Empowering Marginalized Voices through Co-Design: Adaptive Clothing Needs of Female Wheelchair Users in China
Abstract
is study employed a convergent mixed-methods design to map clothing priorities and examine co-design readiness focusing on female wheelchair users and professional designers in China. A survey (n = 160) with online reach to national communities provided prevalence/priority estimates, and semi-structured interviews (n = 40) conducted with these two stakeholder groups explained lived constraints and collaboration conditions.Descriptive statistics (means/Top-2-box) and inductive thematic analysis were integrated around RO1–RO4. Findings indicate highest priorities for donning/doffing ease (98.8%) and seated-posture fit (96.2%), alongside strong aesthetic/identity needs led by social confidence (98.1%) in work and social contexts. Participants broadly endorsed co-design and willingness to engage, while highlighting translation (from lived experience to design terms), terminology/feasibility issues, and culture-specific concerns (e.g., “losing face”, perceived lack of professionalism). We propose a context-appropriate co-design framework that clarifies roles, decision points, tools, and safeguards, linking functional and expressive needs to practical collaboration mechanisms in the Chinese setting.
Downloads
References
Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 77–101. https://doi.org/10.1191/1478088706qp063oa
Brogin, B., Okimoto, M. L. R., & Martino, C. (2017). Modularity and variety in the customization of functional clothes for people with disabilities. In D. Nicholson, S. Shumaker, Y. K. Cho, & G. Salvendy (Eds.), Advances in human factors and ergonomics in healthcare and medical devices (pp. 569–580). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-60483-1_53
Carroll, K. E., & Kincade, D. H. (2007). Inclusive design in apparel product development for working women with physical disabilities. Family and Consumer Sciences Research Journal, 35(4), 289–315. https://doi.org/10.1177/1077727X07299675
Chae, M. (2022). Gender differences in adaptive clothing: Applying functional, expressive, and aesthetic (FEA) needs of people with movement impairments. International Journal of Fashion Design, Technology and Education, 15(3), 360–370. https://doi.org/10.1080/17543266.2022.2071468
Chang, H. J., Hodges, N., & Yurchisin, J. (2014). Consumers with disabilities: A qualitative exploration of clothing selection and use among female college students. Clothing and Textiles Research Journal, 32(1), 34–48. https://doi.org/10.1177/0887302X13513325
Chen, C.-C., & Li, H. (2024). Employment difficulties and response strategies for women with physical and mental disabilities. Taiwan Labor and Social Research, 12, 45–60.
China Disabled Persons' Federation. (2023). 2023 statistical bulletin on the development of disability services. China Disabled Persons' Federation. https://www.cdpf.org.cn/sjzx/
Cho, S., & Morris, K. (2018). Developing baseline design criteria for people with lower body mobility impairments using inclusive design. International Textile and Apparel Association (ITAA) Annual Conference Proceedings, 75(1). Iowa State University Digital Press. https://www.iastatedigitalpress.com/itaa/article/id/1251/
Creswell, J. W., & Plano Clark, V. L. (2017). Designing and conducting mixed methods research (3rd ed.). SAGE Publications.
DeVellis, R. F., & Thorpe, C. T. (2021). Scale development: Theory and applications (5th ed.). SAGE Publications.
Esmail, A., Dahan-Oliel, N., Poncet, F., Labbé, D., Rochette, A., Kehayia, E., Auger, C., Ducharme, I., & Swaine, B. (2022). Fashion industry perceptions of clothing design for persons with a physical disability: The need for building partnerships for future innovation. International Journal of Fashion Design, Technology and Education, 15(1), 77–85. https://doi.org/10.1080/17543266.2021.2004243
Esmail, A., Poncet, F., Auger, C., Rochette, A., Dahan Oliel, N., Labbé, D., Kehayia, E., Billebaud, C., de Guise, É., Lessard, I., Ducharme, I., Vermeersch, O., & Swaine, B. (2020). The role of clothing on participation of persons with a physical disability: A scoping review. Applied Ergonomics, 85, Article 103058. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apergo.2020.103058
Feng, C., & Hui, K. (2021). Rethinking inclusive design: Integrating lived experiences into fashion development. Design Studies, 75, 101016. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.destud.2021.101016
Giddens, A. (1991). Modernity and self-identity: Self and society in the late modern age. Stanford University Press.
