Clothing manufacturers and dist
ributors in the current busi
ness climate need to become
more flexible and willing to ad
apt to consumers’ changing need
s and preferences in order to
satisfy the market (Kincade,
1995). Clothing consumers who ha
ve special needs, such as
working women with physical disabilities, comp
rise a group who would benefit from research
into specialized products focused on a small targ
et market (Reich & Otten, 1991). However,
research shows that consumers with physical di
sabilities do not want
to be treated as a
specialized group, but the same as any other
consumer group (Freeman, Kaiser & Wingate,
1986). The concept of Universal Design, typi
cally applied to spatial and product design,
provides a framework within which an item of
clothing could be produced to satisfy many
consumers, regardless of their physical ability.
If a universally-designed
clothing product can be
successfully produced and marketed
to many types of consumers, potential benefits could exist
for manufacturers, distributors and consumers.
The dissertation topic originated from the
researcher’s questioni
ng the lack of easily
accessible ready-to-wear clothing for consumers
with physical disabilities, and was based on
preliminary conversations with a few work
ing women who encountered difficulty finding
business clothing that was both functional and
visually appealing. Considerable needs
assessment research had already been completed
in the clothing/disability area using data
collected from small samples of subjects with
disabilities similar in
nature, but none had
extended the research to include
the opinions of clothing manufact
urers and distributors of end-
use products. The researcher envisioned a study
that would encompass all parties involved in
decision-making processes for a clothing product.