Hidden Disabilities Sunflower is operated by Hidden Disabilities Sunflower Scheme Limited, a private company based in the UK. The company was created in 2016 to help people with hidden disabilities navigate and find help in public places, by providing sunflower lanyards to provide for people with hidden disabilities to signal their need for extra help in public.

History

The scheme was created in 2016 by

Gatwick Airport Gatwick Airport , also known as London Gatwick Airport (), is the Airports of London, secondary international airport serving London, West Sussex and Surrey. It is located near Crawley in West Sussex, south of Central London. In 2024, Gatwic ...

and various charities. In April 2019,

London North Eastern Railway London North Eastern Railway (LNER) is a British train operating company which operates most services on the East Coast Main Line. It is owned by DfT Operator for the Department for Transport (DfT). The company's name echoes that of the Londo ...

became the first railway company to recognize the scheme. By July 2020, all British railway companies had adopted the sunflower lanyard scheme as a means for passengers to let staff members know they may need more assistance.

List of non-visible disabilities

Hidden disabilities currently lists 912 disabilities, and is open to expanding the list.

Distribution

Sunflower lanyards and badges can be obtained for free at participating venues or purchased directly from the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower company website.

Usage

The sunflower lanyards are intended to let staff members know that the wearer has a hidden disability and as a result may take longer or need extra assistance. Staff members are trained to spot the lanyards and help the wearer.

Abuse of lanyards

Hidden Disabilities Sunflower have criticized the resale of their products at inflated costs, and the sale of counterfeit products on websites including

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and

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. While some with hidden disabilities may be medically exempt from wearing a

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., there were concerns raised during the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

that the lanyards were being abused by non-disabled people solely for the purposes of avoiding wearing a

. Such usage has been criticized by Hidden Disabilities Sunflower, who have stated that only people who consider themselves to have a hidden disability (whether diagnosed or not) should wear the lanyard.

International adoption

The scheme is being adopted internationally not only by airports, railways, hotels and other transport related organizations, but also by other organizations including, for example, universities, sports clubs, sports stadiums, financial organizations, and more. Hidden Disabilities also offer an interactive route planner on their website. The list is constantly expanding It has now been adopted by airports in Australia, Bahamas, Belgium, Canada, Caribbean, Colombia, Croatia, Cyprus, Denmark, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, India, Italy, Japan, Lithuania, New Zealand, Peru, Poland, Singapore, Sweden, Turkey, The Netherlands, UAE and the USA, as well as in the UK. In 2024,

Lego Lego (, ; ; stylised as LEGO) is a line of plastic construction toys manufactured by the Lego Group, a privately held company based in Billund, Denmark. Lego consists of variously coloured interlocking plastic bricks made of acrylonitri ...

announced that they have partnered with Hidden Disabilities Sunflower to produce

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with the sunflower lanyard. Following are just a few examples of scheme participants.

New Zealand

In April 2025, Nelson Airport in New Zealand officially joined the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower programme, offering sunflower lanyards to passengers who wish to discreetly indicate they have a hidden disability. More information is available on https://www.nelsonairport.co.nz/hidden-disabilities-sunflower.

Asia

In Hong Kong, it has been adopted by Hong Kong International Airport as well as by HSBC Bank.

North America

Airports in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

that have adopted the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower include

Tulsa International Airport Tulsa International Airport is a civil-military airport five miles (8 km) northeast of Downtown Tulsa, in Tulsa County, Oklahoma, Tulsa County, Oklahoma, United States. It was named Tulsa Municipal Airport when the city acquired it in 1929 ...

and

Central Illinois Regional Airport Central Illinois Regional Airport at Bloomington–Normal is a public airport in McLean County, Illinois, three miles east of Bloomington and southeast of Normal. Owned by the Bloomington–Normal Airport Authority, it is also known as Centra ...

. In Canada, airports that have adopted the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower include Montréal-Trudeau International Airport and Vancouver International Airport.

South America

In July 2023, Brazil sanctioned Law No. 14,624, which recognizes the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower as the national symbol for hidden disabilities. This law amends the Brazilian Law for the (13.146/15) to provide for the use of the Sunflower lanyard by people with hidden disabilities.

Europe

In Switzerland, the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower has been introduced on a trial basis by the Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) since May 2025 to offer additional support for passengers with invisible disabilities. The initiative is gradually gaining wider social recognition as well, with private organizations offering benefits or supportive services to Sunflower cardholders—for example, discounted cinema entry or educational support services.

References

{{reflist

External links

Official website
Disability in the United Kingdom Disability culture Accessible transportation Awareness activism