One of the biggest myths about disability inclusion is that people with disabilities don’t care about how they look or don’t spend money on clothing. Mindy Scheier, Founder of Runway of Dreams, contradicts these assumptions.
Surreal. Incredible. Astonishing. and empowering. That’s how models described the electrifying night Fedcap’s Runway of Dreams (RODF) hosted on its ten-year anniversary of New York Fashion Week at Center415, in Manhattan in mid-September.
Able News was invited to cover the organization’s largest industry stage to date, empowering people with disabilities to have confidence and self-expression through inclusion in fashion and beauty.
From Tommy Hilfiger to Victoria’s Secret adaptive and universal design, representatives of leading clothing brands came to show that they are ready and willing to answer Scheier’s call of design for all.
Approximately one in four New Yorkers lives with a disability, yet people with disabilities have historically had fewer options for clothing that combines accessibility and functionality with style.
The idea of RODF was born when Scheier pulled an all-nighter tailoring a pair of jeans to the right fit for her son Oliver, who has muscular dystrophy. He wore the jeans he wanted to school and when someone dared Scheier to organize an all-inclusive runway show at the biggest stage, NYFW, she did that too “because every child deserves the right to feel comfortable and pretty in their own body,” she told the audience, kicking off the fashion show.
A Boost of Confidence
Able News staff writer Christopher Alvarez with Mindy Scheier, Founder of Runway of Dreams.
Photo courtesy: Christopher Alvarez.
The time of saying ‘never’ stopped on the runway stage at age 57 when bestselling author, and global keynote speaker, Ruth Rathblott decided to ‘Unhide and Seek’ out a new her with her missing left hand out in the open.
Wearing a black, adaptive Victoria’s Secret bra, Rathblott walked to the end of the stage, pulling her hand out of the black dress pocket, rolling up her see-through sleeve and strutting her limb loss with pride.
“For years, fashion wasn’t just about what looked good. Clothing became part of how I hid,” she told Able News in an emailed interview. “Today, I get to ask a very different question: ‘What do I actually want to wear?’”
That confidence was boosted when Rathblott saw Shaquem Griffin on television as the first single-handed player drafted into the National Football League and later on the Runway of Dreams Fashion Show in 2018.
“The thing I once believed I needed to hide was the very thing that brought me into that room,” she wrote. “Shaquem Griffin did that for me. I saw him on that runway and suddenly had a different picture of where someone with a limb difference could belong.”
Meeting Scheier was another wonderful, wake-up call coincidence, she said. Her vision for people with disabilities to be seen in places where they haven’t always been represented was exactly the environment and revelation Rathblott didn’t know she needed.
For the storyteller herself, that reversal, that plot twist, is still sinking in.
“I’m not sure my 10-year-old self could have imagined it. I’m not sure my 18-year-old self, or my 28-year-old self, or my 38-year-old self, or even my 50-year-old self would have believed it,” she said, detailing overcoming years of struggle. “There was a real sense of connection and support. One thing I loved backstage was looking around and seeing so many different bodies, disabilities, ages, and experiences together, without anyone needing to explain why.”
Coming off the runway and returning backstage, the only thing Rathblott could say in triumph was: “I did it.”
Universal Access to Fashion
Runway of Dreams played a substantial part in making adaptive clothing mainstream, said model and Henry Viscardi School alum Ron Kort. Photo courtesy: Ron Kort.
Modeling a sporty, adaptive Tommy Hilfiger professional look was 30-year-old Henry Viscardi School alum Ron Kort, who said that “disability inclusion and representation in all forms has always been a priority for me…fashion including.”
As a disability civil rights and employment attorney from Brooklyn, Kort’s wide waist but extremely thin legs make him wish that it were easier to find styles that fit off of the rack. Customizing and tailoring his clothes allows Kort to contribute to the advancement of disability inclusion, an interest he shares with his significant other, Destini Mitchell-Murray, who also attended Viscardi. Her showcase of the first adaptive bra created by Victoria’s Secret two years ago, was what encouraged him to apply to be a part of the Runway of Dreams show this year, he said.
