After discrete adaptations to a very special dress enabled Hannah to enjoy acting as Bridesmaid to a family friend in 2005, Dressability have been helping Hannah with her complex clothing requirements ever since.
Following a brain injury in 2003, Hannah, now 25 was left with severe Cerebral Palsy and is now entirely dependent on help with daily living. Unable to manage putting clothes on herself, Hannah has to be dressed on a changing table, whilst the specific challenges she faces mean that her clothing needs to be able to accommodate feeding tubes, pads etc.
Determined to allow her daughter to remain chic and fashion conscious, after carefully selecting items for her daughter on the high street, Hannah’s mum’s next stop is Dressability, where our team of expert dressmakers make alterations to ensure the clothing is capable of responding to the particular challenges Hannah – and those caring for her, face.
The insertion of zips along the entire length of side seams mean that although Hannah has rigidity in her arms, she can wear flattering pinafore dresses – which her mum can easily slip her into; whilst waistband extensions in stylish, slim jeans enable the accommodation of pads.
Hannah’s particular liking for coats is reflected in the contents of her wardrobe – where jackets, with the back discretely removed to avoid bunching (which can lead to the development of pressure sores) mean she is equipped for every occasion; whilst the insertion of “hidden” small holes into garments allow feeding tubes to be accommodated without the need for threading medical accessories underneath and up through Hannah’s clothing.
Although Hannah’s mum has in the past bought some items from commercial providers of clothing for people with disabilities, Yvonne reports that limited colour choices and selection combined with high prices mean this option is not really suitable for young people who want to fit-in and look fashionable; and tells us that the can-do attitude she encounters at Dressability mean she returns again and again on the basis of enabling Hannah to remain up to the minute in clothing reflecting her age.
