How I found my style as a wheelchair user

How I found my style as a wheelchair user

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accessibility, chronically ill, disability, fashion, plus size, Wheelchair

Or how the disability community helped me find my style (and importantly, my confidence)

@pip.the.hobbit (of @foxesandravens who make THE coolest leather accessories with fantasy vibes) tagged me in the comments of a @refashionedhippie post.
Someone had written in to ask for a reel with advice on wheelchair fashion & @refashionedhippie was struggling to find helpful information which reminded me SO much of me in 2012 when I was struggling so much to find the advice I needed as a new wheelchair user.

[Image description: A photo of a slim to mid size teenage Robyn smiling on a beach. They are a white teenage girl with glasses & a long brown bob with a side fringe wearing a khaki ‘little miss sunshine’ hoodie.]

Before I got sick I had been so free with my style but I was suddenly so hyper aware of the fact that clothes looked (& felt) different now. Nothing fit right, things were digging in & I totally didn’t feel like myself anymore.

[image description photo one: A photo of Robyn from 2012 in a blue manual wheelchair. They are a mid size white woman with a dark brown pixie cut & glasses wearing red lipstick, a red & blue plaid shirt, a burgundy scarf, a wide brown waist belt, a black skater skirt, black tights & brown calf high boots.]

[image description photo two: A photo of Robyn from 2013 in a blue manual wheelchair in-front of a poster for “Oz the great & powerful”. They are a mid size white woman with a dark brown pixie cut & glasses wearing a red lip, a green ribbon choker with a wire tree pendant, a green scoop neck wicked (the play) merch t-shirt, black tights & a black skater skirt, a long cream cardigan with a wide brown belt over it & a pair of red calf high button boots.]

[image description photo three; An over exposed, very yellow photo of Robyn from 2013 in a blue manual chair on the grass of a park. They are a mid size white woman with a dark brown pixie cut & glasses wearing a straw boater, a short white dress with a pale blue floral print with a grey denim waistcoat ober the top.]

I searched & searched for advice, reference images, anything but almost all the wheelchair users I saw online in 2011 were sad looking older people in medical catalogues.

I needed help & it seemed like what I was looking for didn’t exist.

[image description photo 1: A photo of Robyn from 2014 in an electric wheelchair which has been edited to look like a photo with torn edges. They are a mid size white woman with a dark brown pixie cut & glasses wearing a spoon necklace, a fuchsia vest top, a denim shirt with a fuchsia and green plaid shirt over the top, silver sequin leggings & black combat boots.]

[image description photo 2: A photo of Robyn from 2014 sat in an electric wheelchair in a park. They are a mid size white woman with a dark brown pixie cut & glasses wearing a pale blue 2010s statement necklace, a white vest top with a sheer white scoop neck jumper/sweater, a cream waist belt with large silver studs, a silver cuff bracelet, a soft navy knee length skirt & a pair of silver glitter heels. They are also carrying an ornate blue envelope clutch bag.]

[image description photo 3: A photo of Robyn from 2015 sat in an electric wheelchair in a shopping centre. They are a mid size white woman with a dark brown pixie cut & glasses wearing a cream sleeveless blouse with a cream crochet lace jumper/sweater over it, a wide black laser cut lace belt, a rose gold sequin skater skirt, black tights & black ballet pumps. They are carrying a gold novelty handbag in the shape of a camera.]

 

I got really into tumblr, polyvore & lookbook.nu but I couldn’t find what I needed, disabled community.
In 2012 there just wasn’t a good way for us to find each other & I felt so alone.

[image description: A photo of Robyn from 2014 in an electric wheelchair. They are a mid size white woman with a dark brown pixie cut & glasses wearing a necklace with a copper wire and petrified wood pendant of a tree, a light creamy brown cropped denim jacket with the sleeves rolled up, a cream scoop neck top with a zig zag sequin design, a warm cream tulle skirt, ‘nude’ pink heels & a blush pink square handbag.]

 

I started posting fashion stuff online, pushing through my discomfort with being on camera in an attempt to find community, any community.

