Hidden Disabilities Sunflower is a global symbol for non-visible disabilities that you might have seen on a lanyard. A lot of people are familiar with it, but how did it get started?
The idea was born in 2016 at Gatwick Airport in England.
The Airport Passenger Advisory Group, the Gatwick Team, including Ruth Rabet who is now our Business Development Director in the UK, worked with local and national charities to assess to assess whether using a lanyard would benefit people living with hidden disabilities. They engaged in discussions with Tim Wilkins from the Alzheimer’s Society, Daniel Williams from Visualise, Daniel Cadey, formerly from the National Autistic Society, as well as with Maria Cook from Autism Support Crawley, whose son Ryan is autistic.
Following this evaluation, the group chose a lanyard with sunflowers on a green background to reflect the idea of confidence, growth and strength, as well as introducing happiness and positivity.
Since then, thousands of businesses around the world in every sector have joined the global network.