The number of Sunflower wearers in the Netherlands and Belgium is rapidly increasing alongside the number of companies and organisations that recognise the Sunflower.
We are pleased to announce that things are progressing well with VNPF, the organisation behind pop podia and festivals here in the Netherlands. In September the Sunflower has been invited to speak at their conference to explain everything about the programme. Another new member to join during June is Stichting Buitenhof. Stitching Buitenhof is a travel agent that specialises in organising holidays for people with disabilities. We've also added another new museum to our Sunflower network, the Philips Museum in Eindhoven.
This month “Flying with Autism” organised the Schiphol Autism Tour. Collaborating with KLM we walked families with autistic children through the airport procedure; arrival, checking in, bag drop, security and boarding. The families also got to visit the Crew Centre where pilots and inflight crew prepare for their departure. This tour provides people with a lot of information about DPNA and the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower. The feedback from parents was heart-warming as they told us how the tour has given them the confidence to travel with their kids. The next “Flying with Autism” tour will be in September.
Lately, you may have seen in the media that many airports are struggling to return to pre-pandemic levels of passengers coming back to their terminals. With the summer holidays approaching it may be prudent to ensure you have your Sunflower with you if you are travelling by aeroplane. The Sunflower can help you, as at many airports around the world the ground staff have been trained to recognise the lanyard and offer you the support that you may need. But please remember that the Sunflower can’t guarantee that you will be fast tracked through security. If you would like assistance at the airport, ask for DPNA assistance with your airline.
As the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower is growing worldwide our distribution centre has become extremely busy. As a result, the delivery times are now around 10 days. As our Sunflower products come from the UK we can also face some delays at customs. Please bear the delivery time in mind when ordering any of our Hidden Disabilities Sunflower products.