[image description: A photo of Robyn from 2014 in an electric wheelchair on the grass of a park. They are a mid size white woman with a red-brown pixie cut & glasses wearing a navy and bottle green plaid shirt with a chunky knit pumpkin orange jumper/sweater over it, a “nude” pink laser cut lace belt, a denim coloured knee length skirt with large navy polka dots & calf high tan lace up boots. Behind them you can see fallen leaves, almost bare trees and, in the distance, a lake.]

Documenting my outfits helped me learn how I looked in a wheelchair & doing so online helped me connect with the most amazing people, some of whom became lifelong friends.
As time passed my style developed from Twee to vintage inspired but I still felt like I was missing something.

[Image description photo 1: A photo of Robyn from 2015 in their powerchair. They have a short red brown pixie cut & are wearing a knee length, button through shirt dress in a large navy gingham with a “nude” pink laser cut lace belt and pink and white vintage inspired kitten heels.]

[Image description photo 2: A photo of Robyn from 2016 in their powerchair in front of a lot of a pond with a lot of lush green ferns. They have a pastel blue pixie cut & a red lip & are wearing a white, puff sleeved scoop neck top, a calf length white skirt with a vintage-y blue floral print & gold glitter ballet pumps.]

[Image description photo 3: A photo of Robyn from 2016 in their powerchair in a park. They are a small fat white person with a purple pixie cut & are wearing a large straw hat, a turquoise-aquamarine scoop neck top with puff sleeves, a “nude” pink waist belt, a white below knee length circle skirt with an abstract turquoise & blue rose print & pink & white vintage inspired shoes.]

[Image description photo 4: A photo of Robyn from 2017 in their powerchair in a park. They have a red-brown pixie cut & are wearing a khaki cropped cardigan, a white below knee dress with a circle skirt & a purple & green floral print & a thin lilac waist belt.]  

I posted my first Instagram picture with the hashtag #WheelchairFashion in 2014. I remember looking at the posts on the tag.
It had less than 100 posts on the whole tag, most of them decorated mobility aids.

[image description photo 1: @annieelainey sitting in their powerchair in the Museum of Ice Cream in front of a pink, white, yellow and red striped wall. She is smiling and she is wearing a red skirt and denim jacket.]

[image description photo 2: a photo of @littlepineneedles from 2017. She is in her electric wheelchair in front of a cream wall with two doors. She is wearing a red lipstick a short black & white gingham shift dress, a long grey knitted cardigan, thigh high black socks & brown loafer shoes]

When the tag #BabeWithAMobilityAid was created in 2016 by disabled fashion creator Annika Victoria it became such a hub of disability joy, style & authentic representation.

The tag #DisabledAndCute (created by Keah Brown) followed & soon my feed was filled with so many incredible disabled people just glowing!

[Image description photo 1: A photo of @rollinfunky from 2018. She is sat in her electric wheelchair in front of a rose bush & is wearing dark sunglasses, a black shirt with small pink rose print tied at the waist, a pair of light was skinny jeans with ripped knees, a small pink shoulder bag & pink strappy heels.]

[Image description photo 2: Two photos of @georginagrogan_ from 2018 side by side. In the left hand photo she is stood in front of a bright background and on the right hand photo she is sat in a transit chair in front of a bright aqua wall. In both she is wearing a long black, scoop neck dress, a diaphanous, floor length floral duster & black ballet pumps.]

[Image description photo 3: A photo of @michelle_roger from 2016. She is sat in her electric wheelchair on a path next to a lawn wearing sunglasses, a white scoop neck t-shirt with a large flower design, a red tartan skirt, lime green compression socks & light brown ankle boots.]

I was finally seeing disabled people who were vibrant, stylish, cool, badass, creative & absolutely unapologetic.
My brain chemistry changed.

[Image description: A heavily filtered photo of Robyn from 2017 in their electric wheelchair on a stone balcony. They have a wavy brown pixie cut & are wearing a navy beret with a navy tartan bow, a white puff sleeve pussy bow blouse, a navy below knee a-line skirt and sand coloured vintage inspired heels.] 

There was a recent meta analysis of 56 studies on which found body-positive content improves body satisfaction and emotional well-being immediately, especially when highlighting diverse representations and self-acceptance.

