You may have seen on JAM’s website that we refer to our Adaptive Clothing products as ‘assistive technology’. We also discussed this in our blog about the NDIS and have spoken about it a lot when providing educational sessions to those that work in the disability sector. We often say “As JAM’s products have been specifically adapted to make the act of dressing easier, simpler, more accessible, and therefore increase independence, it means that they can be considered assistive technology…” but what does that really mean?
Let’s start at what assistive technology actually is. There are many different definitions that exist, but we like how the World Health Organisation defines it, “Assistive technology is an umbrella term for assistive products and their related systems and services. Assistive products help maintain or improve an individual’s functioning related to cognition, communication, hearing, mobility, self-care and vision, thus enabling their health, well-being, inclusion and participation.” As you can tell, this is a pretty broad definition which is why such a vast array of products can be considered assistive technology.
Most people's go-tos when thinking of assistive devices are hearing aids, mobility aids like a wheelchair, communication devices or adapted household appliances. Unfortunately a lot of people also have a preconceived idea of what assistive technology should look like, which is often very medicalised and doesn’t think about the aesthetics of that item. For these reasons, not many people think of clothing as a potential assistive product. As a clothing brand that is promoting independence, dignity and self-expression through adaptive features, both function and fashion are equally important when creating all of our designs. If you compare how JAM describes our products and how the WHO describes assistive technology, it’s pretty clear to see the synergy between the two. At JAM we want to push the stereotype that all assistive technology is medicalised, boring and beige. Everyone should have access to products that not only consider their functional needs but also their style and self expression.
So why is this important? For people that require assistive technology or would benefit from these types of products, it’s important that they know what is available to them. It’s really important that they are well-informed about what products they could be using to make their lives easier, and therefore feel empowered to improve their quality of life through the use of such technologies. For someone that struggles with dressing that would be looking for assistive items that can help them with that task, they may not know that Adaptive Clothing even exists, but if it’s described in the same way as their other assistive products, or is recommended to them by their allied health professionals just as any other equipment would be, there’s a higher chance that they’ll be able to access these life-changing items.
So next time you or someone you know questions what is considered assistive technology, think about what that product is promoting and how its design could be assisting those that use it. You wouldn’t question whether Adaptive Cutlery is assistive, so why is Adaptive Clothing any different?
