Gloves for Everyone

By Kelly Rouba

All too often people without mobility restrictions take for granted the ease in which they are able to manage their personal care—from brushing their hair to bathing to putting on clothes. It is mundane tasks like these that can prove to be the most frustrating for those of us who struggle to accomplish them or simply cannot do them at all.

As someone who has difficulty with activities like putting on socks or styling my hair due to severe arthritis, I know that it can be embarrassing or bothersome to have to ask for help from others. In the past, there have been days when I simply couldn’t bring myself to ask or no one was around to help. In some cases, I just forego doing certain things all together, like putting on a hat or wearing gloves. Because of the limited range of motion in my shoulders, I cannot put on a hat. And whereas gloves are concerned, my fingers have so many contractures that I can only wear mittens, which I find to be restrictive and juvenile (sorry to those who like wearing them!).

However, from time to time, a stroke of luck comes my way and I happen upon an adaptive device or unusual product that allows me to accomplish things that I could never do or struggled with doing before. In fact, this very thing happened just a couple weeks ago when Christy Gibney, a darling woman I have collaborated with on work-related projects, made my coworkers fingerless gloves, so to speak. Although Christy made me a scarf, she quickly got to work on a pair of gloves for me after seeing how easy it was for me to put them on due to their design and that I could still maintain the function in my fingers.

Within a few days, my very own pair of blue gloves arrived at my home. My mother actually cried when she saw them because it has been years since I’ve worn anything to keep my hands warm when outside. It always pained her to watch me go out of the home in the cold. That evening, I proudly wore my gloves when we went out to eat and the warmth they provided to my fingers was an amazing feeling.

It is my belief that this type of glove would be beneficial for many people with disabilities and even those without. According to my coworkers, they are able to do so much more—from caring for their children to operating their cars—with these gloves than they could in regular ones and none of them have a disability.

Christy informed me that the pattern for fingerless gloves is available online; she also told me there are a number of knitting groups that donate items they knit. Those who can’t knit or don’t know anyone who does may want to search for these groups online in order to submit a request.

I am very grateful for Christy’s generosity and for eliminating one of my lifelong struggles. It’s a great feeling, and I hope readers of this blog find the gloves just as helpful.