00:00So I wear mine because I have Tourette's and seizures.
00:03I don't think you realise how much easier it can make things until you do it.
00:09They are incredibly helpful.
00:11The concept is simple.
00:17Sunflower means hidden disability.
00:20If you see somebody who is wearing a sunflower,
00:24ask them if they need a bit of help.
00:27Be kind.
00:28Be patient.
00:29And be understanding.
00:39A hidden disability or non-visible disability or invisible disability,
00:45that means it's a disability that is not immediately obvious.
00:49There are hundreds of disabilities that fall into this category.
00:54For example, autism, epilepsy, dementia,
01:00Parkinson's, the list really is endless.
01:03My main issue is chronic fatigue syndrome.
01:07So I really struggle to get out of bed on a daily basis.
01:10I'm 39 and I live with Parkinson's.
01:13I've received a lot of discrimination
01:15because I look like a young, healthy, fit 28-year-old.
01:19But actually underneath that appearance I'm showing,
01:22it's a completely different story.
01:24With a hidden disability, it can often be misinterpreted.
01:28I've had people assume that I'm drunk when I'm stone-cold sober.
01:37An instance where somebody may wish to use it,
01:40it could be, for example, if you're getting on the bus.
01:43On the bus services in most countries, there's a priority seating.
01:47And the general assumption is that if you're elderly,
01:51or you have a walking frame, or you have a walking stick,
01:55then that would categorise you as somebody who could use a priority seat.
01:59However, if you have mobility issues, or you experience seizures,
02:07then sitting in those priority seating is actually crucial for you
02:12because trying to make your way further up the bus is much more difficult.
02:16I find it's quite powerful in terms of saying to others,
02:21um, I know what hidden disabilities are and I'm an advocate of them,
02:25and I invite you to have a conversation with me.
02:28If you just walk up to somebody, which is hard enough for me with autism as it is,
02:32to be honest with you,
02:32to walk up to somebody I don't know and ask them a question,
02:36you walk up to somebody wearing one,
02:38they'll look at the landlord, look at you,
02:40and that introduction's already been dealt with.
02:43There may be times when you're feeling,
02:46you may experience flare-ups with your disability,
02:49and so you might not need to have it on all the time,
02:52and you can choose to wear it when you do.
03:03They were looking for an indicator, a visual indicator,
03:06so that they could identify passengers with hidden disabilities
03:10coming through the airport that they could then support on their journey.
03:14We worked very closely with local charities and national charities as well.
03:18We came up with the idea of the lanyard.
03:20That was then quickly taken up by Heathrow Airport,
03:23and so on and so on,
03:26to the point now that we have over 130 airports globally
03:30that recognise the sunflower.
03:40Each sector has taken it on in their own way
03:44that suits and is appropriate for their staff
03:46and for their customers or visitors.
03:48We don't have any physical stores, it's all online.
03:50Everything is priced quite affordably.
03:52One of those on my handbag.
03:54I've got one of those for my coat.
03:55We've got these as well.
03:58I've even got a tattoo.
04:01It's been life-changing for us.
04:03The sunflower is for everyone.
04:05It's not age-bound or gender-bound or disability-bound.
04:10It's for anyone who feels that it will support them and their disability,
04:15and so far we've distributed 2.5 million globally,
04:19that's sunflower lanyards.
04:33Sometimes wearing a face mask can bring about a seizure,
04:37PTSD,
04:39many people having something over their mouth,
04:42restricting their mouth and their breathing,
04:46that is going to really create a lot of trauma.
04:50This kind of bothers me because these sunflower lanyards
04:54weren't meant to be mask-exemption lanyards,
04:57they're meant to show people who've got a hidden disability, like me.
05:01So the message is, if you don't have a hidden disability,
05:05do not wear the sunflower.
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