The colour Purpl: Meet the woman making disability more affordable

As Spabreaks.com celebrates its partnership with Purpl Discounts, we meet the woman behind the idea to hear the story behind the brand.

My own experience with disability

I had my son in 2002 and shortly afterwards I was diagnosed with MS. Having been given the diagnosis I wasn't really given any advice, but as I wasn't displaying many symptoms I was told to go on living my life and forget about it, which I did.

However, in 2015 the MS really reared its head and I was soon using a walking stick or a chair. It impacted my mobility, and although I tried a treatment it wasn't beneficial for me and in 2018 I stopped and went down a more holistic route, trying to find things that suited me.

The cost of disability

That's quite an expensive path to follow and all the while my costs were going up - the equipment that goes with a disability cost a lot of money. The good thing in a modern world is that there are lots of gadgets, but it's very expensive to be disabled!

By that time my son was at university and he had a student discount for various different things and it made me wonder why I couldn't get a disabled discount. The thought festered and while I often come up with ideas, this one really stuck. I mentioned it to my husband, and he agreed it was a good one. We had just finished work on another business and the timing seemed right to pursue a new project.

I met a mentor, and she was incredibly helpful, not only in galvanising my thought process, but also introducing me to a team dedicated to helping businesses with a purpose. They also loved the idea and what I wanted to do to save the community money, and with that, Purpl was born.

Discounts for disabilities

In 2023 Purpl went into development work, and then we got our first brand on board, Somerset Toiletries in May 2024. We had 30 brands signposting ‘Disabled Discounts’ on their websites and utilising the Purpl Verification Tool.The website went live in July 2024, including LOOKFANTASTIC, Nails Inc, Accessorize and lots more, all of whom thought it was great, and asked why no one had done it before!

I think most people have very good intentions when it comes to supporting people with disabilities, but until you know someone in your bubble it's very difficult to get a sense of the everyday challenges. I don't even think my parents really get what my day to day life is like. No one leaves the disabled community out maliciously, but unless you're in it, it's hard to know what little things might help.

Supporting the disabled community

Purpl works by joining the website - you sign up and get a code, and then you need to verify your disability by uploading a document - it’s always best to read the upload guide first to ensure success. You can then access a world of offers from different brands, from clothing to food and drink, disability aids to healthcare and homeware.

The ultimate goal is that it's always about the disabled community and helping them save money. Long term I would like to create a foundation so we can give money back to people who need it. I see people who are fundraising for wheelchairs on Facebook and that shouldn't need to happen. I want to share stories and knowledge, inspire people, and give back to disabled charities. That's the ultimate goal.