Kilt Freedom For Men In Wheelchairs

**Riverkilt** · 24th December 08, 07:40 AM

In the course of exchanging Holiday greetings with extended family got to thinking of my cousin who's been in a wheelchair his entire life. Why not kilts for him too? Obviously would have more FREEDOM, be more comfortable, easier for his attendants. Didn't find anything searching this site. Did find a lady who adapted a woman's tartan skirt for a guy in a wheelchair; http://www.tolonen.name/charlotte/se...ing/index.html

and found a site about wheelchair fashion. http://www.mobility-advisor.com/wheelchair-fashion.html They recommend short jackets...hey...that's us! Apparently there's a niche industry already, but my sense is they are "adapting" rather than designing for men in wheelchairs.

Needs are pretty obvious....flat back rather than pleats...maybe a few side pleats. This site is rife with textile engineers and kiltmakers.

Having visions of my cousin turned out in our clan tartan with an argyle jacket....

Anyone else way ahead of me here??

Ron

**cavscout** · 24th December 08, 07:50 AM

I'm imagining that the trying to keep the back under the person would be a problem. I've not really known many folks in wheelchairs but observing the transition process from one place to the chair or from the chair to another place can be a fairly awkward and cumbersome process without having to worry about making sure the skirt doesn't fly up or the back get out from under them. Maybe it would be one of those things that when you get the process right it's no issue.

As an alternative, maybe something like a skort that could be buttoned and unbuttoned ie. the UK modesty system. No pleats but a full apron on the front.

**Nighthawk** · 24th December 08, 07:56 AM

I have a very good friend with MD. It hit him a few years ago. He's almost completely wheelchair bound now. I inspired him to take up the kilt. He wears SWK thrifty's for exactly the reasons being discussed here. The shallow pleats and long drop work like a charm for him. I would also add here that he blew up like a balloon after he got sick- he weighs just about 450 now, which was also a consideration. So there you are- for what it's worth, the thrifty has proven to ideal for my friend. Here's a picture of him:

He can stand and walk, but with a lot of difficulty. In this picture, he's wearing a SWK Black Watch.

**McMurdo** · 24th December 08, 08:31 AM

My twin brother has Cerebral Palsy, he has worn the kilt once, at his wedding. It was a traditional 8 yard 16 oz hand sewn kilt, from Hector Russell. The way Scott walks, when not in a wheelchair he uses two crutches, made it difficult for him to wear the kilt, it kept slipping down. This may be due to the fact that the kilt was too big for him, he gave the kilt to me and I moved the straps, it is now my Graham of Mentieth kilt.

I think the changes to a kilt so that you could modify it for a person in a wheelchair are interesting. However the garment, would in my mind, cease to be a kilt and would become a skirt if you were to forgo the pleats at the back. Perhaps a Utilikit or the like would be more appropriate for day to day wear in a wheelchair as a contemporary style kilt does not have the same number of pleats, they are also made from
lighter materials than a traditional kilt.

**MartinGrenoble** · 24th December 08, 09:09 AM

I remember there was a chair-bound member of one of these non-trousered forums who called himself Pleats, so presumably he found it more comfortable sitting on pleats than in trousers.

Personally, if I were to be sitting all day, I'd rather -- dare I say it? -- wear a wide skirt than a traditional Scottish kilt. I'd get something made up for myself with tartan wool but without yards and yards of cloth round the back.
After all, when you are seated, no-one can tell whether there are pleats under you or not.

Martin

**pdcorlis** · 24th December 08, 10:08 AM

I wonder if a kingussie - or reverse kingussie with fewer, wider pleats might do the trick?

**Riverkilt** · 24th December 08, 01:18 PM

Ahh, some progress already. My cousin has CP too. My first thoughts were Sportkilt since they're light and pajama-like in texture and easy to wash up. And a Utilikilt maybe.

While it makes sense to have no pleats of the back (and yes, no need to call it an official kilt - rather to show the tartan and have FREEDOM) I also don't think it would be too much of a problem. I've made six hour drives sitting on hand sewn pleats - not a problem once arrangements are made. And since my cousin has an attendant to help might not be much of a problem.

Course, maybe it'd just be easier to toss a tartan throw over the legs depending on the temperature of the room or location.

Ron

**cessna152towser** · 24th December 08, 02:14 PM

One place where I regularly see men in kilts is around our nearest general hospital, and often these gents are being pushed in a wheelchair. I've just assumed they were patients who wore the kilt around the ward for comfort and had just been taken outside briefly in the grounds by their visitors. Kilts can be very practicable for people with impaired mobility, indeed for me it was torn ligaments and being on crutches which first introduced me to wearing the kilt on a regular daily basis rather than merely as costume for attending functions and Scottish country dancing. No pleats or shallow pleats at the back would certainly be an advantage for a sedentary person, I often wear an unpleated denim manskirt for long drives which I also wore on my journeys to and from Canada last summer.

**GDub** · 24th December 08, 02:53 PM

I've only seen one guy in a wheelchair wearing a kilt (a UK original). He had a broken leg in a full leg cast. He told me the UK saved him from having to ruin his pants in order to get them over the cast. Obviously not the same thing as someone being permanently wheelchair bound, but he was adamant that the UK was the ideal solution for his needs.

**gilmore** · 24th December 08, 03:45 PM

Ron,

What a wonderful and thoughtful topic to bring up.

I wear an unbifuracted garment daily, much more often than the kilt, which is different from the kilt in two ways. It is longer, to the ankles or a bit higher, and has pleats in the side. To tell the truth, it's a more comfortable garment than the kilt in that I am not sitting on pleats, and since they are on the sides, they move with me, rather than out from under me or pulling the aprons apart as a kilt sometimes does. The length helps in that it is much less likely to ride up than a kilt, so I don't have to worry about modesty. The length also traps body heat and keeps the legs warmer than does a kilt.