Getting Dressed with... Dave

About the Author: Dave Symington is a musician, writer and community development coordinator with a multitude of experiences working in academic and non-profit sectors. He holds degrees from Queen's University, University of Victoria and St. Lawrence College. Dave co-founded the Vancouver Adapted Music Society and is active on many boards and committees surrounding disability advocacy. Dave lives in British Columbia where he is surrounded by good friends, lots of live music and excellent places to find a tasty vegetarian meal.

Although I used to do all of my own personal care until 12 years ago, when I was getting too old and it was too dangerous to try to balance that with working full-time and other activities, getting dressed for me then was essentially the same as it is now in terms of what I choose to wear.

I wear loose fitting tops and usually ones that are one size too big for me so at least I know that they will stay where they are supposed to.

Whatever is most comfortable and easy to get on is my go to, although, I've always struggled with socks and jeans that are sometimes too tight. Now I just don’t wear jeans anymore due to pressure sore issues for the last few years so I use softer materials and pants that stretch at the waist and groin. My caregivers appreciate that as well! I wear loose fitting tops and usually ones that are one size too big for me so at least I know that they will stay where they are supposed to. I have to wear compression stockings now so that’s the only thing my caregivers struggle with a bit.

For the most part I wear black or at least dark clothing but occasionally put on a snazzy dinner jacket when I’m going to the symphony, or a special dinner for example. In the winter I have an insulated poncho that covers my chair and me, it is rainproof and fairly warm. I can actually put that on by myself because basically I just have to put my head through the head hole and let the rest of it fall down over my legs and back and the sides of the chair. I use a power wheelchair now as I don’t think the poncho would be workable in a manual chair.

When I used to dress myself it would take anywhere from half an hour to 45 minutes. Now with the assistance I get it takes 10 to 15 minutes!

Since I don’t have full use of my hands I can’t wear gloves so I’m always looking for better mitts. I have used Ski-Doo mitts but they are a bit too big for me to comfortably control the joystick of the chair and Woolen Mitts aren’t quite warm enough although Vancouver rarely gets below -10 and usually hovers around 3 to 8° in the winter.

When I used to dress myself it would take anywhere from half an hour to 45 minutes. Now with the assistance I get it takes 10 to 15 minutes! Not sure what my style is although I’ve always felt at my core that I am a jeans and T-shirt kind of guy. I would like to wear fancier clothes from time to time but it’s difficult to find suits that are cut to fit my body shape (curvature of the spine, kyphosis).

I find that the places that cater to adaptive clothing tend to focus on the typical or stereotypical senior crowd.

I have a few friends that have their clothes specially made but I haven’t gone that route…yet! I find that the places that cater to adaptive clothing tend to focus on the typical or stereotypical senior crowd. Lots of Velcro closures and clothes without good colours or any pizzazz. It would be nice if there was a place that was reasonably priced and that could provide clothing fitted to my measurements, abilities and style.

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The video below is of Dave providing feedback to emske about the mitt prototype that we are collaborating on together. Getting lived experience feedback on how a design is working well and also where it needs more work is so important in the co-design process. This is the second iteration of the mitt, and it may take 2 or 3 more versions until we get to the final product, it's hard to predict. But when we do get there, rest assured, we will be sharing it with you all!

Designing a Different Future through Inclusive Practices

TLDR (too long, didn't read); basically, it's super important to do your research and educate yourself on ways to incorporate more inclusive practices.

Inclusive design may sound like buzzword terminology to some, but it is truly the way of the future. It is the only way forward that makes sense from societal and environmental perspectives. The term inclusion generally acts as the antonym to exclusion. When we think of inclusion in regards to fashion, terms like body, age, gender, sexuality and race often come to mind first. These are all very important aspects to take into account and educate ourselves on, since historically the fashion industry has excluded and othered many groups of people. There are however, two specific areas that seem to be lacking in the area of inclusion within the fashion and design industries. Disability inclusion is one aspect and the other we believe to be the inclusion of mother nature. Both of these notions will be discussed in this journal entry, starting with the responsibility towards the earth.

The mass-produced and unethical world of fast fashion is one of the biggest culprits in pollution and eco-deterioration, making it extra prevalent as a designer to be thinking of how to do things differently from the root of our design practices. Framing the inclusion of the earth as mother nature, humanizes it and brings to light the living growing aspects that tend to be forgotten.

"When designers are thinking inclusion, mindfulness towards environmentally responsible efforts are a must."

The fashion industry has this bad habit of not being inclusive of the earth in its inclusive design practices. Yes, sustainable design exists but not all products that are made with sustainability in mind are inclusive, in fact many are not. The same goes for inclusively designed products, however due to the name of this design process (inclusive), we believe that it should broaden its umbrella. When designers are thinking inclusion, mindfulness towards environmentally responsible efforts are a must. There is a lot of greenwashing that goes on with companies that are body inclusive for example, yet use predominantly synthetic fabric blends and encourage over consumption due to over production but state they are eco-conscious and inclusive. Yes, in some ways they are and not everything needs to be for everyone, but if the umbrella of inclusive design more readily focused on environmental impacts things may be different, same goes for increased highlighting and true inclusion of disability.

