The first fashionable and durable shoe that fits easily and quickly over a brace/afo without being extremely oversized for children who require braces to support their legs and feet. “I was amazed that the shoes available would always be out of date and never took into account the latest fashions for these children,” said Watson, the founder of Keeping Pace. “We know how difficult it is to find special shoes that are contemporary, need little if any adjustment and are easily available and affordable.”
In developing the shoe, Watson brought together a team of other parents of special needs children, top orthotists, designers and a specialty footwear manufacturer Soletech, Inc., who worked for 18 months to create an athletic shoe, the first of many styles, that met the team’s vision.
Keeping Pace shoe incorporates many features essential to this unique specialized market:
- Wider, deeper heel box hides additional depth; ensures a precision fit with custom orthoses and AFOs
- Adjustable depth inner soles of 3 varying thicknesses allows for easier internal adjustments for discrepancies in leg lengths and accommodations for AFOs.
- High abrasion resistant rubber toe cap and reinforced triple stitching ensures greater durability for the demands of children wearing AFOs and the stresses of various gait patterns wider, deeper toe box
- Distinctive sole wider tread design increases direct surface contact and promotes greater medial/lateral stability extra high abrasion resistant rubber
Additional Features:
- Ankle to toe lacing provides wider opening for easier foot insertion.
- Speed lacing with locking eyelets promotes one handed pull lacing; locks laces in place for easier tying.
- Geometrically graded last ensures a precise fit with accurately sized shoe.
- Unique midsole is a compression molded EVA shell with visible cut line designed to facilitate the modification and build-up process.
- Fray resistant lining is longer lasting and withstands the wear of AFO use.
The company with offices in Gloucester and Salem, Mass. distributes its Advance Children’s Footwear through orthotists, specialty footwear shoe stores and directly from its web site.
In conjunction with its strategic partner Soletech, Keeping Pace plans to expand its line of Advance Children’s Footwear in the near future. Its web site will also provide a vehicle where parents of children with disabilities can share and obtain information on parenting a disabled child. Keeping Pace plans to create a foundation aimed at providing grants for research into many aspects of cerebral palsy and other children disabilities and to which it will donate a portion of its profits.
Sizing Ranges from Toddler, Youth and Young Adults.
Click here for Toddler, Youth Orthopedic Shoes.