You might have spotted people wearing green lanyards with sunflowers on them. Those people are not wearing them just for the sake of convenience of hanging objects on their person, these lanyards have a particular meaning.

The ‘Sunflower’ campaign was first launched in the UK in 2016 by the Accessibility Team at Gatwick Airport. They noticed that in the hundreds of thousands of passengers they assisted every year, many of them lived with disabilities and struggles that were not obvious from the outside. With assistance from advisory bodies and charity organisations, they decided to launch a product that gave people a way to discreetly indicate their hidden disabilities to airport staff members.

The Sunflower symbol is distinctive, subtle, and gives visibility to the invisible struggles that come with having hidden disabilities. These disabilities can include conditions such as anxiety, autism, chronic pain, asthma, sleep disorders, and any number of other disabilities that are do not appear immediately obvious to the outside world.

Today, the Sunflower lanyard has been adopted globally across a range of sectors including retail, transportation, and in particular, airports. At several major Australian Airports and transport centres, security and staff have been trained to recognise the lanyard, providing any additional assistance, and support the person may need to make their journey as seamless as possible. Locally, 7News even covered Adelaide Railway Station handing out Sunflower Lanyards to those who need them during their nightly Ray of Sunshine Report on the 15th of May 2023, you can watch the segment here .

So, if you happen to come across someone who is wearing one of these sunflower lanyards, please remember that they have meaning, and to offer your support if you are able.

Lanyard or no lanyard, be kind to everyone, you have no idea what struggles they may be hiding.

Here at Mobo Group, many of the jobseekers and employees that we support live with Hidden Disabilities. At Mobo Group, we strive to assist people with disabilities in gaining and staying in meaningful employment.

If you’d like assistance breaking through the barriers to employment, give us a call on 08 8130 1800 or contact us through [email protected]

Source: Hidden Disabilities Sunflower Scheme

Image credit to Health Watch Wigan and Leigh - UK