born with a rare genetic disease called osteogenesis imperfecta bengalurubased content specialist dhanya ravi is bound to a wheelchair and has several deformed bones also shortstructured due to her condition there was a time when it was extremely challenging for her to find clothes to wear my parents and i would go from one shop to another just to get something comfortable for me to wear i had to then go to a tailor to get the clothes altered she says so she has been getting most of her clothes from a friends boutique but its heartening for her to note that in the last few years many people are thinking about adaptive wearwhat is adaptive fashionadaptive fashion or inclusive wear is specialised clothing that blends fashion and function to make getting dressed easier painfree and convenient for differentlyabled people it is clothing that is designed around the needs of people with a range of disabilities physical congenital acquired and temporary this kind of fashion is slowly gaining awareness in the country with a handful of brands and designers coming out with a range of affordable adaptive or inclusive wear personal experience sparks brand ideakolkatabased soumita basu had psoriatic arthritis in her early 30s and it was her own struggle with clothing that led her to start her inclusive fashion brand there was a time during my mid30s when i had absolutely no movement in my body then there came a time when i could do basic tasks but was still unable to dress on my own it was extremely challenging and i had to fight the pain i was dependent and my confidence took a hit i was annoyed by what i was made to wear and thats what made me come up with my clothing brand she says her brand offers innovative and easy clothing for men women and children including wrapup saris that can be worn while lying down predraped saris and kurtas without buttons thinking about inclusivity during the pandemicfor designer ashima bhan from kochi it was the aftereffects of the pandemic that made her shift focus to inclusive wear when my line of womens and customised clothing almost shut down during the pandemic a friend suggested that i focus on adaptive clothing i thought it was interesting since it not only involved aesthetic and design but also functionality and design she says her research led her to come up with a solution to a range of issues for the elderly who are bedridden and need to wear diapers garments with openings at the back make life easier for them as well as their caregivers while magnetic buttons are convenient for those with lesser dexterity she adds seeing a couple of ideas online ashima tweaked them to suit indian sensibilities and debuted her first collection during the lockdown which got a decent response now her brand caters to the needs of the elderly with restricted mobility and to the differentlyabled and customisation she says is