It’s a poo thing!

When we set up Rackety’s I was on a mission to make quality products available for a long neglected group of people and families who need adaptive clothing.

I had clear plans to take on the healthcare market and change the accepted standard of design and presentation of products for families and children with disabilities. What a gloomy dated place it was!!!

Thankfully the tide was turning and although there is still a long way to go, we are very proud to have contributed towards a change of attitude to what is acceptable for a healthcare product.

Being inexperienced I thought that adaptive clothing automatically went with wheelchair use and that this would be my core customer base.

I just didn’t know about “The poo thing” I was like most of the world that are unaffected- blissfully ignorant.

These days it’s a different story it turns out our core business is based around poo wee stripping and dipping and I have become something of an expert in the field.

It has also set me off on another mission to make sure all families new to “a poo situation” understand they are not alone- it is very common and there is help available. 

We are gathering “poo stories” from our customers so we can create a small book to help families who suddenly have a problem understand how common it is.

Some of the tales we here are funny and some of them are quite dreadful- why not send us your story to help other families.

 annabel@racketys.com or on our facebook  page  if you prefer http://www.facebook.com/racketys

 

Model Muddle Shock

We have been following the story's about two beautiful children who have been used as models by Fashion company's. JoJo Maman Baby in the UK  and Spanish Fashion Designer Dolores Cortés, Valentina have both featured models who have Downs Syndrome.

Here at Rackety's we have made a point of always featuring models who have a disability and this has been noticed, we hope, for the right reasons.

What has shocked us most is the highly unpleasant and possibly ignorant reaction via the media and social networks to the choice of both businesses to feature models who are visibly a little different. Instead of congratulating the companies for being inclusive they are accusing them of using the children to gain publicity.

It is so disheartening to realise how cruel and thoughtless people can be when they have no experience of disability.

We applaud both businesses for their decision and are fully supportive of any publicity that helps to raise understanding.

Rackety's stunning  model from 2004

Join our blog

We are looking for guest bloggers to add some more interest to Rackety's blog. You know who you are, Mums and Dads who like to blog, the sort who start for a bit of fun and before they know it are doing it full time.

So come on join in with an inspied idea, a shred experience, we'd love some funny stories, or anything you think would be of interest in Racketyland.

We will be seaking you out so watch out!!

Proud Moments

We all have a few proud moments in our life no matter how big or small. This week a proud Mum was telling me her son was representing his school in Boccia, and another proud Dad was telling me about the progress of their daughter with toilet training. In Rackety's world it is common for things most families take for granted to be major achievements for their children.

Today we launched our beautiful new products, and although we are always frustrated because we would like to offer you more choice, we are very proud of the work that goes into making our products as well as we possibly can.

So a proud week for us and hopefully for you and your families too.

Check out the New products online http://www.racketys.com/

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.

Santa Suprise!

We had a great time for the run up to Christmas helping create a grotto for Santa locally to raise money for out local Sailabilty. They are raising money for their new boat house to improve the facilities at Rudyard Lake. My job was to be chief Elf and keep a constant refill of wrapped gifts for the children. It was great fun and magical to see the wide eyed children meeting Santa.



The last week's Santa was a lovely man called Rusty who between his duty's as Santa explained to me that he and his wife have fostered and worked with children with special needs for many years. He has come up with the brilliant idea of running sensory parties for families who's children would love this highly original service at their party.



To contact Rusty and find out more go to http://www.worldofsensory.co.uk/ or contact him directly on dennis.rusty@hotmail.co.uk .



What a lovely surprise at Christmas!

Oak Field School

Last week I was invited to visit Oak Field School and Sports College in Nottingham to meet some of the parents at one of their regular coffee mornings.

I have visited a lot of schools over the past seven years and am always struck by the very unique atmosphere of our special schools and colledges.

Oak Field is a beautiful brand new purpose built college, full of space and light with music and laughter ringing around the corridors. I have also visited some of the older schools with children squashed in older totally unsuitable buildings with clumsy adaptations to cope with their needs.


In all the schools you still get that unique vibrant atmosphere but it has been wonderful to witness so much investment in the children and their surroundings.

The subject of main stream verses special schooling will always raise a lively debate and much passion both ways, but whatever you feel it is great to see new purpose build schools and colleges being built all around the country. I was very upset to hear about Marland Special school in Devon, that had just missed out on the opportunity to get their new school due to Government cuts.



It was great to chat with the parents and find out what they thought about the new developments we are working on right now, we depend totally on our families to tell us what to do next at Rackety's, and I consider myself very fortunate to be involved with the community who live with disability.

pigswillfly

"And what is your e-mail address " I said to a customer the other day when processing a new order." It's pigswill fly.co.ect" said the Mum on the other end of the line.

"That wouldn't by any chance be a reference to your experiences trying to get what you need for your disabled child would it? "

And so began another long complicated, sad, frustrating story about my customers fight to help the foster children she looks after.

Sadly I have to report that it is a story I hear ALL the time.

