Hyundai Motor (005380.KS) is providing custom-built special strollers to help children with severe disabilities move more freely and take part in daily life.
The automaker said on the 15th that it will provide the custom strollers to 500 children, and that it held a walking event for children with severe disabilities and their families at Seoul Children's Grand Park on the 14th.
The event for the families was held as part of the special stroller program. The initiative aims to improve mobility for children with severe disabilities who cannot use standard strollers or wheelchairs because of their physical condition and who need to carry medical equipment with them.
Standard strollers have limits on seat size, load capacity and space for medical devices, making it difficult for children who must travel lying down or who rely on medical equipment to keep up with hospital visits and outings. Existing assistive devices such as stroller-type wheelchairs are expensive and offer limited portability, leaving a heavy burden on families raising children with severe disabilities.
Hyundai Motor is running the program with WHY-UP, a Korean stroller manufacturer, and the Miral Welfare Foundation. The automaker is covering the full cost of designing and producing the 500 special strollers. The Miral Welfare Foundation handles recruitment and selection of recipients as well as program operations, while WHY-UP is responsible for design, development and production.
The strollers are built around the physical conditions and medical needs of children with severe disabilities. The seat measures 50 by 110 centimeters, about 50% larger in area than that of a standard stroller, and the frame has been reinforced to carry up to 30 kilograms.
The strollers also feature a seat that reclines up to 175 degrees, a module for mounting an intravenous drip stand and 50 liters of storage space, making travel easier for children who use respirators and other medical devices. A one-touch folding function is designed to ease the burden on caregivers when loading the stroller into a vehicle or storing it.
A Hyundai Motor official said the company hopes the strollers will be of real help to children with severe disabilities and their families during hospital visits and daily outings, adding that as a mobility company, Hyundai Motor will continue social contribution activities that improve access to daily life for people with limited mobility.
About 100 people attended the event, including Yoon Hyo-joon, head of Hyundai Motor's domestic business division; Kim Eun-hee, executive director of the domestic support business department; Kim Kyung-jo, executive director of the domestic business support office; Hwang Dae-byeok, head of general operations at the Miral Welfare Foundation; Cho Sung-gyul, a director at the foundation; and Do Hong-gu, chief executive of WHY-UP, along with 40 families raising children with severe disabilities.
