Disney Introduces Adaptive Costumes for People With Disabilities
What’s new: Anyone can be their favorite hero or royal character now that ShopDisney.com has released its first-ever line of adaptive costumes! The magical company is introducing two wheelchair wraps and three adaptive costumes for kids to its Halloween collection.
This newly-launched range of adaptive role play offerings feature magical designs that will allow fans who use wheelchairs and have other accessibility needs to transform into some of their favorite Disney characters.
#AD @shopdisney “Believe in your dreams and someday, your rainbow will come shining through!”
I'm so glad the Cinderella’s Coach Wheelchair Cover Set by @DisguiseInc will now be available at @shopdisney for Disney loving wheelchairs users who dream of heading to the ball! pic.twitter.com/4cjs1bq54f
— Annie Segarra (@annieelainey) August 10, 2020
The details: The costumes are designed with stretch fabric that opens in the back for easier dressing with self-stick fabric closures. Costumes feature discreet flap openings on the front center with self-stick fabric closures to accommodate tube access. They also have an open at the rear for wheelchair-friendly wear, and longer length inseams to accommodate seated users.
Disney’s wheelchair covers fit standard wheelchairs (24-inch wheels) and come with supportive plastic piping pieces for added stability. They’re made with stiff felt with detailed sublimated art, and come with long self-stick fabric strips help keep the pieces in place.
The Frontlines: Kids love dressing up for fun, or for Halloween, but finding adaptive costumes for children with disabilities can be challenging. For wheelchair users, it’s important to find costumes that are easy to take on and off and won’t get caught in wheels. Some children need costumes with hidden openings to accommodate feeding tubes or other medical equipment.
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A Mighty Voice: Our contributor, Ellen Stumbo, shared how she didn’t have the “talent or know-how” to put together Halloween costumes for her child with cerebral palsy.
“While I consider myself crafty, I confess we have not had much ‘fun’ creating a costume for my daughter that includes her chair. Maybe that will change this year, as she is all about decorating her wheels.” You can submit your first person story, too.
From Our Community:
Other things to know: Adaptive costumes make dressing up easier and more comfortable for those with a wide range of needs. Here are some other brands that have made clothing and costumes for kids with disabilities:
- Target Now Offers Halloween Costumes for Kids With Disabilities
- 30 Wheelchair Costumes for Kids That ‘Win’ Halloween
- 20 Clothing Brands That Work for Individuals With Down Syndrome
How to take action: With its new line, Disney is now broadening kids’ options for Halloween and other dress-up fun and moving toward inclusivity for all children. The adaptive costumes are now available on shopDisney.com to order. Kids’ sizes come in S-XL and all cost $49.99. The wheelchair wraps are currently available for preorder.
Here are the five new products launched today:
Header images courtesy of shopDisney.com
Maria Lianos-Carbone is the author of “Oh Baby! A Mom’s Self-Care Survival Guide for the First Year”, and publisher of amotherworld.com, a popular family lifestyle blog for women.
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