The Sunflower Lanyard

If you're travelling with a hidden disability or condition, travelling may require extra support for some. The sunflower lanyard is a symbol to which allows members of staff, either working at airports or at train stations, to recognise that they may need additional assistance during their journey. By wearing a sunflower lanyard an individual is allowed to go throughout their journey independently but has the option of knowing that members of staff are on hand throughout your journey to support them. In a sense passengers can notify staff discretly that they may have anxiety, ADHD, dementia or a visual impariement as well as any other conditions. This allows privacy for the person wearing the sunflower lanyard as they do not need to state or disclose their condition but the sunflower lanyard represents this. Members of staff are notified that people wearing a sunflower lanyard may need assistance and have been trained to recognise that a passenger may need additional help throughout the different parts of their journey. 

The best part about the sunflower lanyard is that it's completely free and reusable, they can be used on other journeys throughout airports or train stations and even in supermarkets such as Sainsbury's. Wherever you go the sunflower has become a symbol for hidden disabilities, something that is important for passengers with hidden disabilties since they can range from being a physical condition to a mental condition that could cause distress or make a journey stressful. As I suffer from anxiety this lanyard brings me extra comfort and security knowing that if needed help members of staff would be there to assist me throughout my journey. I've had panic attacks in the airport before as well as feeling extremely anxious, with no members of staff being able to help me, but now since I have a sunflower lanyard this represents that I may need additional help throughout my journey. This simply could be redirecting me to a shorter queue through security or assistance while boarding the plane. My only problem with this sunflower lanyard is that one size does not fit all - different people may need different forms of help and assistance throughout their visit, it depends on what disability the passenger has. Additionally, in the past I have had panic attacks on flights where I've cried for two hours straight, my body was shaking and even passengers intervened to see if I was okay - no members of staff on the plane intervened at all even though they could see I was physically distressed. I wasn't wearing a sunflower lanyard at the time but I still expected some form of assistance as it made the journey a horrible experience for both me and other passengers on the plane. 

How to Get a Sunflower Lanyard
There are a range of ways to get a sunflower lanyard or another object to represent hidden disabilities, you can either pick them up at the airport or have them delivered to your home address before you fly. The airports and train companies offering this lanyard currently are: 

• Aberdeen Airport
• Belfast International Airport
• Birmingham Airport
• Bournemouth Airport
• Bristol Airport
• Doncaster Airport
• East Midlands Airport 
• Edinburgh Airport
• Exeter Airport 
• Glasgow Airport
• Leeds Bradford Airport 
• Liverpool Airport
• London City Airport
• London Gatwick Airport
• London Heathrow Airport
• London Luton Airport
• London Southend Airport
• London Stansted 
• Manchester Airport
• Newcastle Airport
• Southampton Airport 
• LNER - Trains 

If you do need extra assistance such as getting to and from the airport lounge to your gate, then each airport would be more than happy to help - you should contact the airport as soon as you can and ask if they can provide this support. This support includes transportation or whether you're travelling with your assistance dog. This extra assistance is provided by staff who are specifically trained to assist passengers as well as staff being trained to recognise passengers wearing sunflower lanyards. Each airport may have different ways to get a sunflower lanyard so if you're travelling from an airport listed, or even if it's not, there is always information on each website regarding hidden disabilities and help available. 

More information can be found here:

• https://happiful.com/sunflower-lanyard-for-hidden-disabilities-introduced-on-railway-service/
• https://www.rnib.org.uk/rnibconnect/hidden-disabilities-lanyard
• https://www.about.sainsburys.co.uk/news/latest-news/2018/14-08-2018-lanyards-trial
• https://publicapps.caa.co.uk/docs/33/CAP1629%20HD%20-%20FINAL%2007JUN2018.pdf