The Right Fit

The importance of “the right fit” is immeasurable.  In fact if you google the term you will notice there are over 15 million search results.  Everyone is searching for the right fit in their lives.  The right fit for clothes, jobs, cars colleges,computer systems, etc…… the list never ends.  For many as they search for the right fit the options are endless. However for individuals with disabilities in many cases there were no options at all.  Now things are starting to change. 
 
Mindy Scheier was searching for the right fit for her son Oliver.
Oliver has a rare type of muscular dystrophy. When he was 8, he started caring more about what he wore and whether it looked like his friends’ clothes. Zippers and buttons presented a problem for him, and his leg braces limited his options.  Mindy saw a problem and realized she was in the perfect position to find a solution. She founded Runway of Dreams, a nonprofit organization dedicated to making fashion accessible to people of all abilities. And her hard work has started paying off. Mindy persuaded Tommy Hilfiger to team up with Runway of Dreams, and their accessible clothing collection is now available for order. The accessible clothes feature magnets in place of zippers and buttons, pants with adjustable hems and openings for leg braces, and shirts that can magnet closed in the back, which is awesome for caregivers of children with special needs.
 
Also searching for the right fit was Liam Craig and Matthew Walzer.  Liam, 9, is on the autism spectrum and craves sensory stimulation, like a weighted vest or a bear hug. Recently, Liam tested the Nesel Pack, a specialized backpack being developed by student entrepreneurs at the University of Minnesota for kids on the spectrum.  Matthew Walzer, who has cerebral palsy, requested more accessible footwear so that he would be able to go off to college without needing assistance tying his shoes.
“At 16 years old, I am able to completely dress myself, but my parents still have to tie my shoes. As a teenager who is striving to become totally self-sufficient, I find this extremely frustrating, and at times, embarrassing,” Walzer wrote.  His letter sparked Nike to introduce three new shoes that use its FLYEASE entry system, which relies on a wrap-around zipper to secure the shoe and features a larger opening to make it easier to slide feet in and out.
 
The search for the right fit will continue for each of us in all aspects of our lives.  The challenge for us all is to help someone else find their “right fit.” 
 
“The best way to find yourself is to loose yourself in service of others”    
-Mahatma Gandhi-