OOTD: Adaptive and Accessible Fashion

Description: If you think finding the right pair of jeans is hard, try doing it in a disabled body. People with physical disabilities deserve clothing that not only makes them look and feel their best, but is also designed to support their autonomy. In this talk, Jillian Curwin, Alfred Fleishman Diversity Fellow at FleishmanHillard, explains why and how the fashion industry must work toward adaptive and accessible fashion.

Jillian Curwin

Bridget Finkeldey

Jillian Curwin is a public relations professional and lifelong activist in the little person and disabled communities. Born with achondroplasia, the most common form of dwarfism, she learned from her parents how to advocate for herself and is now using what she learned to advocate for voices in her communities that are often unheard. She is the founder and owner of Always Looking Up, a personal website and podcast that brings awareness to living life as a little person in an average-height world. Professionally, she has used her experience as a little person to contribute to agency diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives. Outside of the office she has created a platforms for herself to amplify her advocacy efforts. Always Looking Up came from the fact that, as a little person, she is often looking up at the world, noticing all the little things. On her platforms she discusses adaptive and accessible fashion, disability representation, and the impact of civil rights on the disabled community. Past guests on her podcasts include Judy Heumann, international disability rights activist, Rebecca Cokley, program officer at the Ford Foundation, Jim LeBrecht and Nicole Newnham, the co-directors and co-producers of Crip Camp, and Maria Town, President and CEO of the American Association of People with Disabilities. Her motto, “Height is just a number, not a limit,” reflects her mindset that being of short stature does not inhibit what one is capable of achieving.

Aida Martinez Freeman

Ayla Morwin

DEI Strategist & Speaker | Certified Personal & Executive Coach | Workplace Culture of Inclusion Geek | Big Fan of Mid-Managers | Inclusive Leadership Enthusiast

Talks about: fashion & beauty, representation, accessibility