The Hidden Disabilities Sunflower is a voluntary symbol that provides a way for people with non-visible disabilities, conditions or chronic illnesses to indicate that they may need additional support, understanding or time.
The Sunflower exists to increase awareness, understanding and inclusion. Organisations across different sectors and settings use the programmeme to help staff recognise the Sunflower, understand what it represents and respond appropriately by listening to the person using it. The programmeme combines training and awareness resources, digital tools and Sunflower wearing options to help create more inclusive everyday experiences.
The questions below explain how the Sunflower operates, how it is funded, what annual membership provides and the evidence available about its impact. They also explain how the Sunflower is intended to complement broader accessibility and inclusion efforts.
How the Sunflower works
1. How does the Sunflower complement other approaches to accessibility and inclusion?
Yes. The Sunflower is not intended to replace broader accessibility and inclusion work, and it is not the only way to support people with non-visible disabilities.
Staff training, accessible services, inclusive design and a culture of understanding are all important and should be encouraged whether or not an organisation participates in the Sunflower. People should also be able to request and receive appropriate support without using the Sunflower or disclosing personal medical information.
The Sunflower is one practical, voluntary tool that can help staff recognise that someone may need additional support, understanding or time and prompt them to respond appropriately. As a globally recognised symbol supported by shared training and implementation resources, it can also encourage a more consistent approach across different organisations, sectors and countries.
Organisations can decide whether the Sunflower is right for them, and we support any approach that genuinely improves awareness, accessibility and inclusion for people with non-visible disabilities.
2. How does Hidden Disabilities Sunflower work alongside local disability organisations and associations?
The Sunflower is not intended to replace local disability organisations, charities or advocacy groups. These organisations play a vital role in representation, specialist expertise, individual support and engagement with local communities.
The Sunflower complements this work by providing a practical, globally recognised framework that can be used across everyday public-facing environments. Its value lies in helping staff recognise that someone may need additional support, understanding or time, while encouraging a more consistent approach across different organisations, sectors and settings.
This consistency can be particularly valuable because people may encounter the Sunflower in transport, retail, healthcare, education, workplaces, public services and other parts of daily life, both locally and internationally.
The strongest approach is often collaborative: local organisations contribute specialist expertise and knowledge of their communities, people with lived experience contribute their perspectives, and the Sunflower provides a shared symbol, training and implementation framework that can be recognised across different environments.
3. Is using the Sunflower voluntary, and does it require someone to disclose personal information?
The Sunflower is entirely voluntary. People choose whether, when and how they use it, and many use it only in particular situations where they feel it may be helpful.
It does not identify a particular disability or require someone to disclose personal medical information. It simply indicates that the person may need additional support, understanding or time.
For many people, this provides greater choice and control over how they communicate their needs. Others choose not to use the Sunflower at all.
The Sunflower should not be treated as a requirement for receiving support. It is an optional communication tool, and appropriate assistance should be available whether or not someone uses it.
4. How do participating organisations help staff understand and use the Sunflower appropriately?
The Sunflower communicates a simple message: that someone may need additional support, understanding or time. It does not identify a particular disability or tell staff what support someone needs.
Training helps staff understand what non-visible disabilities are, the broad range of disabilities, conditions and experiences they may include and how differently they can affect each person. It also focuses on recognising the Sunflower, avoiding assumptions, listening to the individual and asking how they can help.
Hidden Disabilities Sunflower asks participating organisations to train at least 80% of their staff before launch and to keep at least 80% of staff trained through ongoing annual learning. Organisations also receive refresher learning, implementation guidance and awareness resources to help maintain understanding across their teams.
The Sunflower is not a substitute for accessibility or good service. Its value comes from trained staff responding appropriately as part of an organisation’s wider commitment to inclusion.
5. How are the Sunflower training materials developed?
All Sunflower scripts and learning content are developed in-house by the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower team in the United Kingdom, with input from all teams globally. The content draws on professional expertise, lived experience of disability, experience as carers and input from disabled people, disability organisations and charities.
The training project is led by Annette Cmela, Chief Innovation and Brand Officer. The animations and moving-image materials are created in-house by Paul Shriever, Hidden Disabilities Sunflower’s Production and Moving Image Designer, who has extensive experience in brand and moving-image design.
