As we roll into Halloween 2025, there’s an extra layer of meaning behind the costumes, the pumpkins, and the creative fun. For me and Marty, this season brings both joy and reflection: joy because we’ve finally had more inclusive costume options than ever before, and reflection because we’re also seeing signs of retrenchment, especially in adaptive costume options for people who use wheelchairs. That shows how much work remains.
In this post, I want to share our personal story, tie it to the broader value of universal design and adaptive products in organizations, and make the case for why inclusive product design isn’t just a nice-to-have—it’s a business and innovation imperative.
Our Story: Costumes for All of Us
Last year and the years immediately preceding it, Marty and I experienced something new: we could shop for Halloween costumes made for wheelchair users, with multiple adaptive options available. We were able to feel the same excitement and creative possibilities that everyone enjoys at this time of year. It felt like a win for accessibility and belonging.
This year, though, we’re noticing something different. Even as Halloween gains in mainstream popularity and creativity, the adaptive costume market seems to be pulling back. Fewer options. Less visibility. That’s not just disappointing for us personally—it signals a broader challenge and a missed opportunity for businesses and organizations.
When you design products (whether costumes, apparel, physical goods, or digital experiences) with accessibility and adaptability in mind, you open doors for people with disabilities and for a far wider group of customers, employees, and stakeholders.
Why Universal Design & Adaptive Products Matter
1. Accessibility = Innovation = Growth
Designing with disability in mind often results in better overall experiences for everyone. What benefits someone with mobility limitations, visual or hearing impairments, or cognitive differences often improves usability for the general market. That’s the power of universal design.
2. The Business Case: A Large and Growing Market
Some key statistics underline how big this opportunity really is:
- Globally, approximately 22% of the population lives with some form of disability.
- In North America and Europe alone, people with disabilities and their friends and families control over US $2.6 trillion in disposable income according to the 2024 Return on Disability Group report.
- The broader disability market, which includes people with disabilities plus their friends and family, is worth US $13 trillion or more.
- Many disabilities are non-apparent or develop through aging or chronic conditions, meaning the functional market is even larger than it appears.
When organizations pull back on inclusion, accessibility, or adaptive design, they aren’t just making a moral or compliance decision—they’re choosing to ignore significant market potential and innovation capacity.
3. Inclusion Inside Your Organization: Talent and Culture
Designing with accessibility in mind isn’t only about customers; it’s also about employees and organizational culture. People with disabilities bring talent, perspective, and creativity. But if the workplace and tools are not designed inclusively, you miss out. Inclusive design supports belonging, retention, and engagement, and reflects positively on brand and culture.
4. Holiday Season and Product Opportunity: Costumes as an Example
Back to Halloween: costuming might seem fun and seasonal, but it also exemplifies the broader product design story. When adaptive costumes are available, visible, and thoughtfully designed, people like Marty and me can participate fully. When the options shrink or become niche, it sends the wrong message and signals a gap in the market.
This tells organizations that whether you’re producing apparel, consumer goods, mobility aids, digital platforms, or physical products, thinking ahead to the adaptive space opens creative possibilities and competitive advantage.
What Organizations Can Do Right Now
If you lead or influence product, marketing, design, or HR in your organization, here are some actionable reflections:
- Embed “design from disability” not just “for disability.” Start with the functional experiences of people with disabilities and build outward. This leads to innovations that benefit everyone.
- Audit your current products and offerings. Are there barriers for people with disabilities? Are adaptive versions available, visible, and marketed?
- Use inclusive product roadmaps. When planning new product lines or seasonal offerings like costumes or apparel, develop adaptive versions from the beginning.
- Leverage holiday and seasonal moments. Holidays like Halloween are great for inclusive product innovation and marketing. When people with disabilities can participate fully, that’s a visible sign of inclusive culture and accessible design.
- Measure and communicate outcomes. Track how your inclusive offerings perform in sales, engagement, and brand sentiment. Treat accessibility and adaptive design as strategic, not just compliance.
- Build inclusion from within. Ensure your workplace tools, products, and design practices include people with disabilities as both users and creators. Inclusive design starts internally.
Why We Need to Keep the Momentum Going
It was empowering for Marty and me to find multiple adaptive Halloween costume options. It felt like inclusion in action, visible and celebrated. But when the options shrink, especially as we witness this in 2025, it becomes a sign that some organizations are stepping back from their commitment to accessibility and inclusion.
That’s not acceptable—not ethically, and not strategically. If businesses and organizations retreat from designing for inclusion, they reduce the participation of people like us and limit their own innovation, diversity of talent, market reach, and long-term growth potential.
In this season of creativity and transformation (hello Halloween!), let’s remember: inclusion means everyone gets to shine in their own way. Inclusive products let people participate fully—not just some of the time, not just when convenient, but fully, equally, and festively.
Closing Thoughts
To all the organizations, product teams, and inclusion leaders reading this: the opportunity is huge. The case is clear. The moment is now. Whether you are designing a Halloween product line, your next apparel launch, a mobility solution, or a digital experience, think adaptive. Think inclusive. Think accessible.
Because when people like Marty and me can pick up a costume that works with our wheelchair, fits our style, and lets us join in the fun with everyone else, that’s a win for us. And it’s a win for your brand, your growth, and your culture.
Here’s to a fun, festive, and inclusive Halloween—and to building a world and marketplace where everyone gets to shine.
Want to talk further about how to create adaptive product lines, inclusive design strategies, or accessibility roadmaps for your business? Let’s connect.