Disabled people unite to reduce their costs of living

Tue,3 November 2015
News Benefits Equality & Rights

Valuing the purple pound: How can disabled people reduce their cost of living and risk of poverty?

In the face of cuts to their incomes, disabled people and their representative organisations are to meet at a seminar hosted by Disability Rights UK and Joseph Rountree Foundation on November 4th 2015.

Amongst those lending their support to this event held during National Consumer Week are Martin Lewis, founder of MoneySavingExpert.com, and Helen Dewdney, author of “The Complaining Cow.” Charles Eisenstein author of “Sacred Economics” is the main guest speaker.

Contributors to the seminar include Theresa Perchard and Kay Allen, both members of “The Extra Costs Commission” whose work highlighted the additional costs of living with a disability or long-term health condition. Reducing the cost of living will help reduce the poverty levels faced by many disabled people living on a fixed income.

Philip Connolly, Policy Manager at Disability Rights UK said: This seminar is an important starting point for Disability Rights UK. It is our ambition to support disabled people to coalesce into a powerful networked community and support that community to have leverage over the costs of aids and adaptations, but also other goods and services sold to them.”

There are 11.9 million disabled people in the UK and the Government has estimated their spending power at some £212 billion, giving them huge potential consumer power (see Extra Costs Commission Report “Extra Costs Commission Disability Charity Scope-UK” http://www.scope.org.uk/Get-Involved/Campaigns/Extra-costs/Extra-costs-commission/Full-Report)

The size of this market for disabled consumers will be addressed at the seminar by John Lamb, CEO of the British Assistive Technology Association.

For further information please contact Philip Connolly on 0207 250 8192 or at Philip.connolly@disabilityrightsuk.org

Videos from the event

How might we create a cohesive community of disabled people? - View on Katch

Supply chains and an employer's perspective - View on Katch

Developing a competitive market for disabled consumers based on supply and demand - View on Katch

Mike Adams gives a disabled consumers perspective - View on Katch