A student-led epilepsy advocacy initiativeEpilepsy doesn't end when class begins.
Dedicated to improving epilepsy awareness, understanding, and accessibility in higher education through student advocacy, education, and campus outreach.
A desk where epilepsy and education meet.
The Purple Desk Project was created to improve awareness, understanding, and support for college and university students living with epilepsy. It serves two audiences: students navigating higher education with epilepsy, and the educators, university staff, and organizations who support them.
Epilepsy is often understood only through its visible moments. But for many students, the day-to-day impact is quieter — and just as significant. This project exists to make that impact visible, and to help campuses respond to it thoughtfully.
Epilepsy can shape the entire college experience.
Memory & focus
Seizures and medications can affect memory, concentration, and the consistency students rely on to keep up with coursework.
Attendance & participation
Unpredictable seizures and recovery time can make regular attendance and full participation harder to sustain.
Independence
Living away from home while managing a condition adds a layer of responsibility many peers don't carry.
Academic performance
Accumulated absences and cognitive effects can quietly affect performance, even when a student is working hard.
Mental health
The uncertainty of epilepsy can weigh on emotional well-being, sometimes more than the seizures themselves.
The college experience
Epilepsy can touch social life, sports, and the everyday rhythms that make higher education feel whole.
Whether you live with epilepsy or support someone who does.
Campus outreach
Connecting with colleges, disability services offices, student organizations, and epilepsy advocacy groups to grow awareness and develop resources together.
Learn about outreachThe story behind the project
The Purple Desk Project grew from one student's experience navigating higher education with epilepsy — and a desire to make that path a little easier for the students who come next.
Read our storyHelp make higher education more understanding for students with epilepsy.
Whether you're a student, an educator, or part of a campus or organization, we'd welcome hearing from you.
Get in touch