Ikea to Use 3-D Printing to Make Furniture More Accessible for Persons with Disabilities

Now Ikea Israel has teamed up with the nonprofits Milbat and Access Israel, each of which specializes in making the world more accessible, to develop a series of modifications to fix popular Ikea furniture pieces. Dubbed ThisAbles, the project’s objects are available online as free schematics, and can be 3D-printed and installed on Ikea mainstays like the Billy bookcase or Karlstad couch.

A total of 13 designs are available today. They include items like the EasyHandle, a big, Rubbermaid-looking grip that can be added to the seamless door of a Pax shelf, and the Glass Bumper, a plastic pad that protects the bottom of a glass-doored Billy bookcase from the bump of a wheelchair. Each object is illustrated in a charming campaign, featuring people with disabilities helping to advertise the simple genius of the designs, while quickly illustrating the method of installation.