A major shoe company is unveiling sneakers specifically designed for children with special needs.

Stride Rite said this month that it is offering its first fully adaptive sneaker. Called Journey, the shoe features adjustable straps, longer laces, removable insoles, extra wide width and a pull tab to get on and off easily.

Company officials said that the new adaptive shoe is part of a broader initiative dubbed Project Fits Rite, which came about after they heard from a parent struggling to find shoes for her child.

In addition to Journey, the collection features a host of existing shoe styles with adaptive features.

Stride Rite worked with professionals at various medical centers, surveyed over a thousand parents of children wearing orthotics and conducted fit tests with kids to perfect the design of the Journey shoe.

The company said that it plans to incorporate adaptive features into more styles in the coming seasons.

In addition to Stride Rite, Nike also offers adaptive styles for kids. Zappos features a collection of shoes with accommodations for various special needs and recently launched a program that allows customers to buy a single shoe or create their own pair.

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