Duty to all: exploring the role of moral duty in the development of adaptive apparel design innovations

Abstract

PurposeThis study aimed to gain an in-depth and contextualized understanding of what impacted Scheier's commitment to addressing the apparel challenges of people with disabilities (PWDs) and how moral duty may have played a role in developing the adaptive design innovations used in the first-of-its-kind adaptive children's wear line.Design/methodology/approachTo achieve this goal, the study used the duty orientation (DO) theory and the social model of disability (SMD) theory to conduct a case study investigating Mindy Scheier's commitment to addressing the apparel challenges facing PWDs.FindingsThe result of the case study revealed three dominant themes that aligned with the DO theory: (a) duty to all PWDs, (b) duty to sacrifice and fight against all odds and (c) duty to solve the apparel challenges facing PWDs. Using the DO and the SMD theories, the themes illustrated how moral duty impacted Scheier's sacrifice and feeling of personal responsibility to address and solve the apparel challenges facing all PWDs.Originality/valueThis study demonstrated how the DO theory contextualized the launch of adaptive apparel into the mainstream fashion industry and how the apparel industry seems to have transitioned from a medical model of disability approach to an SMD to address the apparel needs of PWDs.