Mapping the Clothing Taskscape: Apparel Needs in Rehabilitation Therapy
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
Mapping the Clothing Taskscape: Apparel Needs in Rehabilitation Therapy by Sandra Tullio-Pow Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Department of Human Ecology University of Alberta © Sandra Tullio-Pow, 2016 Abstract Dressing is an activity taken for granted until a person’s balance and synchronized movements are impaired due to illness, injury, disease, or surgery. This study conceptualized and operationalized the clothing taskscape (CT)—selecting, shopping, dressing, toileting, eating, exercising, sleeping, laundering, and storing—to analyze apparel needs and ways people who have experienced a disabling event interact with clothing. The CT was designed to: map the use scenario and identify the relationship between personal ability and clothing environment; determine compensatory interventions in terms of clothing modifications that improve functional abilities; and distinguish how clothing and independence in dressing enhance well-being and self-image in rehabilitation therapy (RT). The study was framed by a 2-part research question: What factors along the CT impact functional limitations and self-image for people in hospital RT programs, and how can such criteria inform design to address this population’s needs? Ethnographically oriented methods were used to examine the clothing context and its meaning to people through field observation of RT sessions and patient routines with personal support workers (PSWs; n=46), and interviews with occupational therapists, physiotherapists, PSWs, and patients (n=34). Precedent analysis was used to source and evaluate clothing in the marketplace; specific garments were purchased and used as probes to invite dialogue during participant interviews and to gauge receptivity to garment innovations. Results reveal patients’ experience related to clothing, disability, and functioning as well as clothing’s social and psychological aspects. Design recommendations are made to mediate difficulties people have when dressing in relation to fabric choices, garment silhouettes and fasteners, circumference of garment openings, dual waistbands, pockets, loops, and visual clues to guide garment orientation and product development opportunities. Study results may impact fashion designers, specialized product developers, design educators, and rehabilitation therapists. ii Preface This thesis is an original work by Sandra Tullio-Pow. The research project, of which this thesis is a part, received research ethics approval from the University of Alberta Research Ethics Board, Project Name “MAPPING THE CLOTHING TASKSCAPE: APPAREL NEEDS IN REHABILITATION THERAPY”, No. Pro00052870, 15/01/2015. iii Dedication This dissertation is dedicated to my father, who supported his children in their quest for higher education, an opportunity he never had and to my mother who taught me how to juggle multiple balls in the air and most importantly, which ball could be dropped. iv Acknowledgments Once you make a decision, the universe conspires to make it happen – Ralph Waldo Emerson This statement certainly sums up my PhD journey. It all began at an annual apparel conference and an impromptu discussion with Dr. Betty Crown and Dr. Rachel McQueen about Ryerson University’s new MA program in Fashion. I expressed my desire to pursue a PhD— which prompted the recommendation, “You must speak with Megan”—and this decision began a series of events that eventually lead to the completion of this dissertation. I am especially grateful to my supervisor, Dr. Megan Strickfaden: thank you for suggesting that I look deeply into Ingold’s concept of taskscape. I could not have wished for a better supervisor; with your advice, I have transformed beyond my comfort zone as an intuitive designer to become a design researcher. This research was completed with tutelage from an academic team. I want to offer heartfelt thanks to my committee members who assessed multiple drafts of my thesis as they guided me along this journey: Dr. Anne Bissonnette, Dr. Patrick Devlieger, and Dr. Mary Ruppert-Stroescu. In addition, I sincerely thank Dr. Susan Ashdown for her review and thoughtful critique of the final manuscript. I was privileged to have a strong circle of female mentors who nurtured me in many ways. I have special thanks for Professor Lucia Dell’Agnese for her advice and leadership as I embarked on my academic career. I am indebted to both Dr. Joyce Nyhof-Young and Dr. Hong Yu, each of whom honed my research skills through the many projects we worked on together before I began my coursework at the University of Alberta. Completion of this degree would not have been possible without the incredible support of my Chair, Robert Ott, and the encouragement of the School of Fashion faculty, all of whom had to assume additional service duties while I was on leave. Writing up the research was aided by advice I received from Dr. Charles Davis, Dr. Ben Barry, Dr. Robert Desjardins, Mari Bergen, and Maurice Barnwell, as well as from Ingrid Mida and Kirsten Schaefer. I am especially appreciative to Mark Poulin for his patient and thoughtful editing expertise and to Amanda McGroarty for her prowess at transforming my hand-drawn diagrams into the crisp, well-designed graphics found throughout this document. Leaving family and friends and moving west was not without its challenges. I am especially thankful to Dr. Arlene Oak, my friend Linda Marie Johnson, and my cousins Paul v Punyi and Maureen Rooney for providing me with a home away from home. I could not have done it without you all! This research would not have been possible without financial support from the Dean of the Faculty of Communication and Design at Ryerson University, the Canadian Federation of University Women, as well as numerous scholarships provided by the University of Alberta and the Department of Human Ecology. A number of rehab facilities were skeptical about allowing a fashion designer into their hospital to do research. I am extremely grateful to a doctor (who must remain anonymous) for making the necessary introductions that eventually lead me to the team of therapists and care workers in this study who in turn introduced me to patients and facilitated my observations and interviews. I will be forever grateful to the occupational therapists, physiotherapists, and care workers for allowing me to accompany them while they worked. Losing one’s health is an especially traumatic experience; I have immense gratitude for the patients who agreed to share their journey of recovery with me. And finally, I would like to recognize my family for watching over and nurturing my sons David, Cameron, and Geordie while I was living in Alberta or at home, secluded in my office writing. Thank you to my mother and father, my sister Carla, my brother Gerald, my Zia Carol, and my cousin Eileen. Behind every successful woman is a sometimes impatient man; thank you Sandy for holding the fort through thick and thin! vi Table of Contents Page Abstract ...................................................................................................................... ii Preface........................................................................................................................ iii Dedication .................................................................................................................. iv Acknowledgments...................................................................................................... v List of Tables ............................................................................................................. xii List of Figures ............................................................................................................ xiii Glossary of Terms ...................................................................................................... xvi CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION ........................................................................ 1 Researcher Background and Approach ............................................................ 2 Purpose of the Study ......................................................................................... 4 Justification for the Study ................................................................................. 4 The Clothing Taskscape ................................................................................... 5 Clothing Environments and Disablement ......................................................... 7 Significance of the Study.................................................................................. 9 Chapter Summary ............................................................................................. 10 Overview of the Thesis Structure ..................................................................... 10 CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW ............................................................ 12 Clothing Choice: Communication, Identity, Behaviour, and Well-Being ....... 12 Identity .................................................................................................... 12 Behaviour ................................................................................................ 13 Well-Being .............................................................................................. 14 The Design Process: From Ready-to-Wear to Functional Apparel .................. 15 Development of Ready-to-Wear Fashion ............................................... 16 The Functional Design Process ..............................................................