How my disability led me to launch Purpl Disabled Discounts

In 2003, a few months after giving birth to my son the year before, I was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. Looking back, it was all a blur, I had been having headaches which I put down to being tired due to having a new baby and going back to work when he was only three months old. My doctor referred me for an MRI scan which then resulted in being sent to the neurologist at my local hospital.

The consultant was a little dismissive of the whole thing, he told me there were some patches in my brain and that I most likely had benign MS (multiple sclerosis) and that it would probably never come to anything so to just carry on with my life but avoid running marathons. Thirteen years went by, and the MS barely touched my life, I didn’t really think about it and I carried on as normal. I sometimes questioned whether I even had it.

In 2016, my walking started to go downhill. I tried a disease modifying drug after being recommended to do so but after two years of the drug, I was in a much worse place and made the decision to stop taking medical treatments. Instead, I decided to go down the holistic route and focus on exercise, diet and removing stress. Taking this route is costly, as you the reader probably know, we have to pretty much manage these additional costs ourselves.

Today I use a manual wheelchair for when I am out and about. When I am on my own, I will only go somewhere where I can park outside the door and easily access the location. I can’t do steps unless there is a handle rail and even then I can only manage a few without it exhausting me. It’s amazing how quickly you can lose that independence.

Launching Purpl, discounts for the disabled community

I am a true believer in everything happens for a reason, my disability has led me to create a business that I hope will make a positive difference to my disabled community.

A couple of years ago, I was out shopping with my cousin. We were in a Highstreet store and as I was going to pay for my items, I noticed that they offered a student discount. In a very flippant comment, I said ‘my son can get a student discount, why can’t I get a disabled discount?’ The words stuck in my mind, I knew how expensive it was and could see that whilst brands happily give discounts to students, NHS, keyworkers, carers and teachers - there was nothing to help the disabled community.

I knew that I had to help my community, as it seemed unfair we’d been forgotten about, so this year, I launched Purpl, to help offset the cost of being disabled. We are the UK’s first dedicated disability discount site and the majority of our staff are also disabled people, we care about a ‘With Not For’ philosophy and it is so important that we understand the difficulties of life with a disability because we have lived experience of it.

We now have over 150 brands working with us including brands like Ocado, Currys, EE, Jacamo, Love Honey, Virgin Experience Days and more offers and brands are being added every week.

Purpl is not just about discounts - it’s about bringing people together. Our blog is filled with stories from our community members, charities and important disability news, this is key not only for inspiring others but also for shared learning. My experiences with my long-term health condition might be valuable to someone else who has the same disabilities. I also know that no one gives you a handbook when you become disabled, so I want to also ensure we have relevant information and signposting for further advice.

One of Purpl's core goals is to give back to disabled charities once we start turning a profit. And, in the long term, I plan to launch a foundation to provide direct grants to individuals within the disabled community who need extra financial support to help them gain access to essential equipment or therapies that can significantly improve their daily lives. There is nothing worse than seeing someone having to fundraise for a new wheelchair.

We have a members only Facebook group where you can come and talk to us and discover offers as soon as they go live on our website.

We accept many different documents including disability benefit letters, blue badge (photo side), disabled bus and train passes, the Access card, Disability ID card, CEA card and more.

Sign up today, join the community and start saving!