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SCI Forum Reports

Fashion Solutions for People with Disabilities

January 4, 2000

Are disability and style incompatible? This question was posed by Steve Stiens, MD, an assistant professor of Rehabilitation Medicine and the SCI Forum moderator for the evening.

People with disabilities may never match the media images of high fashion, but they are as concerned with their appearance as anyone else. When you're in a wheelchair and have physical limitations, "defining your style is a challenge; fitting in is a challenge," said Stiens, who has T2 paraplegia. Appearance "is an ongoing issue, and very personal."

Ruth Clark, owner of Fashion Magic Apparel, a Kamloops, British Columbia, company that designs clothing for people with disabilities, shared her solutions to many of the typical clothing problems faced by people with physical limitations. She said that although making custom clothing from scratch is ideal, adapting ready-made garments can also work well.

Shirts and tops that fasten in the back with Velcro are an improvement over standard sleeves and openings, but Clark cautions that one strip of Velcro down the spine can cause pressure and skin breakdown. Her garments use spots of Velcro alternating on each side of the spine.

Pants pockets for people in wheelchairs are at best useless and at worst gaping flaps that snag on everything. People often sew them closed to keep them from becoming a problem. It makes more sense to locate pockets on the tops of the thighs, Clark said. Her design had elastic across the top of the pockets, which "allows you to get your hands in and out easily and still holds its shape and stays taut." Putting stiffening fabric along the top hem of the pocket strengthens it even more.

For people without full hand strength or mobility, Clark adds loops to trouser waste bands. "You hook them over your wrists and pull with your arms, not your hands," she said. "No grip is necessary."

Buttons can be a problem for people with high-level injuries, Clark said. When adapting a ready-made garment, she'll cut off the buttons, replace them with Velcro closures, and sew the same or different buttons back on for decoration.

For an alternative to baggy pants, Clark showed a women's pant with hidden zippers going part way up the inside of each tapered leg. Zippers on the outside of the legs can be incorporated into the style, and many athletic pants are designed this way today, with stripes accenting the zippered side-seams.

To make a fitted dress easier to put on, Clark puts a zipper along one side seam, from the armhole to the hem. She showed a sleeveles dress with decorative snap tape closures on the shoulders. "The whole side of the garment opens up," she said.

"Whether you're adapting something ready-made or making it from scratch, use your adaptations as a way to express your own individuality," Clark said. "Be creative."

Clark designed a poncho for wheelchair users that is shorter in back - because "you don't need extra fabric to sit on or catch on things when transferring" - and has sleeve extensions for full arm protection. Straps that fasten behind the calves keep the poncho from blowing around in the wind. Another poncho features a face window made of heat- and cold-resistant plastic and a shorter cape that protects the chair but doesn't drag it down with you if you take a tumble. Her poncho for scooter-users has an extension that protects the hands while driving.

Fabric is as important as design, Clark said. Natural fibers like cotton and linen guard against overheating because they are breathable, but they take more care. A blend of cotton and polyester or one of the new technical fibers, like Du Pont's CoolMax(r), are lightweight, breathable, and easy to care for. Polyester fleece fabrics are lightweight, durable, warm, and wick moisture away from the skin.

For questions about her company, contact Clark at 859 Battle St., Kamloops, BC V2C 2M7; 250-314-1849; email: rjclark@fashionmagic.bc.ca.

Dale and Candy Shinman operate their company, Abilitywear, out of their home on Camano Island. "We started the company because I have MS," Dale said. Abilitywear offers a line of embroidered t-shirts, sweats, and hats; gloves for wheelchair users; and other products for people with disabilities. For information, contact Abilitywear, 366 Samanthia Lane, Camano Island, WA 98292; 800-327-5163; or visit their website at Abilitywear .

Della, one of the evening's panelists, contracted polio at five months old. "Growing up, I learned that what people saw first was my wheelchair or my leg braces," she said. "The wheelchair is part of who I am. I've always ordered wheelchairs that are dark and go with my wardrobe." She has always preferred black chairs without any logos or labels on them, except when she was in college: "I had a psychedelic one then."

Her business wardrobe usually consists of slacks, because they're easier for transferring in and out of cars, and sweater sets. "I never found a jacket that was comfortable for me," she said. "They're all too bulky."

Della enjoys wearing scarves and necklaces, and often changes her accessories to make transitions from work to evening wear. But she doesn't wear make-up - "too much work, with little satisfaction." A few years ago, her feet starting swelling and she could no longer wear shoes,. So she switched to wearing Isotoner(r) slippers all day, which have the appearance of ballet pumps. Because of shoulder problems, she no longer buys clothing that needs ironing.

Kirk, who has C6 tetraplegia, buys most of his clothing off the rack. After his injury, he found that a shorter jacket, with three rather than two buttons, stayed neat and didn't gap open in front. He also looks for garments made with "softer, more forgiving fabrics."
P>If Kirk needs to dress up for evening, he'll wear suit pants in the morning and add the jacket and tie later. "I wear a lot of sweater vests and keep my tie tucked in," he said. He found that wool vests wore out too soon, so now he wears polyester fleece vests.

To accommodate his long legs and catheter bag, Kirk orders his pants long (36") from L.L. Bean and Land's End catalogues. He orders Velcro-closure shoes in extra wide widths from B.A. Mason (800-422-1000) or Stuart McGuire (800-678-4601) catalogues. Kirk is a hat wearer, but found baseball caps inhibited his view of people's faces. Now he wears wool berets from John Helmer Haberdasher (503-223-4976).

Billy, who has C5 tetraplegia, modeled a three-button sports jacket from Rolli-Moden Designs (12225 World Trade Dr, Ste T, San Diego, CA 92128; 800-707-2395). It stays in place and doesn't bunch up because it's shorter than regular jackets. His jeans, from Jeans USA ( 9744 E 55th Pl, Tulsa, OK 74146; 800-935-5170) are cut higher in back and have less material in the front than regular jeans. His Rolli-Moden poncho has one flap to cover the chair and another to cover his back.

Another clothing resource for people with disabilities: Professional Fit Clothing , 831 North Lake St #1; Burbank, CA 91502; 800-422-2FIT.