By broadening the scope of how one defines inclusion to include eco-conscious practices, it can help define and shape what it is being conceptualized from the beginning. This will help address lifetime value and diverse use cases, like being mindful of designing for disassembly, and thinking of what may happen to a garment when it arrives at end of life. Will it return to the earth as something that is easily compostable or as a toxin? Is there a way to create a buy back program or offer recycling programs for when customers are ready to move on from a style? Are there ways consumers can re-purpose garments into something refreshing or useful in other ways?

"People living with disabilities are globally the largest minority group yet they are inherently ignored in much of the design process."

Speaking of diverse use cases, brings us to the second missing aspect in the inclusive design landscape, ability. Looking beyond one's own way of living life and learning about new perspectives is very important. Being inclusive of diverse lived experiences in terms of capabilities and incorporating the notion of disability into design processes is not only inherently more inclusive, but exceedingly practical. Disability and chronic illness is universally experienced, spanning across all ages, races, classes, sexualities, genders... the list goes on. People living with disabilities are globally the largest minority group yet they are inherently ignored in much of the design process. Disabled and chronically ill people should have equal access to fashion & style and be equally thought of when designing for inclusion. It is ableism that is responsible for much of the stereotypes and stigmas that are put on to disabled people and this must change. By not including the notion of varied abilities into design processes, it attaches an assumption of "normalcy" to a product, that in fact is a myth. Learning about different ways people move and use their bodies deepens the breadth and depth of the scope of products, therefore becoming better more useful products with longevity and shelf life.

When we purchase a high quality item to last a lifetime, the likelihood that this lifetime may include a disability or chronic illness at some point whether it be temporary or permanent is quite likely, so this in an inherent and important aspect that is not included enough in inclusive design practices that take into account responsible environmental practices as well. Imagining how long a product is to provide use to consumers makes sense from disability and sustainability view points, this is imperative to inclusive design. In the end, having constraints as a designer breeds innovation, it challenges the creative process which is a really exciting thing.

"Doing some, is better than doing none"

These are all big things to consider and they take time, hence the need for the slow design movement. All of these aspects to consider can be overwhelming too and doing everything at once isn't always possible, so it's important to remember that doing some is better than doing none. Cultivating respectful curiosity and engaging with communities beyond your own to gain authentic feedback is an excellent way to learn what is wanted/needed without being prescriptive or misguided. Remember that mistakes are normal too and having some humility goes a long way. This journal entry is exactly that, a journal entry that is not perfect, but a way of sharing thoughts and ideas, maybe a starting point for someone, a conversation starter, a way to gain feedback from a different perspective?

As always, thanks for reading!!!

Note: feedback is always welcome and can be submitted through the contact page, or feel free to reach out anytime through social media or send us an email at hello@emske.ca

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Sources consulted:

https://fortune.com/2023/04/07/global-fashion-industry-pollution-workers-planet-industry-regulation-environment-andrew-martin/

https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-022-02914-2

https://www.commonobjective.co/article/design-lessons-in-disassembly

https://www.vogue.com/article/whats-missing-in-inclusivity-movement-adaptive-fashion-disabled-community

A Phrase to Live by - Normalize Changing Bodies

Why does this statement mean so much to emske?

As the saying goes, the only thing constant in life is change. Yet, why when it comes to our bodies, does society have so much discomfort around the notion and process of change? Whether it be as natural as aging, or as life altering as an acquired disability, we agree that change can be hard... but shouldn't be vilified.

Aging itself is truly a privilege, the natural process our bodies go through from childhood to adolescence to adulthood is what gives us our humanity. Being able to live long enough to experience these changes is something not afforded to all. Going through and experiencing change whether it be a tiny change or a huge change provides opportunity to expand our empathy, outlook and insight.

Image Description: three different coloured versions of a digital sketch of the phrase "Normalize Changing Bodies" in lower case hand drawn font in front of a blurred two tone background. Colour variations from left to right, peach text on blue background, black text on tan/camel background, white text on sage/sea-foam background. Illustration copyright: emske, design studio

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As for the other popular saying... if nothing changes, nothing changes, emske hopes to normalize the phenomenon of change in all aspects. From the mysteries of our changing bodies during and after childbirth, or the excitement of our bodies changing due to elective surgery to become the selves we have always imagined, to the changing aspects that can be both permanent and temporary surrounding a chronic illness or disability. It seems ableist to look at change as a bad thing, that gaining some weight or losing some mobility for example somehow makes us less than, when in reality it is all a part of our stories. And at the end of the day, who doesn't like a good story?

By designing items that are inherently designed to be adaptive to our unique changing bodies, we aim to work towards de-stigmatizing and normalizing changing bodies. We all have the capacity to change and should all be awarded non-judgemental environments to live our lives freely in our ever changing bodies. Join us in celebrating the and embracing change, yes some days it will be harder to accept than others, but hey... we are here in support of all of it!