The City of Greater Geelong is proud to be a member of the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower initiative, supporting greater awareness, understanding and inclusion of people with non-visible disabilities.
Hidden Disability Sunflower Initiative
Our involvement goes beyond displaying the Sunflower. We are building the knowledge and confidence of our employees through training and education, working with community members to share lived experience and stories, and increasing awareness of non-visible disability across our organisation.
Through the initiative, we are also helping to create more welcoming and inclusive experiences across City services, facilities and community spaces. The Sunflower provides a simple and discreet way for a person to indicate that they have a non-visible disability and may appreciate additional support, understanding or time.
Our participation supports the commitments in our Disability Access and Inclusion Plan and is part of our broader work to improve accessibility and inclusion for people with disability across Greater Geelong.
By increasing awareness, listening to lived experience and building the capability of our workforce, we are working towards a community where people with disability feel welcomed, understood and included.
Meet six community members who share their experiences as sunflower lanyard users
For Scott, public transport is an important part of staying connected to his community. Living with autism means that interactions with other passengers can sometimes be challenging, particularly when people use rude language or make negative comments.
Scott wears a Sunflower Lanyard to indicate that he may need extra understanding or support. He has found that wearing the lanyard has helped create more positive experiences while travelling. Scott hopes greater awareness of neurodiversity will encourage kindness and respect on public transport and reminds people that a simple offer of help can make someone feel safer and more confident when travelling.
As someone living with a hidden disability, Jasmine knows that small acts of understanding can make a big difference. She appreciates when people speak slowly and clearly, as it helps her better understand information and instructions, particularly in unfamiliar or stressful situations.
When Jasmine wears her Sunflower Lanyard, it signals that she may need extra support. She welcomes people approaching her if they think she might need assistance. Through greater awareness of hidden disabilities, Jasmine hopes more people will recognise the value of patience, kindness and clear communication in helping everyone feel confident and included when using public transport.
Francesca lives with mild cerebral palsy affecting the left side of her body and Velo-Cardio-Facial Syndrome, which causes a learning difficulty. While people may notice the physical impact of her disability, her learning challenges are often less visible. Long instructions, maths and tasks such as splitting a restaurant bill can be difficult, while fatigue and limited use of her left side can make standing on public transport challenging.
Francesca hopes more people understand that the Sunflower Lanyard represents many different hidden disabilities. Rather than making assumptions, she encourages people to simply ask, “How can I help?”
Jess lives with Autism and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD). Busy environments with loud noises, crowds and unexpected changes can cause anxiety. Jess finds comfort in routine and prefers advance notice when plans change. Stimming helps her regulation, as well as squeezing her soft toy (keyring) on her bag, to manage overwhelming situations
Because her disability is not visible, people do not always recognise the challenges she faces. Jess wants people to understand that autism is a spectrum and that everyone's experience is different. If you see Jess wearing a Sunflower Lanyard, she welcomes a friendly offer of support if she needs it.
Ben lives with Autism and values routine in his daily life. He communicates enthusiastically and can sometimes speak quickly, but may need a little extra time to process information or understand unfamiliar language and complex instructions.
In busy or overstimulating environments, Ben may appear to tune out. This is one of the ways he regulates himself when feeling overwhelmed. While his disability may not always be obvious, Ben wants people to know that Autism does not define what he is capable of.
When Ben wears a Sunflower Lanyard, he welcomes people acknowledging it and offering support if he needs assistance.
For Breanna, travelling on public transport can be a very different experience to what others may see. Diagnosed as neurodivergent seven years ago, she experiences heightened sensitivity to noise, smells and colours, making some environments feel overwhelming and increasing her anxiety.
Breanna believes greater awareness of neurodiversity would help create a more inclusive public transport network. She would like to see more signage and education to remind people that everyone has the right to travel safely and comfortably. When wearing a Sunflower Lanyard, Breanna is comfortable being approached and welcomes offers of support if she needs assistance.
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