Hidden Disabilities Sunflower Australia and New Zealand is thrilled to announce that as of 1 December, passengers that choose to wear the Sunflower will now be recognised and supported when travelling on Yarra Trams.
Preparing for this, Yarra Trams wanted to ensure that their front-line teams were skilled and ready for their Sunflower launch. They have trained almost 200 team members including Customer Service team members and Authorised Officers, as well as some corporate office and operational team members - in collaboration with Autism Spectrum Australia. This training programme was delivered in person by people with lived experiences of hidden disabilities.
Ibrahim Elsoukmani, Yarra Trams’ Inclusive Passenger Network Advisor says: “Introducing the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower into our business and bringing it into our customer service ethos not only helps enable people with hidden disabilities getting to where they need to be, we support this fantastic initiative and contribute to raising awareness of hidden disabilities in our team and within the community".
The Sunflower is also supported in Melbourne by Yarra Trams’ partners Travellers Aid and the City of Melbourne, as well as other landmarks and venues throughout the city.
The Australian Federal Police (AFP) is proud to announce it has become the first law enforcement agency in Australia to sign up to the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower initiative.
Employees will be encouraged to watch the Hidden Disabilities training videos to learn more about how they can help. Sunflower lanyards and pins are being offered to all employees who identify as having a hidden disability and want to wear it as part of the initiative.
The Sunflower has been implemented by the dedicated Diversity & Inclusion team and the AFP All-Abilities (AAA) Network, which was established to assist the AFP become a more disability confident organisation. The AAA advocates for a supportive, inclusive and respectful workplace for employees of all abilities.
The Australian Museum
From International Day of Persons with Disabilities (Saturday 3 December), the Australian Museum will be supporting the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower lanyard scheme. This follows its success at Early Birds, the Museum’s reduced-sensory, relaxed early access mornings for visitors on the autism spectrum or those who have other access requirements.
On this day and every day, the Museum encourages all staff, volunteers and visitors to be allies to those with a disability, hidden or not, and for those who choose to wear the Hidden Disabilities lanyard to do so with pride.
Merlin Entertainments
Merlin Entertainments has partnered with Autism Spectrum Australia (Aspect) to roll out the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower at their Darling Harbour Attractions – SEA LIFE Sydney Aquarium, WILD LIFE Sydney Zoo & Madame Tussauds Sydney. This programme enables anyone with a hidden disability to choose whether or not they would like to be more visible, so that Merlin Entertainment colleagues can make suitable adjustments to make visits more inclusive. Guests can pick up a lanyard on arrival, which indicates to the Merlin team that they may need additional time, support or understanding. The team have been specially trained in understanding what a hidden disability is, how to respond appropriately to someone wearing the Sunflower lanyard and how to help modify the environment around them to be more accessible and inclusive.