Global brand IKEA goes accessible, launches 3D printable furniture pieces

Be it home accessories or furnishing, it’s hard to match IKEA for variety or design. Now, this Swedish brand has launched furniture pieces for people with disabilities. Its Israel branch has teamed up with NGOs Milbat and Access Israel, to make this happen.

The designs are 3D printable and part of a series called ThisAbles. In the initial phase, the series has 13 items including furniture pieces such as door handles, mega switch, pop up handles, cabinet door protecting bumpers and more.

The designs have been created specifically to meet the needs of people with disabilities and to create awareness.

IKEA aims to encourage furniture designers to create more designs that are accessible for people with disabilities.

IKEA has launched in India too so disabled people in India hope to see some of those designs here.

ThisAbles truly enables people with limited mobility, especially cerebral palsy to fully use everyday furniture in their homes and outside which are otherwise full of barriers. ThisAbles has understood the needs of people with challenges and brought out these amazing products that can be attached to existing furniture making them usable. A revolutionary idea to make EVERYDAY lives of PwDs much happier and easier! – Dr Riitesh Sinha, Innovator

The furniture pieces are currently available at IKEA’s Israel showrooms and also for free on the website of IKEA. They can be downloaded and printed in any part of the world and used.

Rakshit Mallik, a visually impaired student, calls it a great initiative. “I think it is a great initiative, considering the fact that there is a sever lack of awareness about accessibility in our country. It is incredible that someone is ready to share the information for free and help make the world accessible for people with disabilities”.

For more information about ‘ThisAbles’ Click Here.

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