. >> reporter: cara mccarty is the head curator at the cooper hewitt smithsonian design museum in new york. she put together its current exhibit, "access+ability," whict calls atn to the recent surge in design for people with disabilities. the exhibit has prototypes like this bodysuit with electric muscles to aid movement... >> we see these now with people who've had strokes, who need to relearn how to walk. >> reporter: ...and canes with features like light-up handles and weighted bases. >> we're seeing experiments with self-righting canes, sort ofn like buoyster that tip over and they... they right themselves up to balance. >> reporter: mccarty says this increase in accessible design means that products we all use are being made to be more inclusive. and products specifically for people with disabilities are being made better. >> this comparison is st so powerful. >> reporter: and, design is being used to change perceptions about people with disabilities, as well. for example, there's a campaign to update the international symbol of access from this depiction of a person in a wheelc