Goffman, E. (1963). Stigma: Notes on the management of spoiled identity. Prentice-Hall.
Inclusive Design Alliance of China. (2022). Inclusive design principles handbook. Inclusive Design Alliance of China. https://www.yijiayi.org.cn/files/life/2022/%E5%8C%85%E5%AE%B9%E6%80%A7%E8%AE%BE%E8%AE%A1%E5%8E%9F%E5%88%99%E6%89%8B%E5%86%8C.pdf
Ikenyei, N. S., & Amaechi, F. N. (2020). Persons with disability and the 2030 agenda of sustainable development goals: The need for organized intervention through adaptive clothing to synthesise elaborate social inclusion in Nigeria. International Journal of Health and Social Inquiry, 6(1), 1–13. https://journals.aphriapub.com/index.php/IJHSI/article/view/1183
Kabel, A. (2019). Wardrobe malfunction: Case studies of disability and clothing at the threshold of older adulthood. Journal of Human Behavior in the Social Environment, 29(6), 731–743. https://doi.org/10.1080/10911359.2019.1603130
Malterud, K., Siersma, V. D., & Guassora, A. D. (2016). Sample size in qualitative interview studies: Guided by information power. Qualitative Health Research, 26(13), 1753–1760. https://doi.org/10.1177/1049732315617444
Miller, M. L., & McBee-Black, K. (2025). “So I instantly know that’s not going to work”: Pant fit issues for women who use wheelchairs. International Textile and Apparel Association (ITAA) Annual Conference Proceedings, 81(1), Article 18935. https://doi.org/10.31274/itaa.18935
Nakić, M., & Bogović, S. (2019). Computational design of functional clothing for disabled people. Tekstilec, 62(1), 23–33. https://doi.org/10.14502/Tekstilec2019.62.23-33
North, S. M. (2025). Bringing the adaptive apparel resource guide to life: The process of research, connectivity, and building community through human-centered design. In F. Lima (Ed.), Utilizing service learning practices for creative design improvements (pp. 225–260). IGI Global. https://doi.org/10.4018/979-8-3693-9704-6.ch008
Sanders, E. B.-N., & Stappers, P. J. (2008). Co-creation and the new landscapes of design. CoDesign, 4(1), 5–18. https://doi.org/10.1080/15710880701875068
Stokes, B., & Black, C. (2012). Application of the functional, expressive and aesthetic consumer needs model: Assessing the clothing needs of adolescent girls with disabilities. International Journal of Fashion Design, Technology and Education, 5(3), 179–186. https://doi.org/10.1080/17543266.2012.700735
Stokes, B. M. (2010). Clothing needs of teen girls with disabilities [Doctoral dissertation, Washington State University]. Washington State University. https://rex.libraries.wsu.edu/esploro/fulltext/graduate/Clothing-needs-of-teen-girls-with/99900525010101842
Suri, P. (2016). Clothing needs assessment for wheelchair users [Master’s thesis, Kent State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses & Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=kent1470244671
Taub, D. E., Fanflik, P. L., & McLorg, P. A. (2003). Body image among women with physical disabilities: Internalization of norms and reactions to nonconformity. Sociological Focus, 36(2), 159–176. https://doi.org/10.1080/00380237.2003.10570722
Verified Market Research. (2024). Adaptive clothing market size & forecast. Verified Market Research. https://www.verifiedmarketresearch.com/product/adaptive-clothing-market/
Wang, M., Li, Q., & Chen, Y. (2023). Issues and countermeasures in China’s wheelchair service system. Chinese Journal of Rehabilitation Engineering, 18(6), 22–29.
Wei, Y., Su, Z., Wang, Z., Li, C., & Yuan, H. (2021). Design and ergonomic evaluation of nursing clothing for disabled people with one side of body. Journal of Physics: Conference Series, 1790, Article 012013. https://doi.org/10.1088/1742-6596/1790/1/012013
World Health Organization. (2023). Disability and health. World Health Organization. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/disability-and-health