The filmed training was produced by Branded Studios, a disability-led production company, using scripts developed by Hidden Disabilities Sunflower. Everyone appearing in the films had lived experience of a non-visible disability, and members of the production and post-production teams also had lived experience of disability or experience as carers. Accessibility and individual adjustments were built into the production process.
Participants were selected because their experiences were directly relevant to the subjects covered. The training is designed to build awareness, practical understanding and confidence in responding appropriately.
6. How does Sunflower training complement other accessibility training?
Public bodies and specialist providers offer training on subjects such as accessibility, disability inclusion, accessible communication, digital accessibility and disability law. These courses play an important role in developing wider knowledge and professional practice.
Sunflower training has a more specific purpose. It helps staff understand non-visible disabilities, recognise the Sunflower, avoid assumptions, listen to the individual and respond with additional support, understanding or time.
It is designed to complement rather than replace legally required, professional or specialist training. Organisations can use it alongside their existing learning programmemes as part of a broader approach to accessibility and inclusion.
7. What have organisations experienced after introducing the Sunflower, and how is feedback addressed?
Feedback from participating organisations commonly highlights greater staff awareness and confidence, clearer conversations about support needs and encouraging feedback from Sunflower users. Many organisations also find that the programmeme provides a clearer and more consistent way for staff to recognise and respond to non-visible support needs.
Organisations may receive questions about voluntariness, privacy, staff understanding and how the Sunflower fits alongside existing accessibility and inclusion work. These questions are addressed through clear communication, staff training, engagement with people with lived experience and representative groups and ongoing opportunities for feedback.
Experience shows that the Sunflower works best as part of a wider commitment to accessibility and inclusion—not as a standalone initiative, but as a practical tool supported by training, awareness and appropriate action.
Explore recent organisations that have joined the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower network.
8. How can staff support someone using the Sunflower?
The Sunflower indicates that a person may need additional support, understanding or time. It does not identify a particular disability or prescribe a specific response.
Staff are encouraged to listen, avoid assumptions and ask a simple question such as, “How can I help?” Depending on the person’s needs and the situation, support may include allowing more time, explaining information clearly, providing information in an accessible format, offering a quieter space or helping someone understand or navigate a process.
The same principles apply when supporting customers, service users, visitors or colleagues. The appropriate response should be guided by what the individual says they need and by the support available within the organisation.
Additional learning is available through the Invisible Disabilities Index, The Sunflower Conversations, webinars and other resources covering non-visible disabilities, communication, disability-inclusive language and accessible environments.
Evidence and impact
9. What evidence is available about the Sunflower’s contribution to inclusion?
Inclusion cannot be measured through a single indicator, and the Sunflower should not be seen as a substitute for broader accessibility and inclusion work. Its impact depends on how well it is understood, implemented and supported within each organisation.
Evidence includes published research, user surveys, operational feedback and personal experiences shared by Sunflower users and their families.
In Denmark, research by Videnscenter om handicap found that 66% of adults surveyed could recognise the Sunflower and describe what it represented, while 44% felt it had contributed to greater understanding of people with non-visible disabilities.
In retail, a 2020 survey of 1,771 Sunflower wearers found that 81% agreed that recognition of the Sunflower helped make shops more accessible for people with non-visible disabilities.
Operational feedback and case studies from participating organisations also provide insight into how the Sunflower works in practice across different sectors and settings. Its sustained international adoption—including recognition in more than 95 countries—provides further context, although adoption alone does not measure impact.
Taken together, the available evidence indicates reported benefits including greater understanding, easier communication and fewer misunderstandings. However, the Sunflower alone cannot create inclusion. Its value depends on whether recognition is supported by training, appropriate action and wider accessibility practice.
10. What changes do Sunflower users and participating organisations report, and what independent evidence is available?
Feedback shared by Sunflower users and their families describes how recognition of the Sunflower can make everyday situations easier. Reported experiences include feeling more confident when travelling or accessing services, receiving greater patience and understanding and having less need to explain personal circumstances.
Participating organisations also report that Sunflower training can increase staff awareness and confidence, helping employees listen, communicate clearly and make practical adjustments. These may include allowing more time, offering a quieter place to wait or helping someone navigate an unfamiliar process.
