As the number of people with disabilities continues to increase, difficulties in dressing activities for people with disabilities are also increasing. However, the currently available clothing for the disabled do not satisfy their functional and aesthetic needs. Therefore, this study aims to contribute to vitalizing the development of clothing for the disabled in Korea by collecting domestic study on the development of clothing for the disabled and analyzing them in various areas. Finally, 5 studies were selected. As a result of classifying into 4 areas of body type, considerations, points for improvement, and design, it can be used as basic data for study related to the development of clothing for the disabled.
1 Introduction
According to the Ministry of Health and Welfare data, as of the end of 2021, the number of registered disabled people was 2.645,000 (5.1% of the total population), an increase of 12,000 compared to the end of last year. As the number of people with disabilities continues to increase in Korea, the difficulty of wearing clothes for the disabled is also increasing [1]. Clothing for the disabled is clothing that helps disabled people to wear clothes conveniently [2]. For example, it should be able to move more freely when pushing a wheelchair, and comfort should be ensured even when sitting for long periods of time while wearing clothing [3]. In addition, it is necessary to develop clothes that allow people with disabilities to wear clothes with a minimum of help from others, and to minimize the inconvenience of putting on and taking off themselves, so that the inconvenience of clothes felt by people with disabilities should be resolved. However, the currently available clothes for the disabled do not satisfy their functional needs as well as their aesthetic satisfaction [4]. And compared to developed countries, research and development related to clothing for the disabled in Korea is very insufficient, and the distribution of clothing considering the inconveniences of the disabled is also very limited [5].
Disabled people who use wheelchairs spend most of their time in a seated position in a wheelchair as they become dependent on a wheelchair due to lower extremity amputation or paraplegia due to congenital or acquired diseases and accidents [6]. Because of this, physical changes appear, and it is difficult for the disabled to purchase clothes suitable for their body type, so there is a limitation in that the types of clothes that are purchased and worn are items that are convenient to put on and take off [7]. In addition, people with disabilities in wheelchairs want to increase their opportunities for activities and social participation by wearing clothes that are indistinguishable from non-disabled people in appearance because their body image is distorted or their self-esteem is relatively low [8].
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Therefore, this study aims to contribute to vitalizing the development of clothing for the disabled in Korea by collecting domestic study on the development of clothing for the disabled and analyzing them in various areas.
2 Method
2.1 Collecting Data
This study was conducted as a literature search method. In order to investigate studies related to the development of clothing for the disabled in Korea, the DBpia, KISS, RISS, and KCI databases were used to collect documents published in domestic journals. Keywords used in the search included search terms such as ‘disabled person’, ‘wheelchair user’, ‘clothes’, ‘development’, and ‘design’. In addition, missing articles were included by re-searching the references of the collected articles.
2.2 Data Analysis
Fig. 1.
Study process
A total of 36 researches were published from 2012 to December 2021, and DBpia(4), KISS(11), RISS(14), and KCI(7) were searched for collected through literature search. After that, five studies were finally selected through a study process (Fig. 1). Analysis standards and methods were configured to be suitable for consideration on research on the development of clothes for the disabled in Korea by identifying the contents of the collected studies. The research subjects were divided into four areas: body shape, considerations, points for improvement, and design. In order to understand the contents of each item, each research study was read and detailed contents were grasped.
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3 Results
3.1 Year of Publication
There are a total of 5 studies on research related to the development of clothes for the disabled in Korea published from January 2012 to December 2022, 3 in 2013 and 2 in 2014.
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3.2 Subjects
The age of subjects related to the development of clothes for the disabled in Korea was 40–49 years old the most at 43%, followed by 30–39 years old, 50–59 years old, 20–29 years old, and 60 years old or older.
Looking at the types of disabilities of the subjects, spinal cord injury accounted for the most at 48%, followed by amputation, polio, and brain lesion disorders.
The subjects’ use of assistive devices was frequent use of wheelchairs the most at 44%, followed by walking aids, crutches, no use, and canes.
3.3 Clothing Body Type
The body type of the wheelchair disabled person’s clothing is largely divided into 4 in the upper extremity and 2 in the lower extremity. The upper extremity body type is divided into a normal body type (A), a thick waist type (B), a large belly type (BB), and an inverted triangle (Y). And the lower extremity body type is divided into a normal body type (A), a thick waist type (B). The distribution according to the subject’s clothing body type is shown in Figs. 2 and 3. Looking at the clothing body type, the distribution of upper extremities was the most common a normal body type (A) with 34%, followed by a body with a large belly (BB), a body with a thick waist (B), and an inverted triangle (Y). And the distribution of the lower extremity body type was 70% for those with a thick waist (B), more than those for the normal body type (A).
This result can be explained by the fact that the upper extremity exercise increases because the upper extremities must be continuously pushed while moving the wheelchair, and the lower extremity exercise decreases by relying on the wheelchair.
Fig. 2.
Upper extremity body type
Fig. 3.
Lower extremity body type
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3.4 Considerations When Purchasing Clothing
Considerations when purchasing clothes are divided into aspects of functionality and practicality and aesthetic. Table 1 shows the distribution of considerations when purchasing clothes for subjects. First, in terms of functionality and practicality, it appears that ‘very much considered’ considers the convenience of putting on and taking off, which is the most distributed. Next, ‘very much considered’ and ‘much considered’ were widely distributed in the order of dimensional conformity, usability of clothes, and ease of repair. It can be seen that the low price is not a major consideration when purchasing clothes, as it is widely distributed in ‘much considered’ and ‘so-so considered’.
