Nike develops new kicks for athletes with disabilities
Sunday, July 19, 2015 at 8:13PM Tying and putting on shoes are simple enough activities for most of us but there are those who aren’t able to do this as easily as we do. And that was part of the concept behind a new easy-entry sneaker line from Nike called Flyease. The shoe had been in development for a while under Nike designer Tobie Hatfield. But it was pushed to be brought to the market thanks to a letter to Nike CEO Mark Parker from teenager Matthew Walzer back in 2012.
Walzer suffers from cerebral palsy and when he wrote that letter he was in high school and getting ready or at least thinking about going to college. But with his condition, where one of the effects stiffens the muscles in his body, he couldn’t tie his shoes without help from his loved ones. Plus, he needed shoes that had ankle support. So, he decided to get in touch with the Nike head.