Please give me space - home

Passengers needing extra assistance due to hidden disabilities will now have greater support when traveling through Lynden Pindling International Airport (LPIA) Nassau, Bahamas. On Thursday December 1, 2022, Nassau Airport Development Company (NAD) launches the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower in conjunction with The National Commission for Persons with Disabilities and key airport stakeholders.  

Globally, 1 in 7 persons have some form of a disability. Many of these disabilities are non-visible or hidden and can be physical, mental or neurological in nature. Wearing a Sunflower lanyard at LPIA will provide airport workers with a visual cue that a passenger may need extra assistance, additional time or more support while in terminal. While the Sunflower lanyard does not allow wearers the option to skip lines, it immediately indicates to airport staff that additional assistance might be required.  

“Over the years, we have built LPIA with all users in mind including accessibility features in the physical airport space for persons with visible disabilities. This new initiative allows us to take it a step further by introducing a program to support passengers with hidden disabilities,” said Vernice Walkine, President & CEO at NAD.  “It is our hope that by implementing the Sunflower lanyard program, persons with hidden disabilities will have an optimal experience while travelling through LPIA.” 

Frontline workers who interact with passengers on a daily basis are currently undergoing training. Staff at check-in counters, pre-board screening, US Customs & Border Patrol (USCBP), Bahamas Customs and Immigration and others are in the first wave of training. Sessions focus on raising awareness of the Sunflower lanyard, sensitizing workers to hidden disabilities and providing strategies to best assist passengers in various scenarios.   

Lanyards will be distributed free of charge and can be used at participating airports and organizations around the world. Passengers can email sunflower@nas.bs and provide name, date of travel and flight details to secure a Sunflower lanyard. NAD will arrange collection through the relevant airlines. Requests can also be made by contacting The National Commission for Persons with Disabilities on J.F. K. Drive and Bethel Avenue or calling 1-242-397-8600.   

Learn more about Lynden Pindling International Airport.

Is your organisation a member of the Sunflower network?

Is your place of work Sunflower friendly? If not then why not suggest they look into becoming members of the Sunflower. We provide training and assistance to help businesses recognise the Sunflower in order to support individuals with non-visible disabilities and become confident in providing them with additional help or assistance.

Join an impressive network

Another equality first as NHS Golden Jubilee rolls out the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower

NHS Golden Jubilee is the latest member of the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower network and the first Scottish NHS Board to introduce it across its entire organisation, including; Golden Jubilee University National Hospital, NHS Scotland Academy, national Centre for Sustainable Delivery, Golden Jubilee Research Institute and Golden Jubilee Conference Hotel.

By implementing the Sunflower at NHS Golden Jubilee, the organisation will be providing extra support to patients, visitors and colleagues in the Golden Jubilee University National Hospital, Eye Centre, Research Institute and Conference Hotel as well as in the NHS Scotland Academy and the national Centre for Sustainable Delivery.

Globally 1 in 7 people live with a disability. But while some of us experience disability that is visible, many have a non-visible condition or experience a combination of both

As part of their continued commitment to embedding accessibility into everything they do, change management consultancy business Hable are delighted to now be members of the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower initiative.
 
They have been working hard to launch the Sunflower scheme internally, ensuring everyone at Hable is trained on non-visible conditions. Something that will prove invaluable both when working with colleagues, and when delivering to customers.

Already Disability Confident Leaders, joining Sunflower felt like the next logical step for Hable on their journey to be a fully accessible organisation. They deeply believe in Sunflower’s mission to raise awareness around non-visible disabilities.

“At Hable, we are continuously developing our framework that helps make us deliberately accessible,”

says Steve Garside, Hable’s Head of Marketing, continued,

Dr Andrew Whittamore of Asthma and Lung UK and Felicity Payne join us to talk about Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, COPD which is the name for a group of lung conditions that cause breathing difficulties.

Felicity has emphysema which comes under the umbrella of COPD, and explains how she has grown used to the condition, after initially finding herself feeling isolated with many unanswered questions. Felicity shares the activities she does to keep her lungs as strong and healthy as she can.

Dr Andrew Whittamore provides us with a wealth of knowledge about the condition and the different pathways to support.

The Hidden Disabilities Sunflower and their partner in the UAE Topland – People of Determination, have today launched the Sunflower in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

This move will enable people of determination living with a non-obvious disability in the UAE to access the Sunflower, a yellow sunflower printed on a green background. The Sunflower lanyard indicates to those around the wearer that they are a person of determination who has an invisible disability and may require support, understanding or a little more time.

The Hidden Disabilities Sunflower is brought to the region by the organisation's new partner, Topland - People of Determination, an award-winning, leading supplier of assistive technology products and services for People of Determination. Topland participate in many projects both within the UAE and internationally to help businesses and organisations from every sector and industry improve their accessibility for people of determination.

Commenting on the official launch of Hidden Disabilities Sunflower in the UAE, Paul White, CEO, said: “We are really excited to announce our new partnership in the UAE with Topland – People of Determination. This expansion into the Middle East is a progressive step in both generating greater global awareness of the scheme but also making the Sunflower more accessible for people of determination in this region. Topland help businesses and organisations from every sector and industry improve accessibility for people of determination. From working alongside exhibitors at World Expo 2020 to, more recently, assisting clients in the banking and retail sector install hearing assistance technology, Topland provide products and services that help organisations make their work environment more accessible. As such they are the perfect partner to run the Sunflower programme in the Middle East. As part of this venture, Topland will provide our Sunflower training in both English and Arabic as well as opening an online UAE Sunflower store.”

The Hidden Disabilities Sunflower launches at AccessAbilities Expo 2022, where 20,000 people from across the Middle East attend to experience the latest products and services that are available to assist people of determination.

Andy from Topland said: “World Expo 2020 highlighted to us the importance of the Sunflower and the impact it was having . . .this is where we first saw it being used to assist people. As an organisation that supplies products and services to assist people of determination, we see the Sunflower as a natural fit into our portfolio as it really helps people of determination.”

Around the world, 1 in 7 people live with some form of disability. And 80% of these disabilities are non-visible, that's approximately 1.3 billion people with an invisible disability. There is significant opportunity for businesses and organisations globally to develop their awareness of invisible disabilities and the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower provides the tools t

Not all inclusive - new research find that over half of people with disabilities associate holidays with stress

New research by Ocean Holidays has revealed the stress and uncertainty disabled people face when planning a holiday.

• 51% of respondents with a disability said going on holiday was associated with stress, whilst 36% related it with frustration
• Negative experiences when booking or going on holiday have impacted 65% of disabled people’s attitudes towards travelling
• Nearly half (49%) of those surveyed have submitted an accessibility-related complaint, but for a fifth (21%) nothing was done about it

Ocean Holidays, the UK’s fastest-growing travel company and Europe’s leading Florida holiday expert undertook the research to shed light on the issue. The Essex-based operator, now a registered member of the global Hidden Disabilities Sunflower network, recently announced its n