I'm am ambulatory wheelchair user! There are more options than completely paralyzed, or completely healthy. What about conditions like arthritis, EDS, POTS, fibromilagia? The majority of wheelchair users are ambulatory because they can walk for a little bit, but not long enough to comfortably do all they need to do. Imagine you can only walk for 10 minutes at a time. Could you do all your grocery shopping in 10 minutes? Your work or school? Wheelchairs help give freedom to do these tasks
@@ColleenCosplay people with fibro can use wheelchairs? Both me and my mother have fibro that displays in similar but different symptoms and never considered that as an option
@thidtle I've seen some influencers online who do, but dont know them personally. Each diagnosis represents itself so many different ways from person to person. That and many of the things I listed are co-morbidities for other diagnoses. You never really know the full story of what someone is going through so I would be hesitant to say ALL or NONE of the people with a certain diagnosis need a specific treatment. It is rarely so black and white. Different treatments work for different people.
@@thidtleif a wheelchair eases your symptoms and increase your quality of life, then you can definitely use a wheelchair. no matter what your diagnosis is.
EVERYONE should do this for cosplay capes. When I was little, I wore a cape on Halloween. A little boy stared strangling me with it on the bus and it's GENUINELY one of the scariest things that ever happened. It was the first time in my life I went "oh I'm dying right here right now aren't I?" Luckily he was forced to stop when the bus driver noticed I didn't get off when I was supposed to. But guys BE CAREFUL around strangers with stuff around your neck. I'm sure that kid didn't mean to try and kill me, but he EASILY could have
This happened to me but with a flag. My country’s Independence Day happened to be on the same day of the country I was visiting. I wore my flag as a cape and in the Metro station someone just pulled me out of the train and started saying very xenophobic stuff (I was 14, didn’t think about the implications too deep) and he dragged me until the knot undid itself due to the pulling and I just ran back to my family. The man threw my flag in the space between the train and the rails and just left running while yelling something about supremacy. I have never worn capes or costumes ever since because I was little and it was traumatic to me.
Thats so smart i always get strangled in capes so i never cosplay anyone with them (as the saying goes "no capes" lol) but ill have to try this idea one of these days
Before I used the wheelchair, I had this huge supergirl cape and it always got caught in doors so I know the feeling! Happy this was useful to someone!
@@ColleenCosplay understandable they can be such a pain lol now I have to figure out how to made a harness thing for capes while fully broke lol Also your one of my favorite cosplayers i love seeing other disableded cosplayers it's hard to find many online which made me use to think I couldn't cosplay that well but seeing your content helps a lot😊😊😊😊
This actually was an issue for Bruce in the Batman 2004 in the episode ragdolls to riches! His cape got sucked into the gears of a giant clock and the only reason he wasnt crushed was because Catwoman came and cut the cape!
the harness idea is genius!!! ❤ and for other types of capes/garments, you could just attach strong magnets to both it and the fabric and have them lay flatly on top of the costume!
I’m m so glad I found this! I’m working on wing designs for a cosplay and I had only been concerned with the wings getting damaged when they got stuck in my wheels, not the safety aspect. I’ll definitely consider this when i’m designing!
Omg ive never thought of a harness under the clothes to take the weight/force of something on my shoulders! My trapezius muscles often give me pretty bad neck pain that leads to me not being able to wear open vests/jackets/scarves or even something as light as a lanyard. I love open jackets and coats and this just gave me so many ideas!
Omg. Did my first con on a mobility scooter last week and had to make a lot of cosplay compromises, I've been looking for disabled cosplay tips and I'm sooo hyped to find your channel!!!!! :)
Super smart, i used to have my capes on snaps but didn't like the look of the attachment point being so visible. Tucking it into the neckline and snapping into the narness is genius ❤ Its encouraging to remember that my illness changing my ability to do the things i used to do, doesn't mean i can't still do the things i love. Cosplay was a huge part of my life for a long time and there's no reason not being able to walk as much as I used to should mean I can't still do it ❤
Magnets will stick to the metal of the wheelchair. If you check out part 1 of this series you can see some examples of wheelchair dance and that part of the cape gets pretty close to the metals magnets tend to stick to. This is a really good idea for other people though. Thank you for sharing!
