Fashion and Assistive Technology might seem like a bizarre intersection, but for most people with disabilities, it makes complete sense.

Adaptive clothing can help people with a variety of disabilities manage their clothing independently throughout the entire day. Just as there is a myriad of disabilities, there is also a myriad of adaptive clothing needs. You might need clothing that is easier to put on in a sitting position, that can accommodate limb difference, allow for medical device access, doesn’t require fine motor skills to interact with or offers smaller size options for adult styles of clothing. On top of these need related differences, the number of considerations increase exponentially when choice of adaptation comes into play like: magnetic vs Velcro closures; back, side and hidden access openings; designs that are toileting-friendly; provide seated comfort; offer step-in options; grant easy access points; or soft/sensory-friendly material types. All of this comes into play, many times, before the user’s sense of taste is even brought into the picture. That is why Where It’s AT is here with a current set of adaptive clothing options and vendors. That way, your clothes are not only functional for your needs, but are also the form of self-expression they should be.

• Kohl’s has adaptive clothing options for kids like pants with higher waistlines to ensure comfort and coverage for those wearing diapers, hidden leg openings to facilitate brace and prosthetic access, flat seams, hook and loop closures, larger neck openings and sensory friendly knit fabrics.
• Target has a Kids’ Adaptive Clothing line with options like hidden abdominal access point, sensory friendly materials with flat seams and no tags, side openings to make seated dressing easier.
• Tommy Hilfiger has an adaptive clothing line for children, with adaptive features like easy open necklines, magnetic buttons and pull up loops. They have their offerings broken into a boy’s adaptive line and a girl’s adaptive line.
• JCPenny has an adaptive clothing line for children, in a wide range of sizes, that sports tons of adaptive features, such as; Hook and loop fasteners, tag free clothing, flat seams, hook and loop flys and seated rises.
• Kozie Clothes sells adaptive children’s clothing by need, offering categories like; sensory, temperature controlled, compression, weighted, medical and swimwear.
• SpecialKids.Company is based in the UK and offers a wide range of adaptive clothing and accessories designed specifically for children with disabilities. Their clothes offer tube access, zip back footed sleepsuits, and lined swimsuits that can catch any leaks from diapers.
• Fun and Function sells sensory clothing items like weighted caps, hoodies and vests, compression clothing, and seamless underwear.
• Land’s End has a line of adaptive clothing in popular school uniform styles, a great tool for a caregiver trying to find clothing for a child with sensory disabilities, who needs to follow a dress code.
• Nike offers a Kid’s Easy off Collection that enables children to get their shoes on hands free with step-in technology, no bending, enhanced fine motor skills or lace tying required!
• Reboundware designs their clothes to be fashionable and functional. They have a modest but nice line of kids clothing that includes tops and bottoms with strategically placed zipper openings with no use of Velcro or magnets and have minimal metal components.
• Patti + Ricky have a line of kids adaptive clothing that includes seated skirts, G-Tube, tummy and cath access pieces, and sensory friendly products.
• Adaptive Clothing Showroom has a kids clothing shop that includes anti-strip jumpsuits, back snap t-shirts and boxers with hook and loop closures.
• Easy Access Clothing has a small clothing line for children, but their pieces are pretty great. They have pants that can lay flat and open, requiring no lifting, allowing the child to dress in a wrap around method. Some clothes have reinforced wrist loops for lifting while dressing. They offer pants that have a wider cut and higher rise in the back for comfort and coverage. They even have bodysuits with scooped necklines that leave room for a trach and have snap access to help the bodysuit stay tucked in while still providing easy access for toileting.