After a letter to Nike from a 17-year-old with cerebral palsy went viral this past summer, the company connected with the teen to create special shoes he can manage independently.
Matthew Walzer wrote an open letter in August to Nike CEO Mark Parker asking him to make shoes that are more accessible for people with disabilities.
“Cerebral palsy stiffens the muscles in the body,” Walzer wrote. “As a result I have flexibility in only one of my hands which makes it impossible for me to tie my shoes.”
Walzer said that he would like to be able to go to college in the coming years without worrying about who help him with his shoes.
The letter drew broad attention on social media under the hashtag #NikeLetter and ultimately made its way to Nike headquarters. Designers at the company reached out to the Parkland, Fla. teen and created a modified version of their Nike Hyperdunk basketball shoe for him that relies on Velcro and zippers rather than laces, reports The Oregonian. To read more click here.
Are these Nikes available to the general public? I would like to get a pair or two for my son who has cerebral palsy.
A simple accommodation that could have been implemented by any shoemaker or orthotics technician. He only needed to ask. I have velcro straps on all of my shoes – the orthotics place that makes my shoe-inserts and my wrist-splints puts the velcro straps and metal rings on my shoes so I can fasten them easily.
Thats pretty awesome! kuddos to Nike!
My 28 yr old son has Down Syndrome and can’t tie his shoes. He insists on being “cool” and these shoes would be perfect. Are they commercially accessible?
This article has brought to mind a similar issue. For many parents with disabled children the provision of shoes that are appropriate to their child’s personality and needs is made difficult because they are selecting for style shoes that will never touch the ground… that will never be worn out… but which their child will grow out of.
My sister and her husband buy snazzy bright and colorful shoes and socks for Jillian my niece. In doing so, they make the choice of showing Jillian as a vibrant young woman… not a child… who should be treated according to her age and not ignored or seen only in terms of her disability. I am wondering if there is a way that companies such as clothing stores and shoe makers.. could collaborate with agencies or parents of children with disabilities… so that their clothing and shoes could be made available to growing children and passed on to other children who need them. These clothes and shoes, from what I have seen do not wear out…