These experiences are supported by measurable findings. Published Danish research found that 65% of adult Sunflower users surveyed said it had improved their lives, while 60% of parents and guardians said it had improved their child’s life. A participating NHS organisation also reported a 25% year-on-year increase in the number of employees voluntarily disclosing a disability, condition or support need after introducing the Sunflower programmeme.
Personal and organisational experiences provide valuable insight into how the Sunflower works in practice. Independent research specifically isolating its impact is still developing, and further evaluation will help measure these outcomes more consistently across different sectors and settings.
Funding and sustainability
11. What does the annual membership subscription support?
The annual membership subscription supports the ongoing services, resources and infrastructure behind the Sunflower programmeme. The subscription covers more than the use of the symbol.
Annual membership may include access to staff training, refresher and disability-specific learning, implementation guidance, awareness and communications resources, digital tools, member support, official Sunflower wearing options and inclusion within relevant Sunflower maps or directories.
Annual membership helps organisations train new employees, refresh staff knowledge and access updated resources. It also supports the consistent and appropriate use of the Sunflower symbol, helping to protect its meaning.
The Sunflower is intended to complement, rather than replace, an organisation’s existing accessibility and inclusion work. Its value lies in combining a recognised symbol with the training, resources and support needed to use it effectively.
12. What type of organisation is Hidden Disabilities Sunflower, and how is the programmeme funded?
Hidden Disabilities Sunflower operates internationally as a social enterprise, using a self-sustaining business model to support its social purpose of increasing awareness, understanding and inclusion for people with non-visible disabilities.
The programmeme is funded through annual membership subscriptions, training, products and digital services. This revenue supports the operation and development of the global Sunflower programmeme, including training and awareness resources, digital infrastructure, member support and the production and distribution of official Sunflower wearing options.
As a private company, we do not publicly disclose a percentage breakdown of revenue by category.
This model is intended to provide the financial stability needed to maintain and develop the Sunflower and keep the programmeme available to the individuals, communities and organisations that use it.
13. How does your financial model compare with those of charities and non-profit organisations?
Hidden Disabilities Sunflower operates as an international social enterprise with a self-sustaining business model. As a private company, we do not publicly disclose detailed internal financial metrics, including administrative cost ratios or profit margins.
Comparisons with charities and non-profit organisations are not always straightforward, as organisational structures, reporting requirements and funding models vary. Hidden Disabilities Sunflower does not receive charitable donations or grant funding. It is funded through revenue generated from annual membership subscriptions, training, products and digital services.
Our organisational structure is designed to operate efficiently and support the delivery and development of the global Sunflower programmeme. Operating costs include the development and updating of training and awareness resources, technology and digital infrastructure, member support, the production and distribution of Sunflower wearing options, international logistics, governance and the people required to operate the programmeme.
This self-sustaining model is intended to enable the Sunflower to be maintained, developed and made available internationally over the long term.
14. How does the commercial model support the Sunflower’s social purpose?
The Hidden Disabilities Sunflower exists to increase awareness, understanding and inclusion for people with non-visible disabilities. Operating and developing the programmeme at scale requires ongoing investment in training, awareness resources, technology, governance, support and logistics.
Organisations choose whether to join the Sunflower because it provides an established framework that can help staff recognise and respond to non-visible support needs. This framework includes training, implementation guidance, awareness resources, digital services and official Sunflower wearing options. Revenue generated through annual membership subscriptions, training, products and digital services supports the continued operation and development of the programmeme.
People should not have to purchase or use the Sunflower to receive respectful service, appropriate support or reasonable adjustments. The Sunflower is an optional communication tool that some people find helpful.
This model is intended to support the long-term sustainability and availability of the Sunflower. Its purpose is to provide organisations and individuals with practical tools that can encourage greater understanding and more inclusive everyday experiences.
Our approach
The Hidden Disabilities Sunflower is intended to be:
- voluntary for individuals
- practical in everyday situations
- supportive rather than diagnostic
- complementary to wider accessibility and inclusion work
- sustainable in how it is delivered and maintained
We support any effort that builds greater understanding and helps create more accessible and inclusive environments for people with non-visible disabilities.