Richard Bedlack, the founder of Duke University's ALS Clinic, is widely known for two things: his unending quest to cure ALS and being one of the most fashionable doctors in the world, rocking colorful designer suits one day and studded leather jackets the next.

• His latest endeavor combines those passions: He's partnering with design students at N.C. State to make fashionable clothing more accessible for people with disabilities like ALS, Axios Raleigh's Zachery Eanes writes.

Why it matters: Being able to retain the things you love while you are stricken by an awful disease is an incredibly important part of treatment, Bedlack said.

• "A lot of people don't understand the power of fashion," Bedlack told Axios. "People think it's for vanity or to get more followers, but for some of us, it's a really important component of who we are."
• "Hope is so much more than an emotion," Bedlack added. "It's so much more than a coping strategy. I actually think hope is a treatment, and I think a lot of doctors don't get that. It's not taught to us in medical school how to be a good hope-giver."

State of play: For many with disabilities, typical features of clothing can be challenging. Buttons, hooks or zippers can become impossible to use with limited muscle control, and using medical equipment like a feeding tube can become onerous.

• But tweaking designs to use velcro or magnets instead can make a huge difference for those with disabilities.
• Patients told N.C. State design students that they wanted to see more designs include open-back dresses, for example, or materials with lots of stretch to improve their day-to-day experiences.

Zoom in: Brooke Eby, who has attracted a large social media following documenting her life with ALS, helped consult with students in the class.

• "I think the adaptive fashion space historically has been catered to an older generation, but now there are so many young people living with disabilities that want to look just as cute as their peers," she said.

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