Importance of Disability Inclusion in Fashion

The representation, equal access, and apparel tools needed to break the cycle of exclusion in the fashion industry.

This course, Importance of Disability Inclusion in Fashion, explores why disability inclusion is essential to pushing the fashion industry forward. Students will finish this course with an understanding of the motivations behind adaptive fashion. This course is intended for individuals in the fashion industry interested in learning more about adaptive fashion. This course will benefit designers, technical designers, production managers, merchandisers, buyers, e-commerce specialists, marketing teams, company executives, and more. Although no prerequisites are needed for this course, it is recommended to take Course 1: Introduction to Adaptive Fashion and Coruse 2: History of Adaptive Fashion before taking this course.

Following a brief introduction to your instructor and the course in lecture 1, lecture 2 of this course starts our journey of learning the importance of disability inclusion in fashion by focusing on why representation of Disabled people in fashion matters. In lecture 3, In this lecture, we explore the importance of equal access to self expression and the role self expression plays in fashion. On our journey of disability inclusion, we will talk about how apparel can be a gate keeper for people with disabilities in lecture 4. Lecture 5 dives into the cycle that keeps people with disabilities excluded from being prioritzed in the fashion industry. Wrapping up this course, we hear from Jillian Mercado, the first Disabled model featured on the cover of Teen Vogue, on the importance of disability inclusion in fashion.