Why is it so difficult for the families who live with disability to get the things they need, let alone the things they want to help them to cope with the additional requirements they have.

It all seems incredibly complicated , inconsistent, spread out and a lot of hard work for families to get help advise support funding services and so on.

Happily amongst all the aggravation I also hear many heartwarming, inspirational funny and wonderful stories about the many exciting achievements great and small my customers enjoy.

These are a few things I have observed in the six years I have been speaking to my customers.

1. Unless you live with or are directly connected to someone with a disability, there is a lot of serious lack of understanding , or education about what it is all about.
2. The help available is totally inconsistent around the country.
3. Many areas of the health care industry are severely out of date.
4. Things are slowly improving.
5. The Internet is a great medium to harness the power of the needs of families and will be highly influential in improving understanding of those who live with disability and those who don't.

I wonder if you agree with me?

Maybe pigswill fly one day after all.

Mrs Rackety- what's in a name.

"Mrs Rackety, -over here -have you got any bibs today?"

This was the voice of a Mum sitting under a tree trying to catch my attention at a local school event we attended sometime last year. As she had no idea of my name, I was re-defined and re-christened as Mrs Rackety.

Instead of being Annabel, Mrs McMahon, Mum, wife,daughter, sister, friend,sweetheart,daughter -in-law, Designer, Business woman, at that moment I was Mrs Rackety.

Names define who we are and I am often struggling with how this works when you have to introduce a disability or two or three into a family's life. Suddenly the person has to acquire a new name, or perhaps a several. The names may include , disability, special needs, autism, downs syndrome, undiagnosed- you get the idea.

It is also clear from the information we receive that often there is a long complicated combination of descriptions to define a person or child with a disability. So the list of names for someone who lives with a disability can become twice as long as everyone else, the danger being that the names get confused, so instead of being a daughter, sister, cousin, friend, you become a disabled, autistic, incontinent, daughter, sister, cousin,friend. There are occasions when it is essential and helpful to use the extra names, and others when it isn't.

When I am at home, my boys are only interested in Mum, they couldn't care less about Mrs Rackety, when you live with a disability it is much more difficult for the rest of the world to separate out the person from their disability.

We ask all our customers to tell us about their disability because it helps us to understand their needs, and develop new products to help them. We have to use the extra names, but we understand that they are only one part of the person they are connected to.

We also prefer to use direct everyday language when discussing smearing or dribbling, because we are not tied to the political correctness that quite frankly on occasions has gone mad. A poo is a poo, and when you are worried about having it all around the room and how to stop the daily nightmare from re-occurring, sometimes regular language is both re-assuring and a relief.

When you land in the world of disability, either by fate or choice, you learn that it is very easy to get it wrong, to upset hurt or offend, you can do this by using the wrong language, or by getting the names and labels in the wrong order.

Name's can have so many interpretations, and just as Mum and Mrs Rackety is the same person with a clearly defined difference, somehow for a person with a disability the names are much more difficult to separate.



Let me know your thoughts on the language and labels of disability and how to "get it right" what works for you?

Dragon Boat Delight!

Yesterday was the local Sailability Club Dragon Boat Race on our local lake in Rudyard. It was the most brilliant fun and we had a wonderful day racing in the sunshine.

The lake was mainly visited by locals and a little bit run down and unused up until the last five years. The events down at the lake over the past few years contain a modern morality tale so unbelievable that you would think it has been made up.

There has always been a Sailing club on the lake, a while ago they applied for lottery funding to make the club fully accessible. Having acquired the money and spent it on improving the club they promptly forgot to set the club up to include any members with a disability.

Meanwhile at the other end of the lake in a quiet unused corner with a dirty old run down shed, Dennis Priebe, set up Sailabilty, a centre of excellence for anyone to be able to enjoy sailing on the lake.

You would imagine that this vibrant and positive enterprise would be a source of immense pride to the locals and everyone would support the venture wholeheartedly. Hundreds of children each year enjoy the experience and freedom of getting out onto the water, and the joy and confidence it brings is wonderful.

On applying to develop the old boat store into a more suitable purpose built location the club was met with a barrage of objection. After the second planning application refusal they had to fight through another two refusals, an enforcement notice and finally a five day enquiry before they were granted the permission they require to build their new store.

The mood seemed to be-we all think the Sailabilty is a wonderful thing but we don't actually want it here thank you. How can such fear and discrimination of disability be so common in this day and age?

Thankfully due to the tireless efforts of some brilliant locals the club now is able to look forward to a great future and continue their magnificent work.

The Dragon Boat Race is their main fundraising event of the year and much splashing and fun was had by everyone. Rackety's entered a team this year, and after an appalling start where we zig zaged uncontrollably down the lake and came in last in the first heat,which was all my fault ( I thought it was the easy option to steer!) We changed the team around and stormed down the lake to win a place the Plate final. After a nerve racking enquiry because two other boats crashed into each other, Team Rackety's were upgraded from second to First place and are now the proud owners of the Rudyard Lake Dragon Boat Race Plate 2010!

