Hidden disabilities can be visible
I really enjoyed my conversation with Kirstie Law on Wednesday 15th January. If you didn't manage to catch hit you can listen to it on the BBC Sounds App until 14th February.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p07y228l
I caught up with a good friend recently. One of the topics of conversation was about the challenges of parenting children with a hidden disability. From the outside they look like everybody else, and yet we know they aren’t…. like everybody else, I mean.
Take the scenario of shopping in a supermarket – for the vast majority of the population that’s a fairly normal thing to do. If you have a visible disability, say you have limited mobility, or a sight loss, it is very evident to staff and fellow customers that you might need some assistance. Perhaps a personal shopper to reach the products off the shelves with you as you go around.
On the other hand, if you have a hidden disability and you ask for special treatment, you may get a very different reaction.
Thankfully there is now an increasingly universal scheme to help make hidden disabilities visible. Just like the yellow daffodil for Marie Curie cancer care, or the pink ribbon for breast cancer awareness, companies can now provide their customers with a sunflower lanyard to indicate a hidden disability.
First introduced at Gatwick Airport in 2016, the scheme has now extended to retailers including M&S, Sainsburys and Argos as well as NHS trusts, GP surgeries, visitor attractions, banks, hospitals shopping centres and so on.
So is that the end of the story? Alas, not. The scheme is only a few years old, and although it has been adopted by a large number of organisations, it is not yet widely recognised by those who are not affected by hidden disabilities.
My friend shared the story of a trip to the airport where they were fast-tracked to the front of a queue and although the staff knew what was going on, the other passengers clearly didn’t. This puts us as parents in the difficult situation of whether to use the scheme to support our child or to avoid the special treatment for fear of the wrath of other passengers or customers.
I’d love to know if you’re already aware of the scheme, if so how have you used it and how do you respond to those around you who aren’t yet aware of what it means.
