Analysis of Wearing Apparel Conditions and Clothing Preferences for Development of a Suit for Disabled Males in Wheelchairs

Abstract

This study investigated the degree of inconvenience in existing ready-made clothes and clothing preferences through a survey of 197 wheelchair-bound males in order to provide preliminary data for the development of a suit that considers the physical characteristics and requirements of the disabled in wheelchairs for improved quality of living and positive interpersonal relations. Among the survey respondents, the 30s to 40s age group was the largest at 71.6%. The most common type of disability was myelopathy at 72.6%. Also 59.9% of respondents had a job and ongoing external and social activities. As for the duration of wheelchair use, 10-20 years was the longest at 40.6%. It was found from the survey that respondents felt inconvenienced with existing clothes and changing pants was most inconvenient. Most experienced having their clothes altered due to the difficulty in finding well-fitting ones; consequently, the length of pants was the most altered item because pants are based on the size of a standing man and there exists a discrepancy in length due to the atrophy of the legs of the disabled. They preferred one style in general for clothing preferences as well as common design and details as well. However, they preferred a style with a short front and long back due to a discomfort in jacket length. A short length was the most complained about pants item.

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