Apparel industry’s competing terms cause confusion and frustration for people living with disabilities. Kerri McBee-Black hopes to bridge the nomenclature gap between businesses and academia to help people find what they’re looking for.
While the apparel industry has become increasingly more accessible to people living with disabilities, much of the industry is using competing terms to market their products. According to an MU researcher, the market may turnoff people living with disabilities by using words that have a negative impact.
MU Textile and Apparel Management Instructor Kerri McBee-Black says that many businesses are using the competing words when trying to win over people living with disabilities, and while much of academia uses a less offensive term, the industry has yet to adopt it.
Nomenclature and word choice can make or break a product in a competitive marketplace. Yet, companies haven’t found a consistent way to name their products for people living with disabilities.