April Lockhart turns disability into strength with her fashion movement Disabled&

Born with a limb difference, April received encouragement from her family to pursue her passions from sports and music to fashion. Yet the world outside was often unforgiving. She would hide her hands beneath long sleeves, striving to remain unseen. Change came when she began posting videos titled “Normalising Disabled Fashun Girlies,” capturing everyday acts such as tying shoelaces, zipping a shirt, or buttoning up. Simple moments, yet through April’s perspective, they became a powerful reminder: disability does not diminish elegance, style, or ambition. Nor does it confine someone to a life of compromise.

A pivotal moment arrived in autumn 2023, when April stepped into a small room in Los Angeles for a meeting of disabled creatives. There were no spotlights, no cameras trained on her, just warm smiles and untold stories, an atmosphere that made her feel she had found a long-lost puzzle piece.

From these first connections, April began hosting small gatherings, quiet dinners or coffee meet-ups with new friends, sharing stories about creativity, work, and navigating a world not fully inclusive. By February 2024, the concept of Disabled& had taken shape. She chose the name to let each member define their own continuation: Disabled and… fearless? Creative? Unstoppable? For April, disability is never an end; it is the start of greater stories yet to come.

From a small gathering of a few dozen people, Disabled& gradually expanded through larger events: workshops, pop-ups at New York Fashion Week, and even a “Disabled Fashion Girlie Retreat” in Nashville, where creatives not only exchanged ideas but came together to experience, connect, and support one another. Today, Disabled& is a movement led by a woman who once shrank back because of her own insecurities and fears, now the founder of an inspiring and humane brand.

When Disabled& began to take shape, April did not anticipate that she herself would be the first to change. During meetings, amid laughter at a designer’s joke or the sympathetic nod from a photographer in a wheelchair, she noticed her long-standing defenses gradually fading. If her previous confidence had been a kind of camouflage, meeting others who shared her passion allowed her to stop hiding her hands beneath her sleeves and to walk freely, without worrying about anyone’s gaze.

For April, that strength comes from being surrounded by people she admires and feels a connection with. They are not just inspirational figures in the usual sense, but real individuals, with personality, humour, sophistication, and talent. Observing them, she recognised that she was part of that picture too. Disabled& creates opportunities for collaboration and personal expression. It also offers April and the community a mirror in which they can see themselves as beautiful in ways they had never imagined.

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Interestingly, Disabled& does not produce physical clothing or collections. Its “product” is the opportunity and tools that allow disabled creators to step into the spotlight with professional images, engaging content, and genuine connections. In 2025, Disabled& made its mark with a series of notable events, from a pop-up at New York Fashion Week to the Disabled Fashion Girlie Retreat in Nashville, featuring creative photoshoots, group activities, intensive coaching, and intimate dinners. The brand also hosts events for children, such as the Back-to-School Refresh and Holiday Soirée for kids with limb differences.

April Lockhart’s journey is a testament to a simple but powerful truth: women can change the world when they dare to pursue their passion. Through fashion, she not only discovered confidence for herself but also opened a door for hundreds, even thousands, of others to step into the light. Disabled& is more than a community; it is a statement that differences, when valued and nurtured, can become a source of energy capable of transforming an entire industry.

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