Last week, Allegra Keys of Burien – a writer and student who lives with the rare, progressive neuromuscular disorder called spinal muscular atrophy, or SMA – was in New York City where she and other members of the SMA community rolled down the runway in a first-of-its-kind runway show preceding New York Fashion Week.

Called “Double Take,” and sponsored by Genentech as part of the SMA My Way program, which was built to support and raise awareness for the SMA community, the event aimed to increase disability visibility, break down stereotypes, and champion adaptive fashion, underscoring the importance of making fashion accessible for all.

Allegra appeared in garments that she helped design in collaboration with Open Style Lab, a nationally recognized nonprofit organization dedicated to creating functional yet stylish solutions for and with disabled people.

Allegra resides in her hometown of Burien, where she likes to imagine she is somewhere warm and sunny when she writes. Like most aspiring authors she dreams of someday penning the next great American novel. Until that happens, she is content with having minimal success as a poet. Her poems have been published in small literary journals including Wake up in Brightness, Quiet Shorts, and Breath and Shadow.

Here’s video of Allegra’s appearance at the fashion show:

More info on Allegra is here:

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