Ideas change everything

How adaptive clothing empowers people with disabilities

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Mindy Scheier |

TED@Tommy

• November 2017

Do you have a favorite T-shirt or pair of jeans that transforms you and makes you feel confident -- makes you feel like you? That's because what you wear can affect your mood, your health and your self-esteem, says fashion designer Mindy Scheier. Inspired by her son, who was born with a degenerative disorder that makes it hard for him to dress himself or wear clothing with buttons or zippers, Scheier set out to make clothing that works for everyone, including the differently abled. Learn more about how she's made fashion history by producing the world's first mainstream adaptive clothing line.

Want to use TED Talks in your organization?

Want to use TED Talks in your organization?

Do you have a favorite T-shirt or pair of jeans that transforms you and makes you feel confident -- makes you feel like you? That's because what you wear can affect your mood, your health and your self-esteem, says fashion designer Mindy Scheier. Inspired by her son, who was born with a degenerative disorder that makes it hard for him to dress himself or wear clothing with buttons or zippers, Scheier set out to make clothing that works for everyone, including the differently abled. Learn more about how she's made fashion history by producing the world's first mainstream adaptive clothing line.

Want to use TED Talks in your organization?

Learn more about getting involved with Runway of Dreams Foundation programs, including the model lookbook and adaptive design workshops.

Donate to Runway of Dreams Foundation and help broaden the reach of adaptive clothing and promote people with disabilities in fashion through inclusion, empowerment and opportunity.

Check out the Runway of Dreams Foundation YouTube page to visually see the growth and development of the foundation and the importance of giving visibility to disability in the world of fashion.

About the speaker

Fashion designer

See speaker profile

Mindy Scheier is the founder of the Runway of Dreams Foundation. Prior to launching the nonprofit, Mindy spent over 20 years working in fashion as a key member of the design team for the INC collection and stylist for Saks Fifth Avenue in New York City.

About TED Institute

Every year, TED works with a group of select companies and foundations to identify internal ideators, inventors, connectors, and creators. Drawing on the same rigorous regimen that has prepared speakers for the TED main stage, TED Institute works closely with each partner, overseeing curation and providing intensive one-on-one talk development to sharpen and fine tune ideas. The culmination is an event produced, recorded, and hosted by TED, generating a growing library of valuable TED Talks that can spur innovation and transform organizations.

Read more about the TED Institute

Learn more about getting involved with Runway of Dreams Foundation programs, including the model lookbook and adaptive design workshops.

Donate to Runway of Dreams Foundation and help broaden the reach of adaptive clothing and promote people with disabilities in fashion through inclusion, empowerment and opportunity.

Check out the Runway of Dreams Foundation YouTube page to visually see the growth and development of the foundation and the importance of giving visibility to disability in the world of fashion.