*As a teenager who is a permanent wheelchair user and has been using a wheelchair since I was little, this is really helpful as I want to get into cosplay eventually! My mom was looking at a convention a few hours away from us that we could go to in October, but I will definitely keep this in mind if I ever cosplay a character that has a cape! :DD*
@@ColleenCosplay *I hope so too! This is the first cosplay tips video I have seen for wheelchair users, so it’s nice to see something I can keep mind of!* 😁
I just want to say that i love your videos. Im still a beginner cosplayer and my mom wanted try and small cosplays at cons with me. This year, she had to start using a wheelchair to go long distance movement. Your videos helped her realize that she can still join me at cons
This is genius! I think capes are awesome, but I hate anything being tight around my neck. Attaching the cape to a harness or other garment would definitely make capes more comfortable to wear at events.
This is an amazing idea! Whenever I wear a cape, I always somehow manage to step on it and choke myself, no other objects required, so thank you for the tip! Lol
I just found your channel and it makes me happy I originally wanted to do cosplay but i felt bad because i wear glasses and didnt wanna "ruin" the characters because most of my favorites dont wear glasses but im glad ive found more people who are disabled who do cosplay!
The harness is a great idea. Very secure but also safe! I have been wanting to make some kind of costume for my nephew and I *think* I want to sew magnets into the cape (between the two layers of fabric). Mainly because I don't think I'll be able to find snaps that are easy enough for him to undo himself. Could just yank on the cape and it'd be free. Also easier for reattaching
Thank you! My whole channel is pretty much adaptive costume design so I post stuff like this year round. I have a mobility aid decorations playlist that is all my videos focusing on costume design and mobility aids specifically!
@@ColleenCosplay I'll have to check out more! I'm no cosplayer but I make a costume around my big man's wheelchair every year. He's been a firefighter in a fire truck Soldier in a tank DJ in a booth Conductor in a train Mater Carl from up in his walker (I made another dj booth for when he got too fatigued and needed his chair) Buzz Lightyear riding RC (with wheezy) And Mario coming out of a pipe I'm hoping he doesn't tell me he's too old this year. Last year he did get annoyed with me because his dad got sick and he had to go out with his little siblings to ALL the events.
I’m actually really glad I found this! It gave me some ideas for attaching a pair of moth wings to a dress for fairy day at the ren faire- (previously I’ve had issues with door frames and using the bathroom but being able to take them off might make things easier) Also I love your cosplay! Great work!
I have also seen people using strong magnets for similar props. It has the added benefit that it should release on its own if it gets harshly pulled, but the downside that you might lose it if the magnets aren't strong enough
Omg that's actually so smart!! I didn't even think about that. Tbh I think the look of the cape attached that way looks better than if it were attached to your neck
... THIS IS AUCH A GOOD TIP Even though I don't need a wheelchair, this seems so much more comfortable in any way and way more safe. Gonna remember this!
You should look into the same sort of buckles that break away collars for cats have. That way if it does get caught on something, it'll just snap right off instead of pulling at you
Wait that’s so clever, I need to try that with the costume pieces that get stuck in my cane (not capes usually but stuff closer to the floor can get stuck way harder than it may seem and cause me to trip 🥲)
I've been drawing cosplays i like recently and I feel like the addition of a wheelchair-user would be awesome! (Sorry if that term isn't the best idk correct me if I'm wrong plz) The work you put into these fits is so cool and I respect the effort
Thank you so much! And "wheelchair user" is a great term! Some people in the disabled community do not like "wheelchair bound" as they feel it is contrary to the freedom a wheelchair provides so thats the only term I would be cautious about using. Would love to see some more artwork with wheelchair users, thats so cool!
I had it tacked on to my shoulders for my Thor costume. So I couldn’t get choked, but I couldn’t get away 😅 When it became my train, I just Velcroed onto the suede of my skirt
First of all awesome cosplay! And secondly this is such a thoughtful and clever solution as someone who cosplays and sews/tailors costumes for others I am very glad you shared this information with us I am certain many people will have takeaways from these kinds of considerations
Great ideas. Will have to remember the snap harness one. Have you considered velcroing the cape to the back of your chair? It would mean the cape doesn't flow but it would also limit it from getting caught.
It's something I might try going forward. I made this cosplay in 2021 and I was using crutches a bit more back then so all my costumes from that time were wheelchair accessible, but could also be complete when using forearm crutches. My more recent costumes have been focused almost entirely on wheelchair use since I need to use the chair more. My fairy wings I made last year attach to the back of my chair and I can't use them with crutches.
Well, I always need it, cause even though I don’t have any of those, when I had surgery on my feet when I was a baby, they would hurt after a while and I always need a wheelchair
Might be a good idea to attach it via hook and loop if you can get it or something else a bit more passive in case it gets caught by something moving. Edna Mode was a wise woman.
