Weighted blankets at Target and the disability gear on your wish list

If you know me, you know I have an issue with disability rip-offs (see: You want me to pay 30 bucks for a spoon?). So I also get overly excited when I find out that products that help people with disabilities have gone mass, as happened when I discovered that Target is now selling weighted blankets.

While these blankets aren't solely for people with disabilities (people with anxiety and insomnia find them helpful), a whole lot of children and adults with autism and sensory issues use them. The ones at Target are a good deal for these blankets—both the 12-pound weighted blanket and the 18-pound version go for $70, and they have good reviews. (Amazon also has a couple of reasonably priced ones, including this one by Weighted Idea and this one by Roore.)

The past few years have seen clothing for people with disabilities gone mass (thanks to the Runway of Dreams Foundation and Tommy Hilfiger). I'd like to see a lot more of that, at lower prices. And wouldn't it be awesome if Target sold strollers that worked for children with disabilities? Bikes, too. I asked on the blog Facebook page which products people would like to see produced by big companies and available at big stores. Tops on their wish lists:

• Pull-on pants for teens and adults that are stylish and not leggings—including chords, chinos and soft denim jeans.
• Affordable shoes made to fit orthotics of any size; shoes with more flexible soles; cool shoes with Velcro ("and that aren't WHITE" said Jennifer).
• Onesies for kids larger than 24 months, plus button-up sleepers larger than a size 9m. "I can't put a feeding tube through a zipped sleeper," said Meredith.
• More affordable options for strollers, hig chairs and car seats that offer appropriate support.
• Bibs. "I have to order the all the time and they're never thick enough," said Kimberly.
• Jackets and coats that come to the waist for people in wheelchairs. "I recently saw a piece on TV about a mom who sewed together two coats to make one compatible with her daughter's wheelchair," said Angela. "Many, many people could use those."
• "No one has conquered the bra," noted Christina. "The bra is the hardest for me to put on."
• Socks that people with OT challenges can easily put on.
• Boots that can go over AFOs easily.
• Options for men's formalwear suited for a wheelchair.
• Pants with Velcro along the legs and ones that better hide incontinence garments.
• Wheelchair ponchos.
• Boots that can go over AFOs easily.
• Hats for smaller head sizes.

Here's hoping.

Target image: Facebook/Fostering Hope of Muskogee