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Celebrating the international day of disabled people
on 3rd December
Sustainable Style with Social Impact
Order on the
BAM website
For larger orders over 100 pairs,
please contact Andrew Douglass on andrew@parallellifestyle.com / 07947 630 288
The International Day of Persons with Disabilities (IDPD)
takes place annually on 03 December.
The day was created by the UN in 1992; with the aims to promote the rights & well-being of disabled people across society & raise awareness of disability in every aspect of political, social, economic & cultural life.
To mark & celebrate this day our simple aim is to engage the nation with one, effortless, single act of united solidarity - to buy and wear a pair of our purple socks.
By doing this, you will help raise positive awareness of disability inclusion; whilst also helping to create a new Parallel Fund to provide grants and professional support to kick-start disability owned businesses & help disabled entrepreneurs.
INTERNATIONAL DAY OF PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES
IDPD has been slowly picking up momentum in the UK. The main activity is #PurpleLightUpHowever, this ‘movement’ appeals mainly to larger businesses, where the measure of success appears to be
the number of corporate buildings lighting up purple.
The call to action is for businesses to join memberships of
the same people organising the campaign.
Can we ‘light up’ the message behind IDPD in a more engaging way?
The colour associated with disability is purple.
We will ask the nation to wear a pair of brightly coloured, purple socks on 03 December to mark IDPD & show outward support for the disability community & disability inclusion.Why Socks? Just about everybody in society wears socks. A simple, effortless & fun way to mark the occasion.
The act of putting on, wearing & taking off socks provides tangible physical touch points for the key message; which will live long in the memory. You can also keep the socks & wear them multiple times.
It goes without saying, that Parallel Socks will be 100% sustainable & high quality Working with BAM, a world-class sustainable clothing company, who make all of their products from Bamboo.
BAM will also support, through distribution, online retailing & promote Parallel Socks
A pair of socks will retail for £5This year, 50% of profits will be donated to Contact / Fledglings - a charity for families with disabled children.
Any residual profit will be re-invested into Parallel Socks for a national roll out in 2021. Parallel Socks is part of Parallel Lifestyle; a social enterprise with a mission to improve accessibility and disabled peoples’ basic right to live life to the full in mainstream society.
Q: I’d love to buy a pair. Where can I buy ?
Q: I’d be interested in Wholesale
Q: What is your commitment to Sustainability?
OUR BAM SOCKS
Our socks are made by the wonderful folks at BAM, who are pioneers in natural activewear.
Soft, sustainable, & ethically sourced bamboo clothing run by people who care passionately about our environment. BAM also create clothing that inspire people to be the best versions of themselves, regardless of age or ability.
Did you know that purple is the colour most commonly associated with disability.
WHAT HAPPENS TO THE MONEY?
50% of profits is ring-fenced in our Purple Sock Fund,
which is used to support business education & provide grant funding to disability-owned startup businesses & disabled entrepreneurs. We donate monies from the Purple Sock Fund to Hatch Enterprise, a charity that supports under-represented founders & budding entrepreneurs to develop the knowledge, confidence, and skills needed to launch and grow a business.
We also donate monies to Roadmap MBA, who have a social mission to make business education accessible to under-privileged & under-represented communities. The other 50% is re-invested into growing Purple Sock Day & Parallel Windsor
OUR AMBASSADORS
Shani Dhanda is an award-winning disability specialist and entrepreneur, listed as one of the UK's most influential disabled people. She is the founder of The Diversability Card, the UK’s first official discount card for disabled people. Shani also founded the Asian Disability Network and the Asian Woman Festival.
Josh Wintersgill is a multi-talented and highly successful young British entrepreneur, aspiring Paralympian and founder of Able Move. His company produces a range of daily disability living aids, including the well known easyTravelseat, an innovative transfer sling designed specifically for wheelchair users to help with transferring in and out of a wheelchair, particularly when flying by air.
Victoria Jenkins is an award winning adaptive designer, disability advocate, speaker and writer. After becoming disabled in her mid-20s, Victoria founded Unhidden, a highly successful and socially responsible adaptive fashion range for people with disabilities. In early 2021 she wrote her first book, The Little Book of Ableism, as a guide to help non disabled people learn simple and easy ways to communicate with the community and be accessible in their private and professional lives. Victoria is also a brand ambassador for Models of Diversity and TEDx Speaker.
Mark Esho MBE is the Founder of Easy Internet and Access Rating CIC. He is also a motivational speaker and a bestselling author, following his acclaimed autobiography, I can. I will. which became a number one bestseller on Amazon. Mark has also worked with the Department for Work and Pensions to change attitudes around employing disabled people and created the Circle Foundation; a social enterprise which supports disabled entrepreneurs. Throughout a highly successful business career, Mark has received multiple awards, including the winner of first ever National Diversity Award for Business Excellence, Director of the Year SME – Small and the Institute of Director’s East Midlands Director of the Year Award for Inclusivity. In the 2021 New Year’s Honour list, Mark was awarded an MBE for services to business.
Sarah is a serial entrepreneur, who is better known to many as Wheelie Momma blogger.
She is a sought-after motivational speaker, publishes an online magazine Wheelie Momma Life, a Gentlebirth antenatal instructor and a published author with her first children’s book “My Mum’s A Superhero”. She is also currently working on her autobiography “I’ll Show You”
In the 2021 New Year’s Honours List, Sarah was awarded an MBE for her charitable services to people with disabilities.
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Corporate Supporters
With heartfelt thanks to the following organisations and their staff for wearing our purple socks to celebrate IDPD and caring enough to create opportunity for disabled-owned businesses and entrepreneurs.
If you would like to find out more and join these trailblazing inclusive organisations to help us create meaningful social impact for this year’s IDPD: please get in touch with us HERE
