What is the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower Lanyard?

So you have heard about the Sunflower Lanyard Scheme. You may have even seen it being talked about on TV or in the news. Now there seem to be quite a few misconceptions about the scheme like who it is for and why it even exists? Well, today all your questions will be answered so without further delay!

What is the Sunflower Lanyard Scheme?

The Sunflower Lanyard Scheme is a program designed to help people with hidden disabilities. It is a system designed to indicate that an individual may need extra help with a task or during a process.

Who started the Hidden Disabilities Scheme?

It was all started by the company Hidden Disabilities Sunflower Scheme Limited which is owned currently by Paul White and Robert Kelly. It was started back in 2016 and was designed originally for airports such as Heathrow and Gatwick who were the original adopters of the program. It has since then been adopted by rail companies, supermarkets, the NHS, cinemas, football clubs, banks and more.

Who is the Sunflower Lanyard for?

The lanyard and other items on the Hidden Disabilities Store are there for people with hidden disabilities. This range of wearables is made so anyone with a hidden disability can comfortably wear something that will let a member of staff at businesses that have adopted the system that they might need a little extra help with certain tasks or may need access to certain facilitates such as quiet rooms. Hidden disabilities are any disability that is not obviously visible such as people who are deaf or have hearing loss, ASC (Autism Spectrum Condition), conditions that make communication hard, visual impairments and so so much more.

There is roughly 10,664,000 people in the UK who has a hidden disability. That’s about 16% of the entire population. That is a lot of people! Everyone is different with their disability and everyone has different needs.

Who should be wearing the Sunflower Lanyard?

The lanyard and its other wearables are to be worn by the individual that is in need of the assistance for their day to day lives. They may not need to wear it all the time but in moments of distress and moments where that extra help is needed, you may see someone wear one of these as a signifier. It’s not for a career, friend, family member or shop staff members to wear on behalf of other people.

Despite popular belief, the lanyards and wearables are also NOT designed for people to use as a face mask exemption card for COVID-19. Unfortunately, there has been an increase of people wearing them as such due to TV reporting on shows like This Morning which have changed the way this scheme is seen in the public image. This has meant that the credibility of the person wearing it has been tarnished and also means that not everyone who actually requires help is receiving it when needed. There are some hidden disabilities that will mean that someone who wears the lanyard may not wear a face mask but it is not an exemption scheme in the UK and is not recognised by the government as one.

Where can you get the Sunflower Lanyard from?

You can get the lanyard from the Hidden Disabilities store online for a small fee plus postage. The lanyard starts at just 55p. There are various other items on their site too including specific cards for various hidden disabilities so you can get the help you need quickly and alert the member of staff to any specific needs. Or you can even get them for FREE from participating supermarkets such as Sainsbury’s, Morrison’s, Tesco and M&S.

M&S even have a system for a contact-free delivery system for the lanyard. Simply send a request into them over at sunflower.lanyard.requests@customersupport.marksandspencer.com and a customer service advisor from the correct department will help you with getting yours asap.

Counterfeits and people selling them illegally for an extraordinarily high price trying to profit off the COVID-19 pandemic are unfortunately being sold on places like eBay and Facebook Marketplace. These products are inferior and often not official. This has also not helped the situation with public appearance.

Do I need proof of disability to be able to get one?

No. You do not need any proof of disability to obtain a lanyard via the scheme and further down you will find out why that hasn’t been such a great thing.

Where recognises the scheme?

The scheme is recognised and accepted in various businesses in the UK from M&S, Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Argos, B&Q, The Playhouse Theatre, The UK Home Office, University College London, Passport Offices to Intu Shopping Centres. Also, the scheme is recognised around the world in places like Australia, Seattle and San Jose, Amsterdam, Istanbul and Dubai.

Who owns the rights to the Sunflower Lanyard Scheme?

Tabbers Limited are the owners and creators of Sunflower logo design, lanyard design and all marketing and design materials for the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower Lanyard Scheme. Tabbers Limited is also owned by the founder of Hidden Disabilities Sunflower Scheme Limited, Paul White.

How has COVID19 affected the use of the scheme?

The sad truth about the current situation in this world is it has, unfortunately, lead to a lot of misinformation about the lanyard scheme. This has been exacerbated by the media and newsgroups who have shared false information on this.

The reality is the Sunflower Lanyard Scheme is a support system. It is designed to help and aid people when they are most in need of it and often in times of incredible distress. The lanyard now in the public eye has become a symbol of mask exemption which these again are NOT. You shouldn’t go round judging everyone you see wearing one but the reality is MP’s, TV personalities on breakfast television and news outlets have pushed this to the point where people who need help just are not getting it. The private company of Hidden Disabilities Sunflower Lanyards Ltd is not a charity nor even a non-profit and it shows in how they handled this situation by not commenting on or correcting this misinformation. Instead, they create face mask exemption cards and even career cards to get around COVID safety policies where people would be at risk when proper crowd control is not implemented. This has also not been helped by the fact that the scheme requires no proof of disability such as a diagnosis letter or PIP (Personal Independence Payment) letter meaning anyone has the ability to obtain one unlike other systems such as the Blue Badge system for disabled parking etc where you need to be able to provide proof for use of the system.

The Facebook Group called Autism Assemble has started a campaign against this misinformation due to the group recognising that its members have not been receiving the help when needed (even when the individual is also wearing a mask as well the lanyard). They have spoken out on a wide range of issues in regards to the Sunflower Lanyard Scheme and are starting to make waves online with their campaign. One of the founders Connor Ward has spoken out about this on his social media stating…

“Before the pandemic, only a small percentage of people knew what a sunflower lanyard was. Having an invisible disability means that we often can’t easily get the support we need due to the lack of something visual as l people who have wheelchairs etc have. The sunflower lanyard changed all that. It gave us the opportunity to be helped in stressful public settings. It also gave disabled people like myself, the ability to choose whether we want to have our vulnerabilities on show. On bad days I’ll wear it, on good days I won’t. The organisation who made them aimed them to the autistic community. Since the pandemic, the general public only see them as a mask exemption lanyard. Not a way of understanding that the individual may need more processing time, may react differently due to extreme anxiety etc etc. Now it’s dead. The organisation who made them aren’t helping distinguish them from a mask exemption and are further obliterating the meaning by encouraging parents and carers to wear one too.”

Overview

So now you know more about the Sunflower Lanyard Scheme, what it is for, who it is for and where it has come from you can help spread the word about the scheme in the right way and if you need a lanyard your self the question above is the best ways to get one. Remember this is a scheme to help those who need the extra help it is NOT a face mask exemption card and should not be used as one.

Further Reading…

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