Perceptions of Functional Clothing By Persons with Physical Disabilities: A Social-Cognitive Framework

Abstract

nia at Davis, who a!so made some helpful comments on an earlier draft of this paper. A social-cognitive framework for the study of special clothing features is presented in this paper, along with supporting data derived from a series of focused group interviews with 36 physically disabled students. The context of clothing styles was explored in terms of the consequences of potential stigmatization as compared to personal evaluations of the styles per se, without accompanying social cues. The students tended to express ambivalence about specific clothing styles and about the general concept of functional clothing, particularly in relation to functionality versus perceived image and stigmatization. Suggestions to ameliorate the negative social consequences of functional apparel included: (a) personal adaptations to normative attire, (b) networking to facilitate dissemination of the ingenious strategies developed by disabled persons themselves, and (c) increased attention to the incorporation of functional features into all clothing.

Disability, Participation and Apparel throughout the Life Course

“…For example, clothing might need to be modified to allow access to IV ports or catheters necessitated by impairments in body function, or might interfere with the ability to use assistive devices and thus a person's ability to execute different activities (Banks 2001;Garner and Douglas 1991;Nessley and King 1980;Wang et al 2014;White and Dallas 1977). Further, clothing can increase feelings of stigma that influence the desire or ability to engage in social participation (Carroll and Gross 2010;Carroll and Kincade 2007;Freeman, Kaiser, and Wingate 1985;Wingate, Kaiser, and Freeman 1986). For many PLWD, "…dressing in patient clothing can be a metaphor for illness or other health problems" (Topo andIltanen-Tähkävuori 2010, 1685).…”

Salience of Disability Cues in Functional Clothing: A Multidimensional Approach

“…Stimuli were developed for the questionnaire, using and applying the data derived from the previous qualitative study (Freeman et al, 1985). The clothes in the slides that had been shown to the subjects in the previous study were adapted to black-and-white line drawings for the questionnaire.…”

“…Altman (1981) identified multidimensionality as an important component of attitudes toward the physically disabled that is too often overlooked in research. Functional clothes are especially likely to be complex stimuli; the previous qualitative study revealed that a blend of instrumental and expressive attributes of functional attire was perceived by persons with physical disabilities, often with expressed ambivalence when evaluating functionality, aesthetics, and social consequences (Freeman et al, 1985). Functional clothes are especially likely to be complex stimuli; the previous qualitative study revealed that a blend of instrumental and expressive attributes of functional attire was perceived by persons with physical disabilities, often with expressed ambivalence when evaluating functionality, aesthetics, and social consequences (Freeman et al, 1985).…”

“…Symbolic self-completion theory (Wicklund and Gollwitzer, 1982) and the social-cognitive framework (Freeman et al, 1985) both stress the subjective nature of self-definitions and symbolic perceptions. Depending upon the character of a person's selfdefining goals, he or she experiences a concomitant level of tension or dissonance that can be ameliorated by the use of appropriate symbols.…”

“…Previous, primarily qualitative research strongly suggested that special or functional clothing is a relatively complex stimulus that promotes internal stigmatization on the part of a wearer (Freeman, Kaiser, and Wingate, 1985). Although this social uniqueness may be positive in its consequences, it may also serve to differentiate a physically disabled person in a negative or ambivalent manner.…”