Are There Any Fashion Designers Who Have Autoimmune Diseases

Nakyra Milner navigates campus with a disability, and advocates for a little more empathy

If y'all ever see someone walking slowly—Nakyra Milner says to calm down and accept a petty empathy.

Milner, a senior fashion merchandising major from Locust Grove, said slow walkers used to be her pet peeve. Just at the end of her freshman yr, Milner was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. The disease specially impacts her balance. For her own safety, she now walks slowly, often towards the border of the sidewalk to make it easy for people in a bustle to go effectually her. She might even pretend to exist on the phone or be looking for someone.

"Information technology would be so much easier if people would simply at-home downwardly and realize not everyone has the same privilege," she said. "Be more empathetic."

Her affliction is by and large invisible. Looking at her, there aren't signs of the disease. Just MS, an autoimmune disorder where the immune system attacks the central nervous organisation, affects everyone differently. It might affect vision or cause muscle spasms. And the disorder looks different from person to person.

MS diagnosis

Milner has been navigating MS for iii years at present.

One Thursday, she woke up and her balance was off. She couldn't walk straight, and her left side felt both weak and heavy. She didn't feel sick, but her body didn't feel right. Her parents collection in from Henry Canton to take her to the emergency room. Her physician checked her True cat scans, saw the spots in her brain browse and thought she had MS. A week later, a neurologist made the official diagnosis.

Milner went from beingness a normal higher student to having a disability in that one episode.

She ended up taking a year off of the University of Georgia, attending a local community college to accommodate to her new life.

MS is a chronic status—it doesn't go away. "Something will always be wrong—every day for the rest of your life," she said. "There's no on and off switch. It doesn't die down. Information technology doesn't change. The best thing you can do is get on a skilful treatment programme."

Navigating UGA with a inability

At UGA, Milner advisedly controls her schedule—always allowing for ample time between classes so she tin get to Dawson Hall, Gilbert Hall or wherever her class is. When she loses muscle coordination in her hand, she can use a smart pen to record lectures. When plugged into her reckoner, the smart pen creates a PDF of the lecture notes. She tin can likewise employ a notetaker for her courses, which comes in handy when she goes to Atlanta for treatment infusions. In total, she uses iv inability accommodations through the Disability Resource Center, which all make it so that she'due south able to successfully nourish classes both on campus and well-nigh. Milner has too become a Digital Dawg and role of the Disability Resource Eye'southward Speakers Bureau—to amend advocate for and raise awareness for students with disability.

Nakyra Milner works on a blueprint project in the College of Family and Consumer Sciences sewing lab. Milner found mode her senior year of loftier schoolhouse—and loves how style can change the way someone thinks about themself, brand them feel more confident or beautiful. (Photo by Peter Frey/UGA)

Fashion merchandising

Milner is studying fashion merchandising in College of Family and Consumer Sciences with an emphasis in product development and design, and a double minor in Spanish and general concern. This semester, most of her classes are online because of pandemic health concerns, but she does accept two labs on-campus—computer-assisted blueprint and a cloth testing lab, where the course highlight is lighting article of clothing on burn down to examination flammability.

Eventually, she wants to have her own size-inclusive formalwear boutique.

In high school, Milner described herself as a T-shirt and jeans girl—someone not actually interested in clothes. That all changed when she went prom dress shopping and saw all the colorful dresses.

"For the first time ever, I felt then beautiful and pretty. I would have never used those words to describe myself," she said.

And that'south where her interest in fashion merchandising comes from. "I was able to look at myself in a different way," she said. "I wanted to help other people like me have that experience with fashion."

Undergraduate student Nakyra Milner in the Family unit and Consumer Sciences sewing lab with some of her design projects on wearing apparel forms. (Photo by Peter Frey/UGA)

Plus-size manner

Plus-size mode is an area she's peculiarly interested in. Afterward college, she'd like to piece of work with a brand to increase their size range.

Last semester, she wrote a paper on clothing deprivation and the mental impact of the perceived lack of vesture as a plus-sized person. "With the body positivity motion a few years ago, we really started to have these conversations almost unlike experiences of what information technology'south like to be plus-sized, not having those clothes."

Nakyra Milner has worked with the Fashion Design Student Clan and designs for their mode shows. When the theme was unconventional Met Gala, she designed a cage skirt made out of Hula-Hoops and clothing hangers and covered with flower garlands. She loves flowers, and flowers characteristic prominently in her designs. (Photo by Peter Frey/UGA)

Pattern

She'southward worked with the Fashion Design Student Association and designs for their fashion shows. She's besides designed for the African Educatee Union. In detail, her face masks are in high demand.

In fall 2019, she created material face masks for the dancers to wear.

Did she predict the pandemic? "I made masks before it was cool," she said with a laugh. She spent the summer sewing and selling cloth face masks and used the coin to buy a heavy-duty sewing auto.

What's adjacent

Milner tries not to let the MS define her. Every day, she's a little more confident and better able to navigate college and having a disability. Her treatment is working well to command her physical symptoms and therapy helps with some of the mental symptoms. And she's excited most what's next—internships and post-graduation jobs.

And while she likes sewing floral face up masks, she's looking forward to the day when the confront masks are a novel artful accessory for a dance performance, not a health requirement.

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