Alva Cullen describes her daughter Sorcha as an "absolute whirlwind" and "an utter force to be reckoned with". 13 year old Sorcha has Down syndrome and one of Alva's challenges has been getting suitable clothing for her daughter and she wasn't alone. Alva is part of a Co Meath group called Special Hands Activity Group, which organises activities and events for parents and children with special needs. One of the things that parents wanted Alva to organise was a sewing class which would enable parents to alter their children's clothing to suit their particular needs. Alva thought about it overnight.
"Then, as I was sitting there one morning after the kids went to school, drinking my coffee, thinking just… no. No. These parents have enough to be doing. Some of the children they look after, the care is 24/7."
And that's when Alva had the idea to, as she told Ryan, "chance her arm" and send an email to Dunnes Stores. The email explained what Alva had in mind and what the broad requirements would be. She sent it more in hope than expectation, but:
"By that afternoon I was on the phone to their senior management team and they were absolutely 100% on board and they have been ever since."
Ryan was under the impression that clothes for kids were, well, clothes for kids and if you're 8, then the age 8 coat is going to fit you. But things are quite a bit more complicated than that. Alva gave the example of a child in a wheelchair. For a child without additional needs, a parent can throw a coat on them when it gets cold:
"But when somebody's in a wheelchair… specifically moulded to their shape, you can't do that."
So Alva and the team at Dunnes came up with a jacket that was warm, light, and comes in two pieces, with a separate hood and a Velcro strip down the back for ease of access. She's been working with Dunnes for 3 years now on their additional needs clothing range:
"It started off with myself and one of the buyers, Alison Killeen, she's amazing. Every time I ring her and go, 'Alison, can we do such-and-such?' She'll kind of take it in and then a few weeks later come back to me and say, 'Is this what you were looking for?' "
The whole idea of a clothing line for children with additional needs was new for both Alva and Dunnes, so they learned as they went. The range began with sleepwear and vests, then expanded to a much broader range, all of which is online-only. Why? That was the preference of the Special Hands parents, who told Alva that with wheelchairs and sensory issues, visiting a shopping centre wasn't always going to be the best solution. So parents can now visit this page on the Dunnes website and order the clothing they want for their child(ren) with additional needs. Result.
To hear Alva's full chat with Ryan, click here.
Niall Ó Sioradáin