ULSAN — Hyundai Motor (005380) and its labor union are providing customized assistive devices to children with disabilities to improve mobility and physical safety for people with limited mobility in the local community.
The company and the union held a handover ceremony for the "Wish on Wheels" program at the Ulsan Comprehensive Welfare Center for the Disabled on the 26th, delivering mobility aids to 48 local children with disabilities. The program is run jointly with the Korean Committee for UNICEF.
The initiative focused on providing practical care equipment matched to each child's type of disability, including brain lesions, physical disabilities and intellectual disabilities. Items distributed included stroller-type wheelchairs, vehicle posture support devices, electric wheelchairs, posture support chairs, front- and rear-handle walkers and rear-support walkers.
Funding totaled 205 million won, combining 105 million won raised by employees at Hyundai Motor's Ulsan plant with 100 million won from the labor-management social contribution fund. The Korean Committee for UNICEF, which received the donation, worked with the Ulsan Welfare Center for the Disabled to recruit recipients over three months starting in May. Specialists including a professor from the physical therapy department at Ulsan College and physical therapists from Ulsan University Hospital took part in the screening to improve the fit between children and devices.
Following the equipment handover, the company and the union plan to run a barrier-free family travel program to Jeju Island in September for 12 families with children with disabilities. The aim is to provide a customized travel environment that allows the families to enjoy leisure time without mobility barriers.
"Based on our human-centered mobility philosophy, we organized this event to expand the range of activities available to children with disabilities and to support their safety in daily life," a Hyundai Motor official said. "Through improvements in transportation, we will continue to contribute to building a community where people with limited mobility can live with peace of mind."
Hyundai Motor and its union have been supporting people with limited mobility in the Ulsan area for 23 years, drawing on employee donations since 2003. Activities have included free vehicle inspections for people with disabilities, traffic safety education for children with disabilities and support for marathons for people with disabilities. Cumulative support totals about 1.08 billion won.
