Mary Lou Spiess
US disability advocate, teacher, and designer of disabled fashion
About Mary Lou Spiess
Lived 1931 – 1992 (aged 60–61). Mary Lou Spiess was an American.
Mary Lou Spiess ( – June 18, 1992) was an American disability advocate, teacher, and designer of disabled fashion.
Biography Mary Lou Spiess was born Mary Lou Crump, around 1931. After graduating from Analy High School in 1947,
She married Harold Spiess in 1951. This was despite having to sleep in an iron lung and being reliant upon daily use of a pneumobelt. Spiess explained how as a disabled person, she noticed that clothing no longer fitted her properly, making it "impossible to look nice", but she was able to think about solutions and operate a sewing machine using her toes. In 1977, she contributed towards Le Chic, a book about clothing and fashion for disabled people authored by disabled people, and edited by Melodie Sells.
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Important facts
Contemporaries
People whose lives overlapped Mary Lou Spiess's
Frequently asked questions
Who was Mary Lou Spiess?
US disability advocate, teacher, and designer of disabled fashion
When was Mary Lou Spiess born?
Mary Lou Spiess was born in 1931.
When did Mary Lou Spiess die?
Mary Lou Spiess died in 1992.
What nationality was Mary Lou Spiess?
Mary Lou Spiess was American.
Sources & further reading
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Mary Lou Spiess. https://biography.guide/mary-lou-spiess/
MLA: "Mary Lou Spiess." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/mary-lou-spiess/.
Chicago: "Mary Lou Spiess." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/mary-lou-spiess/.
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