Adaptive clothing for service men and women[/caption]Marsha Hunt---"It's so hard to get dressed every day," she said. "When you live most of the time in a wheelchair, getting dressed and doing simple things is so difficult that half the time I would rather just stay home."
Like many people, Doris is unaware of the resources for people with disabilities, or those involved in helping her may not know there are ways of making life simpler for those who have trouble with activities of daily living, like simply getting dressed.
There are in fact a number of online resources on clothing for persons with disabilities. These include clothes that snap, have adjustments in the seat, back, or sides, sleeves that are relatively easy for the arms to enter, and a host of adaptations that provide an easier time getting dressed than standard clothing.
Adapted clothing can even include jeans, something many people identify with the fit and healthy. These kinds of clothes, as opposed to the proverbial shift dress or nightgown and robe, allow the user to feel a closer identification with the non-disabled population. And since jeans are fashion these days, they are able to be in fashion as well. Often the service man or woman has difficulty enough adapting to civilian life, and with the increased isolation caused by disabilities, they have even greater problems in that adaptation. But special clothing allows them to be out and about more often than they would be otherwise.
It isn't just outer clothing that persons with disabilities need to be able to doff on and off easily. Many elderly persons and those with special foot problems, often diabetics, need special shoes. There are shoes with velcro closures, that are extra wide, or have special on non-slip soles, especially useful given the higher rates of falls that occur among elderly persons.
Many people with disabilities feel isolated from others, and often depressed; and adaptive clothing can enhance opportunities for socialization. So the uses are multiple, and the need for special clothing has brought a whole new line of apparel for those who have those special needs.
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