Imagine starting your day. You reach for your clothes, a simple, everyday act. For most, it's a routine, perhaps a moment of personal expression. But for millions, this fundamental act can be a battle, a source of frustration, even pain.

For someone navigating life from a wheelchair, a favorite shirt can bunch uncomfortably, riding up to expose skin, while pants become a tangled obstacle course. And what about the constant threat of a hem catching a shoe, or a loose sleeve snagging a wheelchair wheel, turning a simple walk or roll into a potential fall? The challenge intensifies when a quick, private trip to the restroom becomes an agonizing, undignified ordeal, made more difficult by inaccessible clothing fasteners. Consider the person whose world is experienced through touch and sound. How do they choose their outfit, ensuring their top matches their pants, without the ability to see? Or the quiet, constant agony for someone with sensory sensitivities, where a seam feels like sandpaper, a tag an unbearable itch, making every garment a source of distress rather than comfort?

These aren't just minor inconveniences, they chip away at confidence, limit participation, and steal dignity. They represent barriers to independence, self-expression, and the simple joy of feeling comfortable in your own skin. Innovations in Accessible Clothing is more than just a project it's a mission born from empathy and a commitment to radical inclusion. We envision a world where getting dressed is a moment of empowerment, not a struggle.

Our core objectives are to:

• Deeply Understand: Conduct in-depth research to truly comprehend the everyday clothing challenges faced by individuals with diverse disabilities.

• Map the Landscape: Chart the current state of the adaptive clothing industry, identifying existing solutions, market trends, and, crucially, the significant gaps and unmet needs.

• Innovate Cost-Effective Solutions: Focus on identifying and developing "minimal incremental changes" to mainstream clothing that can provide significant, cost-effective accessibility solutions. This could involve design tweaks, material innovations, modular designs, or clever closures that dramatically improve ease of dressing without requiring significant changes to design aesthetics.

• Empower Through Design: Encourage practical, dignified, and stylish clothing solutions that enhance independence, comfort, and self-esteem for people with disabilities.

• Educate for Awareness: Share vital knowledge about how to adapt existing clothing or create more inclusive designs from the outset.

Brief Background on Organization or Client/Sponsor:

Bolanle Dahunsi

Assistant Professor in the Apparel Design program at the College of Business. PI of the Sustainable Apparel Research Lab at the College of Business.

Outcomes:

• Innovative, Cost-Effective Design Prototypes: Development of a portfolio of practical, user-tested clothing prototypes and modification concepts that demonstrate how minimal changes can significantly increase accessibility, addressing identified challenges in dressing, mobility, and comfort.

• Comprehensive Adaptive Clothing Resource Hub: Creation of accessible educational materials and guidelines for individuals with disabilities, offering practical advice on identifying and modifying existing mainstream clothing, as well as for designers on implementing inclusive design principles.

• In-Depth Market Insights & Gap Analysis: A detailed report charting the landscape of the adaptive clothing industry, identifying underserved areas and key opportunities for innovation and growth, serving as a valuable resource for designers, entrepreneurs, and advocates.

• Cultivation of Interdisciplinary Design Talent: Fostering a new generation of designers and innovators equipped with empathy, problem-solving skills, and a deep understanding of universal design principles, prepared to create a more inclusive world.

• Enhanced Community Awareness & Empowerment: Increased public awareness about the daily clothing challenges faced by people with disabilities and the importance of adaptive fashion, empowering individuals with disabilities through better access to information and solutions.

Seeking Skills:

• Fashion Design: Experience with garment construction, pattern making, textile knowledge, and trend analysis.

• Industrial Design: Proficiency in product design, human-centered design principles, and prototyping physical objects.

• Graphic Design/UX/UI: Skills in visual communication, user experience design, creating compelling visuals, layouts, and infographics for web content, presentations, and educational tools and creating intuitive interfaces (e.g., for educational materials).

• Web Development/Content Management System: Proficiency in front-end (HTML, CSS, JavaScript) and/or back-end development for building and maintaining our project website and resource hub or familiarity with platforms like WordPress or similar for managing website content.

• Creativity & Innovation: Ability to think outside the box, generate novel ideas, and challenge conventional approaches.

• Human Factors/Ergonomics: Understanding of how people interact with products and environments, optimizing for comfort and efficiency.

• Qualitative Research: Experience with interviews, focus groups, and ethnographic studies to understand user needs.

• Quantitative Research: Skills in data collection, statistical analysis, and survey design.

• Communication: Strong verbal and written communication skills for presentations, reports, and stakeholder engagement.

• Market Research: Ability to analyze industry trends, identify market gaps, and assess commercial viability.

• Project Management: Organizational skills to help keep projects on track, manage timelines, and coordinate tasks.

• Problem-Solving: A logical and analytical approach to tackling complex challenges.

• Teamwork: Ability to work effectively in diverse, interdisciplinary teams, contributing to a shared vision.

• Interpersonal Skills: Empathy, active listening, and the ability to connect with diverse perspectives, especially with individuals with disabilities.