My name is Emma Butler and I am the founder of Intimately, an accessible lingerie brand and community space for women with disabilities. I was first introduced to adaptive apparel after my mother, my role model and a self-proclaimed fashionista, was diagnosed with a few different autoimmune diseases that left her disabled. Together we tried to find clothing that matched her style while also accommodating her newly limited mobility. Sadly, whenever we typed “adaptive underwear” into the google search bar, all we could find were ugly, medicinal intimates. It was anything but stylish, mostly modelled on elderly people, and the opposite of sexy. In my mom’s words, she described the experience as “dehumanizing.”

As I entered college, I met many women with different and similar disabilities as my mother. They all shared the sentiment that shopping as a disabled woman is incredibly difficult. Whether because of annoying hook and eyes, tiny zippers, or buttons that require sharp hand dexterity, my disabled friends clearly saw that mainstream clothing brands create items without their needs in mind. They felt unseen and unheard. This is why fostering a supportive community is equally as vital as creating more accessible products.