Citation: Jiménez-García AM, Arias N, Hontanaya EP, Sanz A, Garcia-Velasco O. Impact of body-positive social media content on body image perception. JEat Discord. 2025 Jul

[Image description photo 1: A photo of Robyn from 2017 in their electric wheelchair surrounded by falling autumn leaves and trees in autumn colours. They are wearing a navy beret with a navy tartan bow, a sheer white blouse with white polka dots and a navy ribbon around the collar, a pumpkin colour cardigan, a navy, mustard, white & orange plaid bellow knee skirt & a pair of sand coloured vintage inspired heels.]

[Image description photo 2: A photo of Robyn holding a vintage film camera from 2017 in their electric wheelchair on an old stone bridge over a small stream. They are wearing a burgundy beret with a darker burgundy velvet bow, a sheer muted red lace collared blouse, a deep teal cropped cardigan & a grey tweed pleated skirt.] 

I can personally attest to this. Finding the online disability community (plus body positive spaces) changed everything for me. They taught me how to shine.

[Image description: A photo of Robyn from 2020. They are a white non binary person with tattoos on their left arm sat in their electric wheelchair in a bluebell wood. They are wearing a white & blue floral off the shoulder dress with a knee length full circle skirt]

Between the years documenting my outfits & my new confidence I developed an outfit template of a sort.

[Image description photo 1: A photo of Robyn in a historic village from 2021 with a scattered sparkle overlay. Robyn is a fat non-binary person with a dark brown pixie cut sat in an electric wheelchair holding a lit candlestick in a vintage holder. They are wearing a crown made of evergreens & holly, a grey long sleeve henley top, a dark green lace up bodice & a rich red knee length circle skirt.]

[Image description photo 2: A photo of Robyn in a park from 2022. They are wearing a tall straw witches hat, a white Ukrainian Vyshyvanka inspired blouse, a mid blue velvet dirndl bodice, a textured grey circle skirt & grey ballet pumps.]

[Image description photo 3: A photo of Robyn holding a vintage film camera on a bleak browned moor from 2022. They are wearing a rounded lace collar, a brown tweed bow-tie, a sage green fair isle jumper with short puff sleeves, a tan bellow knee length edwardian style skirt and tan ballet pumps.]

I preferred skirts in my chair & petticoats improved the silhouette & stopped them bunching between my legs. Vintage inspired styles brought me joy & desaturated colours felt the most like me.

My new confidence gave me permission to play. Whimsy became the default.

[image description photo 1: A photo of Robyn holding a vintage film camera sat in the middle of the countryside with a field of sheep in the far distance. Xe has a green pixie cut with a pink, orange & yellow fringe. They are wearing glasses with a beaded glasses chain, a orange plaid blouse, a khaki cropped cardigan, a soft mid brown circle skirt, a thin tan belt & gold glitter ballet pumps.]

[image description photo 2: A photo of Robyn in the countryside from 2023. There are hills in the background & scattered trees. Xe has a green pixie cut & glasses & is wearing a pale mint gathered waist broidre anglaise knee length dress & grey ballet pumps.]

There is a lot of criticism of the internet & social media these days, some of which is incredibly valid. We know the mega corporations who run these platforms are not doing so with our best interests at heart but this post is essentially a love letter to the incredible, vibrant, empowering communities that built me.

[image description photo 1: A photo of Robyn sat in their powerchair on a moor from 2022. They are wearing a short sleeve white blouse, a blue velvet dirndl bodice, a dusty pink tweed circle skirt & grey ballet pumps.]

[image description photo 2: A photo of Robyn in their powerchair in front of a row of posh shops from 2024. They have a green pixie cut with a pink, orange and yellow fringe & glasses with a beaded glasses chain & are wearing a white t-shirt with “fatties for a free Palestine” graphic on it, a traditional black & white kufiya & a teal circle skirt with a green maple leaf print.]

[image description photo 3: A photo of Robyn from 2025 in front of a sandstone church. They have a green pixie cut & glasses with a beaded glasses chain & are a wearing a pink beret, a pink cropped cardigan, a sand coloured blouse, a dark green plaid circle skirt, cream tights & tan ballet pumps.]

