By: Jade Sharp
Visited an airport, hospital, shopping centre or train station lately? You may have noticed someone wearing a green lanyard or badge decorated with brightly coloured sunflowers, similar to those pictured above.
This is known as the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower (the Sunflower). It provides a discreet way for people to voluntarily indicate that they have a disability or condition that may not be immediately apparent, and that they may need additional support, understanding or more time in shops, at work, on transport or in public spaces.
Just because you can’t see a disability doesn’t mean it isn’t there. Globally, approximately 1 in 6 people live with a disability.
How Can the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower Help During Travel?
In participating environments, the Sunflower can help people access a more supported journey. Depending on the airport, airline, cruise line, attraction or transport provider, assistance may include:
- Access to quieter or separate security or customs processing lines, where these are offered by the provider.
- More time to understand instructions or answer questions
- Assistance with boarding, including pre-boarding.
- Greater patience and awareness during periods of waiting or transition
The Sunflower can also help staff recognise that a traveller may need clearer communication, additional time, patience or flexibility during busy and unfamiliar parts of a journey.
For example, being repeatedly told, “We’re boarding by groups, and we’re not up to group 3 yet,” is unlikely to help a parent whose child is on the verge of an anxiety-induced meltdown – or a traveller who needs to know whether they have time to use the bathroom before boarding begins.
What to Know Before Travelling With the Sunflower
It’s important to remember that the support available varies between airports, airlines and other travel providers.
Wearing the Sunflower does not guarantee priority access or a particular service. It is best used as one part of a broader travel plan, alongside any formal assistance that a traveller may need.
When Planning Your Journey, Consider:
- Does the airport, airline, cruise line, theme park or transport provider recognise the Sunflower?
- What additional assistance can it offer?
- Do you need to contact the provider directly to request formal assistance, boarding support or pre-boarding?
- Can the agreed support be confirmed in writing, for example by email?
- Where can you collect a Sunflower lanyard or badge, or should you bring your own?
The Sunflower can be a useful way of communicating that someone may need additional understanding or support, but it shouldn’t be relied on as the only form of assistance.
Helping Children Prepare for the Airport Experience
Another resource that can help children navigate airports is Travel Through My Eyes: Airport Preparation Guide, created by travel advisor and the author of this blog, Jade, in partnership with Necessity Kids.
This practical resource is designed to help children become familiar with the different stages of an airport journey, including checking in, saying goodbye to their bag, moving through security and waiting at the gate.
Families can use the guide before travelling to build familiarity, reduce uncertainty and talk through what to expect.
Resources such as ‘Travel Through My Eyes: Airport Preparation Guide’ and programs such as the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower can make individual parts of a journey more manageable, but they are only one part of the overall travel experience.
Flight times, airport transfers, waiting periods, accommodation layouts, itinerary pacing and recovery time can all influence how the trip feels for the whole family.
Planning Travel Around Your Family’s Needs
Drawing on her professional experience supporting neurodivergent travellers, as well as her lived experience as a parent of neurodivergent children, Jade understands the importance of planning holidays around each family’s practical needs.
She helps families consider the entire journey, ensuring support needs are considered beyond the airport and throughout the trip.
If you’re supporting a brother or sister with disability, you may also find Jade’s previous Siblings Australia article, ‘Considering Travel When You’re Supporting Your Brother or Sister With Disability’ helpful. It explores some of the considerations that can arise when travelling as a sibling and supporting a person with disability.
You can also download a copy of Jade’s Sydney and Melbourne Airport Guides for neurodivergent families.
If you’d like support planning a trip around your family’s individual needs, you can start by completing Jade’s travel enquiry form or email her directly at jade.sharp@connectedtravel.com.au.
About the author
Jade is a travel advisor with professional experience supporting neurodivergent travellers and lived experience as a parent of neurodivergent children. Through her work, she helps families plan holidays around their individual needs and navigate the practical considerations that can make travel more manageable and enjoyable.
