COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — A central Ohio woman is striving to keep wheelchair users warm through the memory of a loved one.
Bailey Bug is a company that, since 2019, has been designing capes specifically for those who use wheelchairs.
Melanie Barrett, who is the CEO and owner of the company, said the inspiration comes from her late sister, Bailey. Bailey passed in 2017 and had a rare form of epilepsy called Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome. Bailey was legally deaf, blind and had to use a wheelchair her entire life.
“She was my hero, my big sister, but the world didn’t get to know who she was,” Barrett said. “It was my plan going into college to share her story.”
Barrett used to sew capes for Bailey that she could wear in her wheelchair. She then showed her ideas in college, which eventually pushed the start of the company.
“Wittenburg University had this thing called Tiger Tank, which was their version of ABC’s ‘Shark Tank,'” Barrett said. “I ended up winning that competition, got a product development internship, worked all summer on designing and safety testing, getting a manufacturer for these coats that were made for wheelchairs.”
Barrett teamed up with Vocational Guidance Services, which is based out of Columbus, to manufacture the coats. The capes are also hand-made by people with disabilities through VGS.
“They’re getting personal vocational rehabilitation services while they are learning how to make the capes,” Barrett said. “Lots of them are mostly deaf, so I started to learn sign language so that I can interact with them and talk to them and learn their stories as well.”
Barrett also had the opportunity to showcase the company capes in an Amazon Prime competition show called The Blox, which will air season 11 sometime this year.
For 2024, Barrett said the company has many goals which include connecting with the Make-A-Wish Foundation, working on selling coats for children in wheelchairs, all while keeping Bailey’s name and legacy alive.
“Nobody is ever truly gone until the last time their name is spoken,” Barrett said. “I’m making it my goal that people will talk about Bailey for the rest of time and long after I’m gone.”
For more information on Bailey Bug, click here.