“Runway of Dreams played a substantial part in making adaptive clothing mainstream when it was once only a niche activity done by parents and caretakers,” Kort told Able News via email. “Today, inclusion and adaptive designs are everywhere.”
Through large-scale runway shows, campaigns, and educational programs, Runway celebrates innovation and advocates for universal access to fashion and beauty.
To make the night even more momentous, Kimberly H. Ridley, Chief Disability Officer of New York State, announced that Gov. Kathy Hochul will put forth an Adaptive Clothing Grant Program through the state’s Fashion Innovation Center to advance adaptive fashion for people with disabilities.
“Fashion is a powerful form of self-expression, yet for far too long, millions of individuals with disabilities have been excluded from mainstream clothing options. Events like the Runway of Dreams fashion show demonstrate what is possible when design centers on equity and inclusion,” Ridley said.
The grant program builds on New York State’s already existing $10 million investment to establish the Fashion Innovation Center, which was included in the governor’s 2026 State of the State.
People with Disabilities in the Spotlight
HVS high school sweethearts Kort and Murray supported each other at their respective fashion shows but Murray had her eyes set on a bolder mission— breaking into mainstream fashion.
Still deciding her future, Murray switched career paths from teaching to marketing and becoming a fashion designer while at Hostos Community College because growing up, she didn’t see many people like her who use a wheelchair and are represented in fashion.
Frustrated with trying to find clothing that was both fashionable and comfortable for a wheelchair user, the 27-year-old had enough and dedicated her time to building her own disability-inclusive clothing brand.
“Sometimes clothes fit or look completely different when you’re sitting, and that’s one of the reasons fashion accessibility and representation are so important to me,” she said.
Making a fist in the shower days after coming off a shoulder injury, Murray was feeling proud about her recovery process. She was making progress and improving her muscle strength back up and of course she had to “flex it in front of the mirror.” That day, Flex My Ability clothing brand was created to show that anyone can persevere.
This year’s New York Fashion Week gave Murray the opportunity to build on her innovative fashion statement when she was able to debut her designs at the Bronx’s La Bodega Lux Loft Fashion Show on Sept. 13, in front of her family and disability community. She was the only disabled designer but that didn’t intimidate her.
Leading the models down the runway from her chair with hand signals, Murray ruled the show for 15 minutes, receiving a standing ovation for her collection that included hoodies, t-shirts and black shorts with the abbreviation “FMA.” One of the models Murray brought with her, who wore black shorts with red handicap logos on both rear pockets, was deaf. Now that’s disability inclusion.
Model Eman Rimawi-Doster wore the designer, One World Peace Co., for a show during New York Fashion Week. Photo courtesy: Eman Rimawi-Doster.
“Being part of a show that wasn’t specifically for people with disabilities was important to me because I believe we should be included in mainstream fashion too. We shouldn’t only be seen in disability-specific spaces,” she told Able News after the show backstage while packing up. “It was exciting and empowering. Being on that runway in my wheelchair and representing people with disabilities was a special feeling. It reminded me that I belong there just as much as anyone else.
“Having a disability doesn’t mean you have to give up on your dreams. I’m a wheelchair user, a model, a student, and the founder of Flex My Ability. I want to continue breaking barriers and creating spaces where people with disabilities are seen, included, and represented. Disabled doesn’t mean invisible. Disabled doesn’t mean limited,” Murray ended with a smile and fixing her eyelashes.
Another seasoned model who was tired of being objectified is Eman Rimawi-Doster. She battled through last-minute illnesses to make it to The Model Experience show in Brooklyn because she felt the need to convince people that she is worth investing in as a model, Doster told Able News. Here, she represented designer One World Peace Co. by wearing a black, baggy t-shirt he gifted her.
With the t-shirt tucked into her white shorts, Doster danced and struck poses with conviction, allowing her to freely show off her disability— a double amputee with a crutch.
“It was so beautiful and scary,” she said. “There needs to be more people with all kinds of disabilities in these shows. We spend money. We like clothes and fashion. We are beautiful. Why not include us?”