'Design Bag' Containing Presbyopia Glasses and Weighted Bands Heads to Classrooms

Seoul Design Foundation and Samsonite Korea Collaborate to Improve UD Education Operations
Enhancing Mobility and Storage of Universal Design Educational Kits for Elementary Schools

The Seoul Design Foundation is joining hands with Samsonite Korea to improve the universal design education environment at elementary schools. The aim is to not only design educational content, but also to create an operational system that addresses how teaching aids are transported to and stored at schools.

Seoul Design Foundation and Samsonite Korea signed a business agreement at DDP and are showcasing the Universal Design (UD) education package carrier for use in elementary school UD education settings. Seoul Design Foundation

On July 13, the Seoul Design Foundation announced that it will carry out a collaborative project with Samsonite Korea to enhance the operational environment for universal design education for future generations and to establish a sustainable educational model.

The universal design education program operated by the foundation is designed for children to experience the perspectives of various users, such as the elderly and people with disabilities, and to learn the values of inclusion and consideration. Using experiential teaching aids such as presbyopia simulation glasses, weighted bands, and finger splints, students can experience physical limitations. They also compare products designed with universal design principles to regular products, helping them understand the meaning of designs that are convenient for everyone to use.

This collaboration was established to reduce the burden of transporting and storing experiential teaching aids at schools. The foundation and Samsonite Korea plan to establish an operational system that enhances the mobility and storage convenience of educational kits, and to manage the data accumulated during the educational process, with the goal of developing improved models.

Samsonite Korea will provide 100 American Tourister "Fast Forward" carriers. This product features a lightweight and impact-resistant polypropylene material, double wheels for smooth rolling, and ample storage space. The foundation, together with The Graphic Novels, plans to brand these carriers with symbols representing Seoul, tailoring them to fit elementary school settings.

The foundation’s universal design education project began in 2023 with 2,774 participants from 39 schools. In 2024, 5,211 students from 40 schools participated, and in 2025, 11,646 students from 128 schools joined the program. As of July 2026, the cumulative participation has reached over 31,000 students from 309 schools. In 2025, teacher satisfaction scored 95.9 out of 100 points.

In May, the foundation signed a business agreement with the Jeonbuk Special Self-Governing Province Namwon Office of Education, expanding the UD educational package—which was previously centered on Seoul, Gyeonggi, and Incheon—into regional educational settings.

Samsonite Korea CEO Choi Wonsik said, "Enhancing mobility and usability is what Samsonite does best. We will actively cooperate to create social value by reducing inconvenience at educational sites and helping future generations learn in better environments."

Cha Kanghee, CEO of the Seoul Design Foundation, stated, "Universal design is not only about educational content but also about incorporating design into the process of delivering it to classrooms. We will continue to develop the universal design education program, which began in Seoul, into a sustainable educational model that can expand nationwide."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.