Students campaign for better clothing options for disabled

By Barbara J. Woerner

Correspondent

Deep Creek High School junior Shirell Stateman wants to make waves in the fashion industry on behalf of 54 million people with disabilities.

"My father and sister have disabilities, and I've seen them struggle," she said. "My sister has a hard time putting on jeans, and my father lost his voice to cancer and he has to cover up his neck. It's hard for him to find the right clothes."

Deep Creek senior Shytiara Murry agrees.

"Dogs have more fashion choices than people with disabilities," Murry said. "People with disabilities are just like us, and why shouldn't they have comfortable and trendy choices in clothes like we do?"

It's an issue Stateman, Murry and other members of Karen Jewette's marketing class are tackling as part of their involvement with Distributive Education Club of America.

Last spring, DECA members wrote letters to fashion designers and companies like Roca Wear and Juicy Couture to encourage them to design more clothing for people with disabilities. They also wrote to retailers such as Target and Wal-Mart, asking them to offer a wider variety of clothes with snaps, Velcro closures, dolman sleeves and wider pant legs.

"We study target marketing and groups that are targeted," said Jewette, fashion marketing coordinator and DECA sponsor. "People with disabilities are a group not yet tapped into."

Her students set up a booth Feb. 1 at Deep Creek High with information, stickers and petitions all geared toward having more clothing options for people with disabilities.

"Part of the project is to have them explain to their peers what's going on and have them sign the petition to support more clothing options for people with disabilities," Jewette said. "This project has taught them to be sensitive to the needs of others.

"What really surprised me is their level of understanding of the concept."

Stephanie Thomas, known as the "PJ Deejay" from WVKL-FM (95.7), came to support the DECA club.

"I was born with a partial disability, no thumb and doctors had to reconstruct toes for me," she said. "They told me I'd never walk."

Thomas said that she's been a professional dancer and cheerleader. For the last year, she wore pajamas everywhere to raise awareness for more clothing options for the disabled.

"People with disabilities are a viable consumer group," she said. "It's great to see the students get involved and try to change things for them."

Barbara J. Woerner,

Bjwz2cool@cox.net