This week saw the release of a new report by the Extra Costs
Commission, an independent inquiry set up to explore the additional costs faced
by disabled people and their families.
The research found that on average, disabled people spend
£550 a month on costs associated with their disability, such as buying
specialist equipment. You can read more about this in our blog, or download the
new report here.
The report found that one of the main reasons for these
additional costs is that disabled people are under-served as consumers. But, it
says, if disabled people and their families, disability organisations and
others help to raise the profile of the so-called 'purple pound' (most notably,
the £212bn spent by disabled households each year), much can be done to reduce
the cost of living for disabled people.
The power of speaking
out
One powerful example of this can be found in the story of
Rita Kutt, whose four-year-old grandson Caleb has cerebral palsy. Unable to
find affordable suitable clothing that fitted with his needs, Rita contacted
Marks and Spencer to ask if they could make their popper vests a little bigger.
"I chose them because they're a global company," she later commented,
"surely if they were able to order products in mass then these would be
priced lower”.
Fortunately the high street name not only listened to Rita's
request, but went on to work with her, and with Scope, to develop something
more suitable. Eventually, Marks and Spencer released a specialist yet
affordable clothing range based on this work, including popper vests and
sleepsuits. You can read more about Rita's success in her community guest post, written earlier this year.
We want to hear your ideas for reducing extra costs
This is just one example of how disabled people can leverage
their considerable consumer power to help reduce extra costs and get a better
deal on the products they need. Now we'd like to hear about your experiences and
successes.
Are there times when you have been 'bold and loud' to make
your voice heard as a consumer? What tips would you give to other disabled
people to get businesses to think more about disabled consumers? Do you have
any advice for reducing everyday extra costs? Let us know in the comments
below.