The lake has become a mecca for Disabled families, schools, and individual to enjoy a wonderful experience, I understand that many people just don't have any experience or knowledge of disability but I do find it astonishing to find such vehement objection as we have experienced locally.

If you would like more information on Sailability the address is www.rudyardsailability.org.uk.

Rackety's adventures in cyber space.

Over the past few months we have jumped into the world of social networking and are now enjoying rampaging around in cyber space with all the others who are brave enough to try.
One thing that quickly became clear to us here at Rackety's HQ, is that many families and individuals who live with a disability are very keen internet users.
Finding out more about other families who share a similar disability, how they cope, where they find the help and support they need or the products that help them to enjoy an improved lifestyle, is very important in reducing the isolation often felt by families and individuals who live with disability.
The internet is a powerful and wonderful way of joining up communities of people all over the world with similar interests and challenges.
Rackety's have customers in over 22 different countries, thanks to the internet,the needs of our customers remain the same what ever country they live in.
This is an e-mail we received from a customer in America.

Once you have changed the bed from a larger child who got in her pants & has finger painted poo all over, you thank the Lord (& Rackety's) every time you snap the onesie (vests) in place. I thank Rackety's daily for making quality clothing that really makes our lives easier on a daily basis. I thought it would be a big deal to order internationally, but it was amazingly easy!
My daughter's bathroom is her bed, so the snap bottom PJ's make it a ton easier to change a nearly 70 lb child!
My girl has to wear a tucked in white colored top to school. Keeping it tucked in took divine intervention until we ordered the polo shirt vests! I'm amazed at how clothing blesses my life every single day. Thank you for doing what I couldn't do myself. I tried to make these or have them made, but they always came apart or didn't hold up. The quality adds to their benefits!
Sincerely,
Allison Moore (mother of Abby age 9 chromosome 18q-mosaic)

I have met some wonderful families locally through Rackety's, and now we are "meeting" families all over the globe thanks to the social network we are building up.

Looking forward to hearing from you soon.

The very best bit of the job!

It is often a bit quieter here at Rackety's HQ when it is the school holidays. A lot of our customers are parents who have their hands full when the kids are at home.We use the time to catch up on new projects and all the background jobs that need to be done. Although we do not have an official shop, we work out of a warehouse with an office, our doors are always open to any customers who would like to call in and visit. We do advise you ring first to check we are in, as we wouldn't want you to turn up and find there is no body about, which is rare, but sometimes happens.

Last week we had the privilege of meeting a wonderful family who all called in to see us.The Mum having had four children of her own, now fosters a few more and has extended her delightful family with a beautiful daughter who is disabled, and they currently are giving a home to a beautiful baby girl awaiting adoption. You do not have to be Angelina Jolie to have a rainbow family these days! Apparently the elder daughter was upset because the baby was getting loads of new clothes and the little girl who uses a wheelchair wasn't getting as many. It was a joy to be able to offer a few items of clothing to suit the little girls multiple needs and satisfy the discerning eye of the older sister who was as fashion conscious as any young teenager and wonderfully protective and involved with her extended multi cultural family.

It is unquestionably the best part of the job when we meet the families and take time out to have a chat.I had to comment on what a delightful family the Mum had, and she laughed and said they have their moments! What an inspiration it is to learn all the time about the lives of families that live with disability, in this case it is a choice, the family have chosen to adopt the little girl, mostly of course it is not.

The mum was learning all about the complications of life when dealing with a disability, the everyday fight for often very simple things, and options the rest of the world take for granted.

At Rackety's we feel privileged to be able to play a small but sometimes significant role in offering a product that can help families who encounter daily struggles.

Over the years ,at exhibitions, on visits to schools and events, at the unit and over he phone we have met hundreds of wonderful families, and it is definitely the best part of the job!

So please feel free to call by, ring, e-mail or contact us, we have a lot of experience across a wide variety of needs and we love to find out more.

All the new stock arrived last week and I am happy to say it is flying out of the door. Just when I am thinking that we are a bit manic because there is a fair amount of paper work to get through, I get a cheery phone call from one of my Mums who has very kindly been taking some pictures of her beautiful daughter modeling some of our new items. How are you, I ask casually- "not bad but my leg is in plaster I've just had to do the shopping in a wheelchair it was terrible I couldn't reach anything" How do you cope when you have a young family, a child with disabilities and Mum has a broken leg?

Grabbing a quick bit of shopping on the way home, I met Ralph, another of our lovely models Dads, "hows the family Ralph - is everything OK after Tillys last treatment? ( Tilly has SMA and needs special drugs to help strengthen her bones ) " Tilly is doing fine thanks but Mum has tripped and her leg is in plaster, I think she wanted a bit of attention for Mothers Day!"

Two mums with legs in plaster and more than most to cope with on a daily basis, still smiling and looking after their families.

Its a sharp reminder of why we enjoy life so much at Rackety's a bit of extra paperwork and some extra effort to get the orders out is nothing compared to what some of our customers deal with every day.

They say things run in threes but I am hoping not to hear about any more Mum's with broken bones this week!