A woman with long dark hair, wearing a white dress with black scalloped trim, is seated on a large brown leather armchair on a stage. She is holding her forearm crutches. A man is seated beside her on a blue velvet sofa. A screen in the background displays "Welcome."

Laura Wagner Mayer on Adaptive Fashion, Inclusive Design and Owning the Runway

Listen to this Article Laura Wagner Mayer’s fearless fashion The first time Laura Wagner-Mayer felt like she owned the room, she was seventeen, standing in front of a mirror in a custom-made dress for her matric farewell dance. Not just any dress. This one was shaped around her. A high-low hem that skimmed at just […]

Laura Wagner Mayer on Adaptive Fashion, Inclusive Design and Owning the Runway Read More »

Tidbits December 15, 2025

Listen to this Article LOOKING FOR DISABILITY-FRIENDLY DESTINATIONS? Arizona, the Grand Canyon State Lansing, Michigan Visit Lauderdale Penticton, BC Friuli Venezia Giulia MORE TRAVEL DEALS? Check out accessibleGO WANT TO KNOW BEFORE YOU GO? Check out Able Eyes MORE TRAVEL DEALS? Check out accessibleGO Click here to subscribe to Tidbits Do you have something to share? Email Marina Apperley

Tidbits December 15, 2025 Read More »

Two models walk the runway in a show for "LADY FINES ADAPTIVE FASHION," which is spelled out in large, bright pink neon lettering on the digital screen behind them. The model on the left, with dark hair and multiple tattoos, is walking and wearing a sleeveless, double-breasted black mini-dress, white lace-up boots, and a visible prosthetic leg below her left knee. The model on the right, with long dark hair, is sitting in a manual wheelchair and wearing a shimmering silver metallic halter-neck maxi dress. The background screen shows a collage of photos of diverse models with disabilities.

Lady Fines is elevating adaptive fashion for disabled girls and women

Listen to this Article Lady Fines At 6:30 a.m., while most of Tampa still sleeps, Lady Fines is wide awake, hunched over a glowing screen, designing in an iPad fashion app as she studies adaptive-feature notes from models she’s worked with. She flips between mood boards and digital templates, refining skirts with discreet clasps and

Lady Fines is elevating adaptive fashion for disabled girls and women Read More »

Haley Schwartz brings style and confidence to adaptive fashion through Vertige Adaptive

Haley Schwartz (center) and models Listen to this Article Haley Schwartz was four years old when a machine attached to her chest dictated how she dressed. Sweatpants, oversized shirts, anything to blur the outline of wires and monitors humming against her ribs. She was confident, loud, curious, all the things a child should be, but

Haley Schwartz brings style and confidence to adaptive fashion through Vertige Adaptive Read More »

A close-up portrait of a smiling blonde woman with Down syndrome, wearing a sheer floral pink and orange turtleneck top, standing in front of large white vases and pink flowering branches.

Grace Strobel – Fashion in Motion

Listen to this Article Grace Strobel is a US-based disability advocate, speaker and model known for challenging conventional ideas of beauty, success and self-worth. Born with Down syndrome, she has built a platform rooted in inclusion, confidence and belonging. Through fashion campaigns, runway appearances and public speaking, she advances disability representation in highly visible spaces. Her

Grace Strobel – Fashion in Motion Read More »

A blonde woman with Down syndrome sitting on a woven chair with a white sheepskin throw, wearing a black ruffled top, jeans, and black combat boots, smiling at the camera with large cacti and modern art in the background.

Grace Strobel: Model, speaker and advocate redefining beauty and fashion inclusion

Listen to this Article From slow mornings to viral shoots, Grace takes on life in jeans, combat boots and pure courage, rewriting the rules of beauty and breaking ceilings in style. Grace Strobel doesn’t leap out of bed like those people in coffee adverts. She wakes slowly, then kicks the day into gear by greeting

Grace Strobel: Model, speaker and advocate redefining beauty and fashion inclusion Read More »

A young woman sitting on a white picnic blanket outdoors in a lush, green yard surrounded by trees and bushes. She is wearing a bright yellow sundress with a floral print. In front of her are a book titled "DIARY OF A DYING GIRL," a woven bag, sunglasses, and plastic containers with blueberries and strawberries.

Cienna Ditri proves that accessibility and luxury can coexist in fashion’s next evolution

Listen to this Article Fashion’s most interesting disruptors aren’t waiting for permission — they’re building their own lane. Enter Cienna Ditri, the creative force behind @chronicallypersevering, whose feed feels like a manifesto in motion. Her looks are sharp, clever, and unafraid to provoke — equal parts runway intellect and lived reality. Cienna doesn’t “make the best

Cienna Ditri proves that accessibility and luxury can coexist in fashion’s next evolution Read More »

A young woman in a manual wheelchair posing outdoors in a plaza with modern architecture. She is dressed in stylish fall attire: a black crop top, light beige trousers, a dark brown tweed jacket, a chunky pearl necklace, a black headband, and black combat boots. In the background are the curved white structure of the Oculus and surrounding skyscrapers in New York City.

Five Style Truths I Live By

By Cienna Ditri (@chronicallypersevering) Listen to this Article Style is my form of self-advocacy.I don’t “dress around” my chronic conditions or disability — I dress with them. My clothes share the story of my body: some days call for softness and stretch, others demand armor and touch of sass. Whether it’s an oversized trench or

Five Style Truths I Live By Read More »

A woman seated in a wheelchair holding up a compact, folded black bundle in her hands. This shows the "Lap Jacket" packed away for storage, secured with a black strap and velcro, demonstrating its portability.

The Lap Jacket

Listen to this Article Key Features Tailored Fit: Enjoy a sleek and stylish look with the Lap Jacket’s tailored fit. Secured at the waist with an elastic belt that Velcro’s at the hip for a snug fit. Easy to Use: Simple design fits over your lap and wheelchair seat effortlessly. Loop at end of belt

The Lap Jacket Read More »