Aflatoony shows off the first prototype of the Ultra Adapt shoe. Photo by John Cline and Hannah Tran/CSU Photography.
When 2 faculty members in the Colorado State University (CSU) Department of Design and Merchandising learned from ankle-foot orthosis (AFO) users that most of the shoes used to accommodate the brace are big, black, and bulky, they decided to reinvent it. Associate Professor Kristen Morris and Assistant Professor Lida Aflatoony started their project to create the new Ultra Adapt shoe by interviewing people who wear AFOs to learn about the common barriers they face.
Aflatoony said she and Morris set out to create a new shoe that is not just roomy enough to accommodate the foot brace, but attractive and fashionable too. Their first prototype, completed in summer 2024, was a casual shoe with a flat sole. And it was bright green. Based on feedback from their AFO users, they made a second prototype last summer, 1 that was more of an athletic shoe with a rocking feature that promotes foot launch when walking.
Now they have their sights set on a third and final prototype that will be a combination of the 2. They describe it as a shoe that functions like a sneaker but has a nice upper, making it appropriate to wear to work. “It has to be functional, aesthetic, and expressive,” Morris explained. “There is a lot of expression in the shoes you choose. Some of our participants have told us, ‘People might look at me differently because I use a wheelchair, but if I have awesome shoes on, it breaks the ice and is a good conversation starter.’ Providing something like that is one of our main goals and values.”
They have a patent pending for their new shoe design and plan to launch a spinoff company to produce the shoes for AFO users.
