Thanks in part to legislation such as the Americans with Disabilities Act passed in 1991, disabled and wheelchair bound people now have greater access than ever before to public transportation, public buildings, restrooms, parking spaces and entertainment venues. However, one area that has not received as much attention, especially for disabled women, is fashion. Just because a woman is wheelchair bound does not mean she should not have access to comfortable, well-fitting and fashionable clothing. Designer Ann Olivier, who was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) in 1990, was frustrated with the lack of style in clothing made for disabled women. She was then inspired to create the
XENI Collection, a designer fashion collection for the physically disabled.
Before MS began to rob Ann of her hand strength and muscle coordination, she was an award-winning architect living in London. After she was no longer able to fully function in her job, she found herself at home with too much time on her hands. She wanted to go out to the theatre, but could find nothing to wear that wasn't constricting and difficult to fasten. Because of this, she decided to go back to school and put the skills she learned as an architect to good use and design clothing that uses magnets instead of buttons or zippers, and pants that can easily be pulled on from a sitting position. She also created the "free seat" innovation in clothing which does not need to be pulled underneath the bottom. For example, her coats are cut out at the back, so that one can sit down comfortably without the neck being pulled down. Pants in the XENI line have extra material at the waist and are designed to provide full coverage at the ankle. Tops are designed to emphasize the shoulders, thus diverting attention away from the lap.
While the XENI line is not inexpensive, it provides a variety of comfortable, high-quality couture clothing which can help disabled women feel good about themselves. The XENI collection also provides fashionable jewelry that is easy to fasten and remove. Future plans include a line of handbags for wheelchair-bound women that do not fall easily off the lap and feature quick access to things such as cell phones and wallets.
All of us want to feel and look good, regardless of health status or life situation. Thanks to innovative entrepreneurs like Ann Olivier, the world of fashion is no longer out of reach for those with disabilities. A fashionable dress will not take away the daily challenges of living with MS or another disabling disease, but it may help inspire women to get out there and enjoy an evening on the town while looking sharp and feeling fabulous!
Rachel Huber,
and
Hulet Smith, OT
