The Purple Collective launched recently and surpassed the 100-member milestone in just a few days! This quick growth highlights the enthusiasm and commitment within the community to make a difference in disability inclusion.

Since the launch, we’ve been working closely with the community to make informed decisions based on the early actions we’ve carried out. After some insightful input, we’ve settled on focusing on three key campaigns each quarter to ensure targeted and achievable progress. For Quarter 4 (October-December), we will be focusing on the following campaigns:

1. Social Care

2. Hoists in Hotels

3. Train Travel

Campaign 1: Social Care

For social care, our goal was to connect with an organisation that elevates the voices of disabled people and ensures those voices are heard by decision-makers. We are thrilled to announce that our partnership with Martin Routledge has allowed us to reach that goal. The collective has already contributed by providing personal insights into what the future of social care could look like. I had the privilege of running a session at the Social Care Futures conference in Manchester with Alice Klein from the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services (ADASS). With SCF regularly meeting with the Care Minister, we’re well-positioned to push forward for meaningful changes.

Campaign 2: Hoists in Hotels

As someone who personally relies on hoists, I’m all too aware of the challenges disabled people face when traveling. Shockingly, while approximately 250,000 people in the UK need hoists, there are only around 10 hotel rooms nationwide equipped with them. Hotels are not yet legally obligated to provide hoists, and the business case for doing so hasn’t fully been recognised. However, we see an opportunity to influence Part M of the Building Regulations, much like how Changing Places toilets have transformed accessibility in public venues such as shopping centres and stadiums. While we’ve made strides by connecting with the right people in this space, we will continue to push forward with the collective voice throughout this quarter.

Campaign 3: Accessible Train Travel

For accessible train travel, our goal is similar to our social care campaign—we aim to partner with the right change-makers, whether in government or leading campaigns for accessibility. Shaping this campaign is a priority over the next few weeks, and we’re working to ensure that the collective’s voice is heard on this important issue.

A Collective Effort

Looking ahead, the goal for the Purple Collective is to have democratically chosen campaigns each quarter, with the community shaping the achievable goals. Most importantly, we need the collective to take part in the actions that will move us closer to full inclusion in all these areas.

Thank you for your support so far. Together, we’ll continue to create real, lasting change for disability inclusion https://purplecollectiveglobal.com/