Disabled Models Make Debut at New York Fashion Week

Italian fashion company FTL MODA cast a group of disabled models to walk in the Mercedes-Benz New York Fashion Week runway show Sunday to bring a special kind of diversity to the fashion world.

The company joined forces with Fondazione Vertical, an Italian research organization for spinal cord injuries, to make a bold political statement. While a few of the models to strut the catwalk this past Sunday were amputees, some simply walked with canes or were bound to wheelchairs.

While one woman, who was a partial amputee, had her body painted metallic silver, a male model also graced the runway, wearing a prosthetic leg.

A unique week for fashion, American Horror Story actress Jamie Brewer made history last week by becoming the first-ever model with Down syndrome to appear on a catwalk during New York Fashion Week.