Inclusive Design for Regaining Lost Identity: Accessible, Aesthetic and Effortless Clothing

Inclusive Design for Regaining Lost Identity is a research project that aims to design and develop accessible clothing that is inclusive and fashionable to foster psycho-social well-being and to enhance the self-esteem of women with disabilities. The research explored inclusive design solutions for the saree – a traditional Indian garment for women, through a practice-led iterative methodology of designing and producing pragmatic and aesthetic sarees with enhanced ease of dressing and undressing. These sarees are intended to offer the participants a sense of independence and individuality whilst responding to their needs for self-expression. Clothing for persons with disabilities frequently follows a medical model which focuses on their inabilities. Such experiences tend to aggravate feelings of inadequacy and lower self-esteem due to the limited choices of pertinent fashionable clothing. Ethnographic research was conducted with women in the age range of twenty to forty years with mild to moderate physical disabilities, including those with cerebral palsy, reduced dexterity and limb amputations. Investigations into apparel-related barriers they face and their expectations and desires about clothing pointed to a huge void in terms of designed inclusive clothing for women with physical disabilities. Self-efficacy emerged as a significant criteria for the selection of garments. A series of informed study prototypes of adaptive sarees were designed and developed along with an exploration into the feasibility of 3D printed fasteners intended to alleviate potential feelings of frustration and deprivation while wearing saree is an elaborate garment that requires precise draping, which makes the saree complicated to wear and inconvenient to carry, particularly for women with physical disabilities. For many women in India, the saree remains the customary dress, especially for work and occasions, yet minimal progress and advancement has been made to enhance its accessibility and ease of use. This research aspires to provide inclusive design solutions that seamlessly embrace persons with disabilities, to elevate their agency and to challenge and change prevailing negative attitudes, misconceptions, and stereotypes in relation to their specific needs and desires.