In terms of esthetic, it is shown that ‘very much considered’ considers the coverage of the disability area, which is the most distributed. Next was the palatability in which a ‘very much consideration’ and ‘much consideration’ were widely distributed. Fashion trends are widely distributed in ‘so-so considered’, so it can be seen that this is not a major consideration when purchasing clothes.
Table 1.
Considerations when buying clothing
Division
N (%)
Functionality and practicality
Convenience of putting on and taking off
very much considered
46 (45)
much considered
41 (40)
So-so
16 (15)
Dimensional conformity
very much considered
35 (35)
much considered
45 (45)
So-so
20 (20)
Ease of repair
very much considered
22 (24)
much considered
46 (50)
So-so
24 (26)
Clothing usability
very much considered
21 (22)
much considered
57 (60)
So-so
17 (18)
Low price
very much considered
11 (12)
much considered
45 (49)
So-so
36 (39)
Aesthetic
Palatability
very much considered
25 (26)
much considered
38 (40)
So-so
32 (34)
Disability area coverage
very much considered
27 (29)
much considered
31 (33)
So-so
36 (38)
Fashion trends
very much considered
12 (15)
much considered
21 (25)
So-so
49 (60)
3.5 Clothing Improvements
The points for improvement of clothes were divided discomforts and repair parts for clothes. Among them, the discomforts were divided into upper and lower discomforts, as shown in Table 2. First, looking at the discomforts of upper, the most common discomfort about jacket length was 31%, followed by sleeve length, extra space, upper length, and sleeve circumference. Looking at the discomforts about the lower, the most common discomfort about the length of the pants was 27%, followed by the rise length, waist circumference, hip circumference, and knee circumference.
The repair part was divided into the upper and the lower part similarly to the discomfort, and it is shown in Table 3. When looking at the repair part of the top, 38% of the respondents said that the sleeve length needs to be repaired, followed by fastening, jacket length, and armpit slack. When looking at the repair part of the bottom, the opinion that the trouser length needs to be repaired was the most at 48%, followed by the circumference of the lower, the length of the rise, the closure, and the circumference of the hip.
This result can be explained by the fact that if the jacket length is too long, the jacket may get caught on the wheelchair wheels when the wheelchair is pushed. And if the pants length is too long, this can be explained by the fact that the pants may drag on the floor when moving in a wheelchair.
Table 2.
Upper and lower discomfort
Division
N (%)
Upper
Sleeve circumference
46 (11)
Extra space
87 (20)
upper length
49 (11)
Sleeve length
115 (27)
Jacket length
133 (31)
Lower
Waist circumference
159 (21)
Rise length
176 (23)
Hip circumference
114 (15)
Pants length
206 (27)
Knee circumference
104 (14)
Table 3.
Repair part of upper and lower
Division
N (%)
Upper
Fastening
39 (22)
Sleeve length
66 (38)
Extra space
19 (11)
Armpit
22 (13)
Jacket length
29 (16)
Lower
Fastening
31 (13)
Rise length
35 (15)
Hip circumference
20 (8)
Pants length
113 (48)
Pants circumference
38 (16)
3.6 Clothing Design
Clothing design was largely divided into color, adjustment location, fastening, and finishing, as shown in Table 4. Looking at the color design, most preferred achromatic colors at 58%, followed by colored colors and pastel colors. Looking at the adjustment location design, most preferred the front adjustment at 74%, followed by no adjustment, shoulder adjustment, and armpit adjustment. Looking at the design of the fastening, the button was the most preferred at 51%, followed by the zipper and Velcro. Looking at the finished design, 37% of the respondents preferred to do nothing like general clothes, followed by buttons, rubber bands, and Velcro.
In the case of color design and finishing design, it can be explained that the disabled people want to wear clothes that are indistinguishable from non-disabled people in appearance. And it can be explained that the reason for preferring the front adjustment is that it is convenient when going to the bathroom because the study subjects are all male.
Table 4.
Clothing design
Division
N (%)
Color
Pastel color
28 (9)
Achromatic color
183 (58)
Colorful
104 (33)
Adjustment location
No adjustment
54 (17)
Front adjustment
231 (74)
Adjustment below armpit
16 (5)
Shoulder adjustment
13 (4)
Fastening
Button
334 (51)
Zipper
245 (37)
Velcro
78 (12)
Finishing
Common
174 (37)
Button
125 (26)
Rubber band
94 (20)
Velcro
82 (17)
4 Conclusion
Through the results of the study, it was confirmed that the development of clothes for the disabled in Korea was carried out in terms of body type, considerations, improvement points, and design. However, there are limitations in that the subjects are all male and the number of studies is small. Therefore, it is necessary to collect studies with a wider period for follow-up studies, and the gender of the subjects should be included in a balanced way. And if additional research on clothing for people with disability, such as additional research on body type according to the type of disability, is conducted in the follow-up study, more systematic research data can be established. This study is meaningful in that it was able to analyze and grasp studies related to the development of clothing for the disabled, and it will be used as basic data for related research. In the future, research related to the development of clothes for the disabled will be conducted in various fields, and it is expected that the results will increase the convenience of the disabled and activate the social participation of the disabled.
Acknowledgments
The research was supported by a grant of the Korea Health Technology R&D Project through the Korea Health Industry Development Institute (KHIDI), funded by the Ministry of Health & Welfare, Republic of Korea (grant number: HJ21C0014).
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