Fancy a Forum?

What do you think we can do to make Rackety's disabled clothing more interesting and useful for you?
 We get so many helpful and interesting comments , I get the impression that my customers like to be able to talk about their every day lives. We are really keen to find out more about our customers and how we can help you. 
It would be great to find out what your favourite way of using the Internet is.
Do you prefer to follow Twitter, or do you like to go on Facebook , maybe you enjoy reading Blogs?
It appears that Rackety's families are very keen to communicate, and we wondered if you would like to have a Rackety's forum on the site, somewhere you could speak to each other?

Let me know what you think, which ever way you choose- don't forget we also answer the phone, read letters and welcome visitors to the unit!!!

What a week!

It all started off as normal and then everything, as they say, started to go pear shaped, we had some hideous problems with our IT which resulted in my having to spend HOURS re creating last months work all over again!
As I was sitting grumpily typing away, my inspiration, as always , is my customers.
In the same week one of my customers was when ringing to complain that the zip had broken on her child's pajamas and was expecting a fight to get her money back. When we responded by saying we would not only send her a new pair, but mend the old ones as well she bust into tears. It seems that families who live with disability spend their lives fighting not just for their rights but for every little thing they need.
I also heard this week that my partner in the States is having to go to court just to maintain the support she has for her son, the cuts are biting everywhere. Finally I was told about a Mum who's daughter not only shreds her nappies and eats the content but gets her hands up her back and scratches until she bleeds.
So when I start to feel a bit sorry for myself because I have some extra work to do, its very easy to snap out of it and carry on.

You remain my inspiration.

Can you believe it! Racketing around the World.

I sometimes have to stop and wonder at what has happened over the past few years. We started Rackety's out of a genuine desire to create a better shopping environment for families who live with disabilities and were stuck when it came to certain items of clothing.
Never in a million years did we imagine that we would soon become an international business. I suppose it may have been a clue when we started to sell to France very soon after we set up.

This month we have opened a new website in America Rackety's USA, we set up a site in Norway earlier on this year Rackety's No, and are just beginning to work on Rackety's Australia.

It just goes to show that there are no boundaries to the needs of our customers. The power of the Internet has allowed so many families to benefit, not just from companies like us, but from knowing that they are not alone with the unique needs of their families.

Rackety's disabled clothing has been  sold to over 25 different countries around the world, and each time we send out another blog or email or facebook I am always amazed to receive such fascinating responses from unexpected places.

Soon we plan to link up our Rackety's community around the globe so that you can connect with similar families around the globe- how exciting is that!

Its Complicated

"lennox-gastaut syndrome, autism,profoundly deaf and partially sighted"

"Global developmental delay - undiagnosed.Can't do any thing for herself."



These are a few of the many descriptions we receive each day about our customers, helping us to understand more about who buys our clothing and more importantly why they need the specialised clothing.
 
There is a natural tendency to group our customers by their disability to work out any buying pattern, but the reality is that although all of our customers are unique, many of their needs are shared.
 
The interesting thing is that many of the needs are the same across a wide range of disabilities and right across the globe. So we are able to help families who have a wide range of disabilities across the world as we continue to  find out more about their comfort and dressing requirements.
 
In a complicated world sometimes it is the simple things that make all the difference, and we know ,because you tell us, that our simple vests and bibs and pajamas do make all the difference to you.

Rackety's Norge

There is much excitement at Rackety's HQ this week, we are getting ready to go international with a new business in Scandinavia. Last Summer we were contacted by a young couple from Norway who had bought some of our clothing for their daughter Mari. They were so pleased with the quality and design of the products and impressed by how much they helped with their daughter, that they decided it may work to sell them in Scandinavia so they could help other families.

Together we have re developed the website, translating it into Norwegian, Swedish and Finish, and changing it so that Hanne and Thomas can adapt it to suit their customers. It is clear to us that the problem of keeping warm dry and comfortable in a wheelchair, or keeping clean and having the nappies where they need to be are the same all over the world. Although we have already sent our products to over 25 countries, we are unable to offer the same level of service overseas and it will be much better for the customers to have a local postal delivery and most important of all, an experienced understanding person to call for help.

We wish them the absolute best with their new venture and are confident that Hanne and Thomas will continue to maintain the vibrancy and spirit of Rackety's into Scandinavia. They have 6 months of snow every year so we hope to help keep a lot of wheelchair users warm!

You can see how cute and warm Mari is in the snow!

Pajama-rama

Its all about the PJ's at Rackety's HQ this week, we have been asking you how we can develop the Rackety's disabled clothing range of Pajamas to help more families and have had a flood of comments, requests and offers to help us road test the proposed new styles.

Putting all the comments together I think the main requests are as follows

1. Bigger sizes going into Adults.

2. Zip back PJ with strengthened smaller neck, taped arm holes and feet to keep determined hands out of nappies.

3. Zip back PJ's with an opening at the front to access G-tubes or buttons.

Let me know if there is anything vital missing from the list, now is your chance to help us choose what products to introduce next.

I like a challenge and you have certainly given me a mountain to climb to get this right for as many of you as possible! Keep the ideas coming we totally depend on your comments to get it right.

Send in your thoughts to annabel@racketys.com give me a call on 01538 381430 or go to our facebook page to see what is going on.

Its big its clumsy and it needs a shake up!

This is my opinion of the world of disability in general.

One of the unique priveledges of running Rackety's disabled clothing is that I get to talk to families all over the world who live with disability. It is fascinating, inspiring and frustrating to hear so many stories about how my customers cope with their unique families.
Sadly the story I hear most is of a constant battle against the system that has evolved to support their needs. It seems to be a recurrent theme that the system is too complicated, there are far too many people asking for the same information all the time, no clear starting point or continuity one you get into the system.
Although it is understood that those envolved are as individuals doing their best it is the collective effect of a clumsy complex system that causes the frustration. I often hear parents telling me that they are told what they can have or do, and that all they want is someone who will listen to what they need.
Thanks to the internet I believe that Parent Power is the way to make sure that the future is made easier for families who live with disability, as already demonstrated by groups such as Special Kids in the UK.
So if we all start to shake a bit more and be vocal on the subject maybe in time we can help to simplify the lives of families in the future.

George HATES Rackety's!

This week I have had two lively conversations with different Mums who's sons like to strip off or put their hands in their pants. Both have commented on how inventive they have had to become constantly trying new combinations of clothing to outwit their determined boys!

One Mum explained that her son George hates anything from Rackety's because he knows he can't get them off, apparently accompanied by a knowing look of puzzlement that appears on his face. His Mum confessed she was secretly delighted to know he would not get his own way and despite his frustration was thrilled to have found that the clothes work for her, even if they don't quite work out for George!

We have loads of families grappling with stripping and dipping, it is the most common thing we help families to overcome. Its often a great relief for families to realise they are not alone with this particular habit. Why not tell us your stories, we won't be shocked at all, and you may be able to help another family.

Send your story to me on annabel@racketys.com
Happy New Year.