Traditional Clothes Don’t Work for Some People with Disabilities — and that’s a Major Problem
Photo by WireImage
When stylist Stephanie Thomas meets someone who tells her they didn’t realize people with disabilities have different clothing needs, she asks them a simple question: “What do you do when you stand up?”
The answer: “You adjust your clothing somehow,” Thomas explains. “You pull your pants up; you adjust your skirt. Clothing is designed for standing, so adjustments need to be made for those who can’t stand as much or at all.”
This conversation is familiar to me, as is a lot of what Thomas has to say. She’s a congenital amputee who was born missing digits on her right hand and feet, and I was born with cerebral palsy. Our disabilities are different, but we grew up with a shared stubbornness to make trends work for us, even if that meant stumbling or feeling pain. For instance, we both wore open-toed shoes for the fashion, but also to prove a point. “Someone said I couldn’t,” Thomas says, and that only made her want to more. “I always do what people say I can’t do.”
