Adaptive Costumes Make This Halloween More Inclusive
In 2020, Disney first introduced a new line of adaptive Halloween costumes that allow children with disabilities to comfortably join in the fun of dressing up as their favorite Disney character for a holiday full of tricks and treats. And this year, Disney is continuing to expand this line of costumes, adding in more characters and even some adult selections.
The costumes range from Cinderella to the Mandalorian and include stretchy fabric with longer-length inseams, self-stick fabric closures, flaps for tube access, as well as wheelchair-friendly options.
When Disney announced the new line, Stephanie Young—president of Consumer Products, Games and Publishing—said, “With today’s announcement, we’re better able to meet the needs of more of our guests, and we’re excited to see this inspired collection continue to grow.”
And Disney isn’t the only company getting on board with making more inclusive clothing. Target, Party City, and Spirit Halloween also have their own lines of adaptive Halloween costumes for children and adults. And while the options at these companies are still somewhat limited, they are opening the door for larger costume lines to exist in the future.
While we might have bigger fish to fry, such as implementing the systems change process in schools across the country to make them fully inclusive to students with disabilities, it’s the actions of organizations like this that help our world become more inclusive.
When a child with a disability gets to dress up and join in the fun of Halloween with their nondisabled peers, they are having the opportunity to be part of their community, which is how it should always be. They are getting the chance to remind the world that accessibility is crucial in every context.
The time for exclusion is over, and it’s small steps like these that are paving the path to the inclusive world we want to build.
Kayla Kingston is the Communications Specialist for MCIE. A recent graduate of the University of Dayton, she loves reading, writing, and supporting all things inclusion.