and demonstrate that the best ideas cater to everyone.
Seen at left: Prosthetic Leg Covers by Alleles Design Studio. These are “kind of like tattoos that you can strap on to your prosthetic leg and you can change it depending on your preference,” says McCarty. “You can get one for your particular style, change it to your outfit, your mood whenever.” Courtesy the Cooper Hewitt
Divided into three categories—physical, cognitive, and sensory—the exhibit’s 70 products appear futuristic, even though many of them are finalized prototypes on the brink of becoming a reality. For example, the SoundShirt by CuteCircuit is a fashionable button-up embedded with 16 sensors; each sensor is connected to a different section of an orchestra, creating layers of vibrating rhythm for the wearer and revolutionizing the way deaf people experience the symphony. The Emma Watch, from Microsoft, uses haptic vibrations to help those with tremors regain the use of their hand; it has a sleek look equivalent to a Fitbit. Tobii Dynavox’s Eyemobile Plus Tablet is a hands-free tablet that uses eyesight as a navigation tool and helps those with muscular dystrophy navigate the web. “Access+Ability is trying to develop to people’s abilities,” McCarty says. “People are accessing the world, but we’re also able to access thoughts that maybe they were never able to get out of their head.”
A major highlight of the exhibit was the Superflex Aura Power bodysuit. “I like to think of it [as] the 21st-century girdle or a corset,” McCarty says. The tight grey exoskeleton is embedded with sensors that sync with the muscular composition of its user, making it easier for the elderly to perform fluid movements. According to McCarty, Honda developed its own suit in 2009 and recently further developed it to assist people relearning how to walk.
“We’re about to finish in here,” McCarty says, as she beckoned me to a handful of photos in a glass display case. The photos were of two playgrounds, one in San Antonio, Texas and one in California. “If you’re a parent with a disability and you take your child to the park … every activity here is accessible by someone in a wheelchair. It’s really inclusive,” McCarty said smiling. “Playgrounds are our first classrooms in many ways.” The playgrounds were the denouement of Access+Ability and reaffirmed the museum’s belief that impressive concepts are ones that bring people together. “What do I want?” McCarty said, gesturing to the exhibit surrounding her. “This is all in the spirit [of] taking a step back and considering a much larger group from the outside. People often don’t see what’s right under their nose, and I think that’s one of the great strengths of museums, is to be able to pull under one umbrella.”
Access+Ability is on view at the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum through September 3, 2018.
Seen at center: Zoom Soldier IX Flyease sneakers. “These were inspired by a 13-year-old boy with cerebral palsy who wrote to Nike saying that he wanted to be able to dress himself," says McCarty. "He was also thinking about the day he would go off to school. And so they came up with this shoe. You just slide it in. Again, if you don't have much manual dexterity, you can grab this big flap and just wrap around the zipper and connect it by Velcro.”
Courtesy of Cooper Hewitt
Seen at center: Zoom Soldier IX Flyease sneakers. “These were inspired by a 13-year-old boy with cerebral palsy who wrote to Nike saying that he wanted to be able to dress himself," says McCarty. "He was also thinking about the day he would go off to school. And so they came up with this shoe. You just slide it in. Again, if you don't have much manual dexterity, you can grab this big flap and just wrap around the zipper and connect it by Velcro.”
Seen at center: Racing Wheelchair. “This racing wheelchair, designed by BMW, was designed for only a few very specific users," according to McCarty. "It was used in the 2016 Paralympics in Rio. My favorite view of it is from the front there right on, because you can see how sleek it is and how small it is. It really hugs the user like a glove. It's pared down to the absolute essentials for one use."
Courtesy of Cooper Hewitt
Seen at center: Racing Wheelchair. “This racing wheelchair, designed by BMW, was designed for only a few very specific users," according to McCarty. "It was used in the 2016 Paralympics in Rio. My favorite view of it is from the front there right on, because you can see how sleek it is and how small it is. It really hugs the user like a glove. It's pared down to the absolute essentials for one use."
Seen at right, in blue: the SoundShirt by CuteCircuit. “It's a collaboration between some fashion designers in England and a symphony in Germany," says McCarty. "This [shirt] is embedded with sensors that correspond to the stage, the symphony hall, and the stage is also embedded with sensors. So when the music plays, you feel it on your body.”
Courtesy the Cooper Hewitt
Seen at right, in blue: the SoundShirt by CuteCircuit. “It's a collaboration between some fashion designers in England and a symphony in Germany," says McCarty. "This [shirt] is embedded with sensors that correspond to the stage, the symphony hall, and the stage is also embedded with sensors. So when the music plays, you feel it on your body.”
The Bedazzled and Bejeweled Earring Aid by Elana Langer: “These hearing aids are a concept, but they are another example of where we could go with hearing aids. These were created by a woman who then posted them on the internet," according to McCarty. "She got a lot of responses. It's the idea of personalizing your hearing aid. You wanna go to the prom? Why not jazz it up? It's not about trying to conceal your hearing aid and being so self-conscious about it.”
Courtesy of Cooper Hewitt
The Bedazzled and Bejeweled Earring Aid by Elana Langer: “These hearing aids are a concept, but they are another example of where we could go with hearing aids. These were created by a woman who then posted them on the internet," according to McCarty. "She got a lot of responses. It's the idea of personalizing your hearing aid. You wanna go to the prom? Why not jazz it up? It's not about trying to conceal your hearing aid and being so self-conscious about it.”
The Emma Watch by Haiyan Zhang and Microsoft: “This was created for a young woman with Parkinson's and is a research project with Microsoft," says McCarty. "It works [using] haptic vibrations. [Emma] has a hand tremor, quite active. She's a graphic designer, and it's very difficult for her to draw or write because of her trembling hand. She puts the watch on, and the vibrations help to trip her brain and you can see the before and after, what a difference.”
Courtesy of Cooper Hewitt
The Emma Watch by Haiyan Zhang and Microsoft: “This was created for a young woman with Parkinson's and is a research project with Microsoft," says McCarty. "It works [using] haptic vibrations. [Emma] has a hand tremor, quite active. She's a graphic designer, and it's very difficult for her to draw or write because of her trembling hand. She puts the watch on, and the vibrations help to trip her brain and you can see the before and after, what a difference.”
The Los Angeles County Voting Booth Redesign by IDEO: “It was commissioned for the 2020 elections, and if you start looking at it, it's very durable," says McCarty. "And it's wider. You can not only walk up to it, but you can roll up to it in a wheelchair. The ballot is also electronic and so it can come in many different languages. And of course, it's easy to change. Here is an oversized sort of remote to navigate the ballot.”
Courtesy of Cooper Hewitt
The Los Angeles County Voting Booth Redesign by IDEO: “It was commissioned for the 2020 elections, and if you start looking at it, it's very durable," says McCarty. "And it's wider. You can not only walk up to it, but you can roll up to it in a wheelchair. The ballot is also electronic and so it can come in many different languages. And of course, it's easy to change. Here is an oversized sort of remote to navigate the ballot.”
