Equal Lives
Equal Lives is a user-led UK Disabled People's Organisation delivering advocacy, payroll, direct payments, mobility equipment hire, and CPD-certified disability equality training to disabled people and organisations across Norfolk and Suffolk.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1996
- HeadquartersNorwich, United Kingdom
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What Equal Lives does
Equal Lives is a UK-registered charity (No. 1084108) and Company Limited by Guarantee (No. 4098341), founded in 1996 as the Norfolk Coalition of Disabled People (NCODP) and later rebranded to its current name. Operating as a user-led Disabled People's Organisation (DPO) across Norfolk and Suffolk, it delivers a coordinated suite of services for disabled people, including information and advice, advocacy, payroll management, direct payment support, Shopmobility Norwich (mobility equipment hire), disability equality training, and consultancy. The organisation is governed by the Social Model of Disability and the "Nothing About Us, Without Us" principle, with disabled people central to its governance and service design. In Suffolk, it operates through a sub-brand called Suffolk Independent Living, extending the same service suite under a distinct identity.
The organisation's revenue model blends charitable grants and donations with local authority commissioning (notably Norfolk County Council and Suffolk County Council) and fee-for-service training income. Disability Equality Workshops are priced at £275 + VAT (up to 10 delegates) and £395 + VAT (10–20 delegates) per session, delivered via MS Teams, Zoom, or in-person/hybrid formats, with bespoke packages and multiple-booking discounts available. Equal Lives has no proprietary technology platform; it relies on standard third-party tools including Wix (website), Brevo (email), Sage 50 (accounts), Virgin Money Giving (donations), Google (data processing), and Eventbrite (event ticketing).
Equal Lives partners strategically with Norfolk County Council (co-production member of the Charging Reference Group since 2021), Suffolk County Council, Norfolk and Suffolk Foundation Trust (NSFT), and NHS bodies for data sharing and health/social care integration. It also operates the Making it Real Norfolk (MIR) advisory group, with trustee Martin Symons serving as Chairperson. The leadership team comprises CEO Ben Reed, Business Manager Kimberly Myhill, Marketing Officer and Disability Equality Trainer Arianne, and trustees Martin Symons and Katie Robinson. The organisation employs 51–100 staff, with its registered office at Ground Floor, St Vedast House, 5-7 St Vedast Street, Norwich, NR1 1BT.
Equal Lives firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Equal Lives
- Legal name
- Equal Lives
- Website
- https://equallives.org.uk
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1996
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Equal Lives is a user-led UK Disabled People's Organisation delivering advocacy, payroll, direct payments, mobility equipment hire, and CPD-certified disability equality training to disabled people and organisations across Norfolk and Suffolk.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Equal Lives industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Disability Advocacy and Independent Living Services
- NAICS
- Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities (62412), Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities (624120)
- SIC
- Services-Social Services (8300)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Disability Services & Independent Living Support (BPAGAEAG)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Disability Services & Independent Living Support (BPAGACAG), Disability Services & Assistive Solutions (Accessibility, Assistive Tech) (BPAGALAM)
Keywords
Where Equal Lives is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Norwich
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Equal Lives business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Charitable grants and donations: Equal Lives is a registered charity (No. 1084108) and company limited by guarantee (No. 4098341) operating as a nonprofit. Revenue is generated through charitable donations, grants, and potentially service fees for training workshops.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Multi-year contract | Up to 10 delegates |
| Unit Pricing | Multi-year contract | 10-20 delegates |
| Unit Pricing | Multi-year contract | Full workshop (all topics, ~3-3.5 hours) |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels6 records
Equal Lives product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Equal Lives is a user-led Disabled People's Organisation (DPO) providing a suite of independent living services to disabled people across Norfolk and Suffolk, including information and advice, advocacy, payroll management for personal assistants, direct payment administration, and Shopmobility equipment hire. The organisation also delivers CPD-certified Disability Equality Workshops and consultancy to businesses, councils, and the NHS, with all training written and delivered by disabled people.
Product overview
Equal Lives is a user-led Disabled People's Organisation (DPO) operating across Norfolk and Suffolk that provides a coordinated suite of services to support disabled people. The core offerings include Information and Advice, Advocacy, Payroll Services, Direct Payment support, Shopmobility Norwich (mobility equipment hire), and Consultancy services. The organization also offers a CPD-certified Disability Equality Workshop training programme for organizations. Making it Real Norfolk (MIR) operates as a related initiative focused on co-production in adult social care. The services are rooted in the Social Model of Disability and follow the 'Nothing About Us, Without Us' principle, with data processing handled through third-party platforms including Wix (website), Brevo (email), and Virgin Money Giving (donations).
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Suffolk Independent Living: A service provided by Equal Lives in Suffolk region
Products and services
- Information and Advice
Companies that use Equal Lives
Customer profileSegments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Equal Lives technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration7 records
Equal Lives partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Norfolk County CouncilcoreNorfolk County Council is a key commissioning and partnership body for Equal Lives. Equal Lives has worked with Norfolk County Council as part of the Charging Reference Group since 2021 on co-producing a charging policy for social care.