I would not be who I am without the internet & the incredible people who put so much time & energy into showing up authentically online. 

Thank you so much, I owe you my life!

[Image description photo 1: A photo of Robyn from 2023 overlooking the bay at Sandsend. Xe has a green pixie cut & are a wearing a 3/4 sleeve cream scoop neck blouse, an undyed linen pinafore dress, a dusty pink tweed skirt & grey ballet pumps.]

[Image description photo 2: A photo of Robyn from 2024 at the edge of a bailed hay field. The y have a green pixie cut with a pink, yellow & orange fringe & glasses with a beaded glasses chain & are wearing a muted green embroidered headband, a white puff sleeve top, a brown lace up bodice & a muted green below knee skirt.]

[Image description photo 3: A photo of Robyn from 2024 in front of the pink shop front for Bookish Type in Leeds. Xe has a green pixie cut with a pink, yellow & orange fringe & glasses with a beaded glasses chain & is wearing a square neck blue & pink patchwork dress cinched with a grey velvet belt.]

Style changes over time & confidence requires practice.

Both are a skill like any other & they are so so so much easier when you can learn from others. I have learned from some incredible disabled icons (at the end of the post).

[image description: A photo of Robyn from 2020. Robyn is small in the foreground of the image, a road winds through the purple moorland with a soft pink sky lighting the scene.]

Each person in this post was crucial to my style journey, I am so grateful to each & every single one of you.

[image description photo 1: A photo of THE disabled icon leaning against her rollator in a scene drenched in coloured stained glass light. She is wearing a decorated beret & a stunning off the shoulder floral dress.]

[ image description photo 2: January 2023 Glamour uk cover featuring Shelby Lynch who is wearing a knitted light green matching set. The words read “The self-love issue” “‘Fashion is something I can control’”.]

[Image description photo 1: A photo of @rubyroubijou sat in her electric wheelchair in front of a light wood bay window. She is wearing a 1930s tiara, a gold blouse with big sleeves over a rose pink tulle maxi dress, navy & gold compression sock & checked mules.]

[Image description photo 2: A photo of @janmort3000 stood outside an antique store on an old tree lined street. She is wearing a navy cardigan with a design of birds on a tree over a cream collared blouse, a red-brown skirt, black & white striped tights and comfortable black ankle boots.]

[Image description photo 3: A photo of @ReunitedWithTime stood among wildflowers & tall grasses in a wooded glade. They are wearing a plum Ukrainian style flower crown with long purple & black ribbons, a long sleeve plum shirt dress & a pale pink belt they have embroidered with flowers & Ghibli characters.]

[Image description photo 1: A photo of @brightonbacall stood in front of a glass fronted dark wood cabinet and a door way with stained glass panels. She is wearing a white collared shirt with the sleeves rolled up, a tan fair-isle v-neck vest & a pair of almost knee length tweed shorts.]

[Image description photo 2: A photo of @lunajay_r sat in their electric wheelchair in dappled sunlight. They have wavy yellow hair, a long sleeve white shirt, a baby pink corset & long tulle overskirt, light wash jeans & red platform heels.] 

[Image description: A photo of @val_and.co sat in their powerchair in a beam of light in front of a colourful graffiti mural. She is a fat indigenous white woman with dark hair wearing a cream linen two piece outfit with fruits and vegetables printed on them.]

“Finding my place in the disability community changed my relationship with my wheelchair in ways I never expected. Before, I saw it through the eyes of a world that treated mobility aids as symbols of tragedy, failure, or something to hide. Being surrounded by disabled people who used their wheelchairs openly, unapologetically, and even joyfully helped me realize that my wheelchair wasn’t evidence that I’d lost something—it was evidence that I deserved access to my life. The more I embraced disability community, the less I feared being seen. My wheelchair stopped feeling like a public confession of weakness and became what it had always been: a tool that gives me freedom, autonomy, and the ability to participate in the world on my own terms.” - @val_and.co

accessibility, chronically ill, disability, fashion, plus size, Wheelchair

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