Back in September we created a short survey to help us better understand exactly who our Hidden Disabilities Sunflower community are and how they use the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower.
Who are our Hidden Disabilities Sunflower community?
We have, so far, received just under 3,000 responses over a period of 10 months with approximately 85% identifying as having a non-visible disability.
Their primary non-visible disabilities cited were as follows:
Mental health conditions make up the majority of our Hidden Disabilities Sunflower community's primary disability at 20.3%. Followed by neurodivergence (19.4%) and chronic illnesses (18.5%).
Employment
When asked about their employment status the majority of Hidden Disabilities Sunflower wearers are unemployed (23.4%). Although 20.8% do have a full-time job and 14.5% are in part-time work. 14.4% of Hidden Disabilities Sunflower wearers are in full-time education.
Getting around
68.6% of Hidden Disabilities Sunflower wearers get around by using their car. For 19.8% of our community the main method of transport is using public transport.
When and why do people wear the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower?
When asked whereabouts they primarily wear the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower, the most popular response was for visiting the shops 39.6%. This was followed by wearing the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower when travelling abroad (15.8%) and when using public transport (15.2%). Other reasons for wearing it included at work, at school, to attend medical appointments and when attending large events.
The Hidden Disabilities Sunflower is here to indicate that someone has an invisible disability and may require patience, support and understanding. Happily this is the reason the majority of our Hidden Disabilities Sunflower community chose to wear it with 29.8% of people stating that they wear the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower to avoid having to explain that they have a non-obvious disability and a further 28.1% stating that they wear it in the hope that they will receive support and understanding when out and about. 14.6% wear the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower so that people will be more patient with them. 13.7% use it to help them explain their invisible disability and 5.2% of people wear the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower to prevent people from challenging them when using accessible facilities. 8.6% use the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower to indicate that they are face covering exempt.
Happily, 38.6% of our Hidden Disabilities Sunflower community wear their Hidden Disabilities Sunflower everyday. 22.4% when they want to be seen and 16.4% when out by themselves. Other responses included when visiting shops (11.5%), on public transport (6.2%) and to avoid wearing a face covering (4.9%).
