Adaptive Swim

Group project recap for an adaptive design class!

My group was asked to design and develop adaptive swimwear. We chose to focus on something suited for children with neuromuscular diseases such as cerebral palsy, however these features could also be helpful for anyone with a loss of muscle control, limited mobility or anyone that wears a swim diaper (as we have built one in).

We chose stylistic features that would hide our adaptive features, so when everything is closed up, the adaptive features are not visible.

We had the opportunity to gain insight from several sources along the way. We spoke with a pediatrician, an occupational therapist, a special needs caregiver, and a friend of the group with a condition that causes limited mobility. We also worked with Mindy Scheier, founder and CEO of Runway of Dreams, throughout the semester to give us feedback and advice.

This project really challenged us all in several ways. For one, we had to think outside of our own bodies and create something that would work for someone else's body. We had to be very honest with ourselves, and hit pause when we began to make assumptions about how this would work for someone else. We really had to take all the great feedback we got along the way, and be willing to pivot at any point if something wasn't working. We ended up making a LOT of revisions, and if we continued developing this I'm sure there would be a LOT more. But that's the beauty of the process!

We were also pushed in a more technical sense. None of us had worked with 4-way stretch fabric or waterproof lining. The pattern making and sewing processes were full of learning moments, and a lot of seam ripping and trying again.

This project was so challenging and SO rewarding, and I'm so proud of what we created!