Special needs mom brings adaptive apparel to the fore
MALAYSIANSKINI: Following the birth of her second child Ivanna Nehandra Tara in 2005, Usha Gopalan Nair found herself placed in what she likes to call her “new job” - being a special needs mum.
Ivanna, who turns 18 in May, was diagnosed with cerebral palsy as a baby - a disorder that affects a person’s ability to move and maintain balance and posture.
“There was this new journey in my life (with) endless hurdles. I had to face it and I knew being special needs, there were going to be a lot of challenges that (Ivanna) was going to face but I took it in a positive way by trying to make life as normal as possible.
“Life as a special needs mum is sometimes very rewarding but extremely challenging,” she said, adding that many people viewed disability as a taboo subject.
MALAYSIANSKINI | Following the birth of her second child Ivanna Nehandra Tara in 2005, Usha Gopalan Nair found herself placed in what she likes to call her “new job” - being a special needs mum.
Ivanna, who turns 18 in May, was diagnosed with cerebral palsy as a baby - a disorder that affects a person’s ability to move and maintain balance and posture.
Usha had studied law and worked as a market researcher and a public relations manager before leaving her nine-to-five job to become Ivanna’s primary caretaker.
“There was this new journey in my life (with) endless hurdles. I had to face it, and I knew being special needs, there were going to be a lot of challenges that (Ivanna) was going to face, but I took it in a positive way by trying to make life as normal as possible.
“Life as a special needs mum is sometimes very rewarding but extremely challenging,” she said, adding that many people viewed disability as a taboo subject.
Usha told Malaysiakini that she shed many tears over the years but had always felt that it was best to think about what was best for her child and move on in her journey.
She, recounted on one occasion, the difficulties of enrolling Ivanna into a government school due to its unwillingness to cater to the young girl’s disability - despite instructions from the Education Ministry for such schools to be able to cater to all.
In her 40s, Usha - who hails from Kluang, Johor - found herself being diagnosed with a severe form of scoliosis - which led to a change in how she viewed her body and life as a whole.
Living with the disability for roughly ten years now, she expressed that the biggest problem for her and her daughter was dressing.
“I can’t lift Ivanna. I struggled to change her (clothes) as a caregiver because Ivanna has this condition, which impacts her ability to do various daily tasks - something that we take as very simple like buttoning a top,” said Usha.
Building self-esteem
Usha added that the ability to dress yourself up could play a fundamental role in building a person's self-esteem.
In her line of work as a model, Ivanna struggled to dress backstage. Disheartened, Ivanna - who is keen on fashion like her mother and older sister - would often forgo trendier fits for baggy clothing simply due to the design's inaccessibility.
It was around this time when Ivanna signed with Don Management - a modelling agency that works with differently-abled and alternative models - when Usha met her soon-to-be business partner Bernard Benzamin Nathan. Bernard is diagnosed with Spinal Muscular Atrophy Type 3.
“He also struggles with a physical limitation because he's diagnosed with spinal muscular atrophy, so he resonates well with the need for (adaptive) clothing,” she said.
In 2020, the duo would go on to start Dawn Adaptive, a social enterprise dedicated to designing fashionable and comfortable adaptive apparel for all.
The brand has since released products such as magnetic polo shirts and Smile Masks - which are reusable masks with a transparent panel, making the wearer's mouth visible.
Lack of affordable adaptive clothing
Reminiscing on its beginnings, Usha cited the lack of affordable adaptive clothing in the Malaysian market as one of the main reasons behind wanting to start the brand.
“We have been the first adaptive brand in Malaysia. Overseas, there are many, many more in the US, the United Kingdom and other countries.
“The best part of being this adaptive (clothing) group around the globe is that we are not competitors. We are all like sisters - most of them are female entrepreneurs - helping each other out.
“The problem is that I can’t get their products to Malaysia because of the pricing. It was too expensive. If you take a look at our first product (the magnetic polo shirts) and survey prices from around the world, I think we will be the cheapest because it’s made in Malaysia.
“The materials are meant for Malaysian weather, and it’s reasonably priced because we did it at a local factory, and we did it in bulk,” she explained.
She said that the brand’s ultimate aim was to cater to more people with disabilities and to make the clothing as accessible as possible.
The special needs mum noted that getting funding for the brand has been challenging with investors not being convinced by the appeal of adaptive clothing in the mainstream market.
Greater recognition
However, she remains optimistic on the matter. The brand appears to be gaining greater recognition - since its establishment in 2020 - with it now receiving invitations to highbrow fashion events such as the Selangor Fashion Week, being the first adaptive brand on the runway.
“We wanted to emphasise fashion is for everyone, so we had able-bodied models and differently abled-bodied models up on the runway wearing the clothing,” said Usha.
The social enterprise also works closely with members of the disabled community, taking into account their needs and ability to contribute to better adaptive clothing.
“That’s how we want to work. We want to make people with disabilities show their creativity (and) show how much they can do. We want to show it’s not a pity (and that) they are (like) any other people.
“Maybe they're even better because they are more creative because of their disability. They know how to work around (issues) and come up with better ideas,” said Usha.
In Malaysia itself, there are approximately 600,000 individuals who are categorised as persons with disabilities.
Never give up
When asked if there was sufficient awareness of disability in Malaysia, Usha said that the country still suffers from a lack of education and understanding on the matter.
In her parting words to Malaysiakini, she advised other mothers with special needs children to not give up in their journey of caretaking.
"(When I started), inclusion started becoming my life journey. We just have to look forward, you know?
"We cannot depend just on the outside world. As a mum, there will be a lot of negative things said to you, saying that you're not doing it right. Just shut that out," she said.
"Looking at your child, you will definitely create something special for your child.
"You will see that your child is capable of doing something. As a mum, you will notice it - so don't give up," she added.
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