- Suffolk County CouncilcoreSuffolk County Council commissions services from Equal Lives and partners on social care and disability support initiatives in Suffolk.
- Norfolk and Suffolk Foundation Trust (NSFT)coreNSFT is a mental health and community health trust that Equal Lives shares data with and partners with for health and social care integration.
- National Health Service (NHS)coreEqual Lives shares data with the NHS for monitoring and care coordination purposes and partners on health-related disability initiatives.
- Making it Real Norfolk (MIR)coreMaking it Real Norfolk (MIR) is a group that advises Norfolk Adult Social Care on effective engagement with service users in the design and delivery of services. Equal Lives trustee Martin Symons is the Chairperson of MIR. The group is actively involved in co-production of social care services.
- Suffolk Independent LivingcoreSuffolk Independent Living is a service provided by Equal Lives, operating as the Suffolk arm of the DPO, providing the same suite of services in Suffolk under a distinct brand identity.
- Virgin Money GivingminorThird-party service used by Equal Lives for processing donations and fundraising.
- Disclosure & Barring ServiceminorDBS checks are conducted by Equal Lives as part of their recruitment and safeguarding processes.
- EventbriteminorEventbrite is used by Equal Lives for event registration and ticketing.
- Attitude is EverythingminorAttitude is Everything is an organisation recommended by Equal Lives for access consulting, particularly for event organisers seeking to improve accessibility practices.
Scale indicators1 record
Recent moves2 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Equal Lives competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- RNIB (Royal National Institute of Blind People): RNIB is a major UK charity providing direct payment support, advice, and advocacy specifically for blind and partially sighted people. Comparable on the payroll/direct payment and advice services offered by Equal Lives, though specialised to visual impairment.
- Leonard Cheshire: Leonard Cheshire is an international disability charity providing supported employment, personalisation support, and disability inclusion training. Comparable to Equal Lives on direct payment and inclusion training offerings, but with global operations and broader service mix.
- Mencap: Mencap is the UK's leading charity for people with learning disabilities, offering advocacy, supported employment, and direct payment services. Overlaps with Equal Lives on personalisation/direct payment support and disability advocacy, though focused specifically on learning disability.
- Scope: Scope is the UK's largest disability charity, providing information, advice, employment support, and disability equality training nationwide. Comparable to Equal Lives on training and disability advice services, but operates at far greater national scale and brand recognition.
- Sense: Sense supports people who are deafblind or have complex disabilities, offering direct payment support, advice, and disability awareness services. Compares with Equal Lives on direct payment management and equality training, though with a specialist impairment focus.
Regional players
- Inclusion London: Inclusion London is a London-wide user-led DPO providing advocacy, policy work, and user engagement on social care for disabled people. Highly comparable user-led DPO model and advocacy focus, but operating regionally in London rather than Norfolk and Suffolk.
Direct peers
- Disability Rights UK: Disability Rights UK is a national DPO focused on policy, advice, and advocacy led by disabled people. Closely comparable to Equal Lives' user-led DPO model, advocacy services, and welfare benefits advice, though operating at the national policy level rather than local service delivery.
- United Response: United Response is a national disability charity providing supported living, personalisation, and direct payment services for people with learning disabilities and autism. Highly comparable to Equal Lives' payroll/direct payment support services and independent living focus, though operating nationally.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Equal Lives social profiles
Digital presenceEqual Lives financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Equal Lives leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles5 records
Equal Lives funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Equal Lives M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Equal Lives
What does Equal Lives do?
Equal Lives is a user-led Disabled People's Organisation (DPO) providing a suite of independent living services to disabled people across Norfolk and Suffolk, including information and advice, advocacy, payroll management for personal assistants, direct payment administration, and Shopmobility equipment hire. The organisation also delivers CPD-certified Disability Equality Workshops and consultancy to businesses, councils, and the NHS, with all training written and delivered by disabled people.
Is Equal Lives a public or private company?
Equal Lives is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Equal Lives founded?
Equal Lives was founded in 1996. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Equal Lives based?
Equal Lives is headquartered in Norwich, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Equal Lives make money?
One revenue line is on record: charitable grants and donations.
Who are Equal Lives's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are RNIB (Royal National Institute of Blind People), Leonard Cheshire, Mencap, Scope and Sense. Inclusion London is listed as a regional player. Direct peers are Disability Rights UK and United Response.
Does Equal Lives have an API?
No public API is recorded for Equal Lives.
What industry is Equal Lives in?
Equal Lives's product category is Disability Advocacy and Independent Living Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGAEAG, Disability Services & Independent Living Support, with a secondary code of BPAGACAG, Disability Services & Independent Living Support. Its NAICS code is 62412 and its SIC code is 8300.