Hidden Helpers : Velcro Fasteners, Pull-On Loops and Other Extras Make Dressing Easier for People With Disabilities
Not all fashion purchases are dictated by budget and style. The special clothing needs of people with disabilities and the elderly require far more thought.
There are 43 million disabled Americans, according to the Washington, D.C.-based National Council on Disability. And 17 million women suffer from rheumatoid arthritis or osteoarthritis, according to the Arthritis Foundation in Atlanta.
A handful of savvy businesses are at last meeting the needs of these people, offering more than loose-fitting clothes that look like hospital gowns or caftans.
JC Penney’s Easy Dressing Fashions, available only through a catalogue for the last two seasons, are now available in the chain’s Huntington Center store. The selection includes women’s one- and two-piece dresses, pants ensembles and activewear for work and special occasions. So far, sales have exceeded expectations, says Chris O’Connell, manager of the special market catalogues for JC Penney.
“Our line brings fashion into a specialized apparel area,” O’Connell says. Stylish details such as emblems, jewel-quality buttons, lace insets, bows, appliques and crests make functional clothes look less utilitarian.
Easy Dressing styles feature roomier armholes for easy access and sturdy pull loops inside waistbands of skirts and pants. Elastic waistbands and easy-to-close Velcro fasteners replace back buttons and zippers.
Because people with disabilities often find it easier to shop by mail, other businesses offer similar clothes only through catalogues.
Sears, Roebuck & Co. offers Health Care Focus, an 80-page catalogue of designs for people with special needs, including hosiery that helps improve the circulation of those who are sedentary or use wheelchairs.
Sears also offers garments for care-givers. They are machine-washable, uniform-style outfits in non-clinging silhouettes for ease of movement. Prices range from $16.99 for a snap-closure A-line skirt to $24.99 for a plaid dress.
Wardrobe Wagon, a New Jersey-based firm, manufactures the Easy-On, Easy-Off line of clothing for men and women. Protective undergarments for incontinent men and women and closure shoes in washable vinyl also are available.
Catalogue prices range from $12 to $75.
Everest & Jennings Avenues of Camarillo specializes in sportswear, lingerie, work and special occasion apparel for men and women who use wheelchairs.
Pants are designed to fit wearers in their seated position. Jackets are cut shorter, so as not to interfere with wheelchair movement.
Designers are careful not to sacrifice style for function, explains Charlie Peitz, a design consultant involved in the creation of Avenues apparel. Among the unusual offerings: T-shirts with illustrations by artist John Callahan of New Yorker and National Lampoon fame.
Because customers want their clothing to look like everyone else’s, they have rejected some functional details, such as too-obvious big-ring zipper pulls. The pulls are now detachable and small enough to fit in a pocket.
For Catalogues
* Everest & Jennings Avenues: (800) 848-2837
* Health Care Focus (Sears, Roebuck & Co.): (800) 326-1750
* Wardrobe Wagon: (800) WW CARES
* Easy Dressing Fashions (JC Penney): (800) 222-6161
