Accessible Clothing Project Receives Funding Boost

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People living with disabilities and age-related mobility challenges will be able to enjoy improved independence thanks to a project that adapts everyday clothing to meet their individual needs.

Sharon Tombs and the team at Dressability are expanding their Mobility Matters project, helping more people stay comfortable and confident in the clothes they choose to wear.

Based in Wiltshire, Dressability is a specialist garment adaptation charity that works with disabled and older people throughout the UK. Its skilled dressmakers make custom alterations that help clients dress more independently, move safely and maintain their own personal style without compromising comfort while using mobility aids.

The Mobility Matters project focuses on removing the barriers that standard clothing can create, such as trip hazards or loose pieces catching on wheelchairs, that most of us never need to think about.

The adaptations made by Sharon and her colleagues range from replacing fiddly fastenings such as shirt buttons with magnetic alternatives, adjusting garments for wheelchair users, accommodating spinal curvature and reinforcing clothing for children who achieve mobility through crawling.

By tailoring garments to meet individual mobility needs, the charity helps people reduce reliance on others and remain active in everyday life. The service also supports dignity, choice and self-esteem, ensuring that functionality does not come at the expense of personal identity and style.

The project has received a £2,490 donation from the Allied Vehicles Charitable Trust, the charitable branch of the UK’s largest manufacturer and seller of wheelchair accessible vehicles, Allied Mobility.

The funding will help Dressability to adapt more than 30 garments for people who need them, and continue delivering its specialist service to people whose quality of life can be improved through carefully considered clothing adaptations.

Sharon Tombs, General Manager at Dressability, said:

"A huge thank you to the Allied Vehicles Charitable Trust for their donation. We are entirely reliant on the support of organisations such as these to deliver this valuable service."

"We will use the money carefully and effectively as part of our Mobility Matters project, enabling us to alter many more garments."

Ben Jenkins, National Sales Manager at Allied Mobility, said:

"At Allied Mobility, we supply wheelchair accessible vehicles to customers across the UK and we understand how important independence and personal choice are to people's daily lives."

"Style and comfort needn’t be given up in the name of accessibility. We are delighted to support Dressability’s Mobility Matters project as it helps bridge the gap, ensuring more people can wear the clothes they love while maintaining comfort and dignity."

The funding will help ensure more people can access clothing adapted to their personal needs, allowing them to move more freely, maintain their own individual style and enjoy greater confidence in everyday life.

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Nov 13, 2023

2 min read

The University of Dundee will celebrate the achievements of more than 1800 graduates this week at its Winter Graduation ceremonies.

The ceremonies will also see the formal installation of the University’s new Chancellor, the Rt Hon. Lord (George) Robertson of Port Ellen KT, and the award of honorary degrees to two outstanding individuals, breast cancer fundraiser Fiona Edwards and global health scholar and practitioner Dr Jonas Nguh.

Professor Iain Gillespie, Principal and Vice-Chancellor of the University, said, “We have a week of great celebrations ahead of us, marking the tremendous achievements of our Class of 2023 who will be joined by friends and family from around the world."

“We are also delighted to be welcoming back Lord Robertson, a 1968 graduate of the University, now to be our Chancellor. George is an outstanding example of someone whose life was truly transformed by his time at the University of Dundee, and then going on to transform so many others."

“Our honorary graduates reflect our core mission to transform lives locally and globally. Fiona Edwards has dedicated nearly 20 years of her life to supporting University research, through the sale of her homemade tablet and raising over £100,000."

“Jonas Nguh is one of our alumni who has made an impact on people’s lives around the world, including pioneering a model for maternity homes in Africa and Asia which has assisted millions of women.”

The Graduation ceremonies take place in the Caird Hall in Dundee on Thursday 16 and Friday 17 November.

Lord Robertson will be formally installed as Chancellor at the ceremony on Thursday morning and will then proceed to confer degrees on all of the new graduates crossing the stage.

The role of Chancellor is the most senior in the University and involves acting as its ceremonial head, presiding over Academic Ceremonies and acting as President of the Graduates’ Association.

Dr Nguh will be awarded his honorary degree at the morning ceremony on Friday 17 November, with Fiona Edwards being honoured in the afternoon ceremony on the same day.

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Accessible Clothing Project Receives Funding Boost

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