College of Charleston (CofC) psychology professor Cindi May and her community action teammates call themselves the Sunflower Seeds. Why? Because it’s a play on words to raise awareness of the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower (HDS) program projected to launch on campus in October.
Through the new program, CofC will offer people with hidden disabilities the option to wear a sunflower lanyard, which signals to campus personnel that the wearer may occasionally need additional support or assistance.
The lanyard system is useful for many people with unseen disabilities, such as those with autism spectrum disorder, Alheimzer’s disease, post-traumatic stress disorder, hearing impairment and other conditions. The opt-in program allows those with disabilities to still receive help without having to explain their situation.
“If I saw someone on campus wearing a lanyard,” May told the City Paper, “I might stop and say, ‘Hey, can I provide any additional support? Do you need any help navigating?’ Or if they responded in a way that was unexpected, then I would have some knowledge that this unexpected response might derive from the fact that they have a disability that I don’t understand.”
Part of a global initiative
The concept comes from a global initiative at HDS’s 2016 Sunflower Lanyard Scheme project at Gatwick Airport in the United Kingdom. It rolled out a training program in 2020 for registered businesses and organizations.
In the Lowcountry, the Sunflower Seeds are reaching out to businesses and institutions to recruit as many organizations as possible to train with the HDS program.
Charleston International Airport has already signed on to offer sunflower lanyards starting April 15, said Caroline Connolly, public affairs manager for the Charleston County Aviation Authority.
The Lowcountry Children’s Museum will also launch the HDS lanyard system June 5, said director of education Jennifer Sanders.
“What’s beautiful about it is you don’t have to come with a pound of documentation,” May said. “All you have to do is ask for a lanyard.”
May said wearing the sunflower lanyard in public settings can also be helpful for those with atypical social responses by indicating that the wearer may need additional support and compassion, such as repeated directions or additional support in navigating an environment.
She said the lanyard would be helpful in college settings such as the bookstore or cafeteria line in case someone needs additional assistance or just a “little bit more grace” if they are moving more slowly than their peers.
Since CofC has a classroom system in place for people with disabilities, the sunflower lanyard will mostly benefit individuals while walking throughout campus, although there are classroom benefits as well.
“Let’s say I have a student who is chronically late to my class,” May said. “If this person were wearing a lanyard, then I might approach them differently. I might say, ‘Hey, I noticed that you’re struggling to get here on time. Is there something that I can do to support you getting here on time, or can you talk to me a little bit about what’s going on?’”
How to get involved
The lanyard system only works if the community is aware of what the emblem means and if people are willing and eager to respond appropriately, May said. That’s why raising awareness is important.
May participated last year in Furman University’s Riley Institute’s Diversity Leaders Initiative to identify community impact projects and came across the HDS program.
“The beauty of the training is it’s eight minutes total,” May said. “And it basically explains: What is the hidden disability? Why are people wearing these lanyards? And how can you appropriately support someone with a hidden disability?”
To register your business or organization, visit hiddendisabilitiesstore.com/us. Use the short videos provided to train stakeholders and employees in your organization. Order the lanyards or other Sunflower items and make them available to your customers and visitors.
The Sunflower Seeds have created an easy online guide for interested organizations at tinyurl.com/sowingsunflowers.
“It’s really quick because you’re not asking people to do anything extraordinary — you’re just asking them to recognize that there are some people whose days are more difficult to navigate because of an inherent disability and [teaching them to] offer a little bit more support and grace.”
May said the hospitality industry nonprofit Explore Charleston and the Children’s Museum of the Lowcountry are also committed to implementing personnel training and offering lanyards.
Bringing widespread awareness
May said the Sunflower Project brings a higher level of awareness and understanding of neurodiversity.
“I was invited to be part of the Riley Institute because I’m very committed to increasing opportunities for people with disabilities in the community,” May said. “And too often, in my opinion, disability is not included in conversations about diversity. Oftentimes, we think about race or gender or sexual orientation. There are lots of people out there with disabilities that are difficult to identify — anything from PTSD to Alzheimer’s disease, hearing impairments, autism [and other conditions].”
May said she believes awareness of unseen and diverse disabilities helps people humanize one another.
“Oftentimes, we assume that we’re the ones who have life difficult, because we’ve got hassles at our work or in our family or travels — and we don’t always give grace to others,” May said. “This [lanyard system] gives us a way to understand people’s behavior … Especially in today’s climate, where unexpected behavior creates fear — and then that can result in an inappropriate response.
She said if businesses and organizations understand that someone else’s atypical behavior comes from a disability, then personnel can respond with kindness, patience and grace, rather than with fear and panic or confrontation and conflict.
Connolly said the airport is looking forward to doing its part to make every passenger feel comfortable regardless of their ability.
“Our goal at Charleston International Airport is to make every passenger feel welcomed, supported and seen by our employees from when they walk in the door to when they depart our gates,” Connolly. “We are bringing the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower to CHS in hopes of providing insight to employees and passengers that not every disability can be seen and to be patient with travelers who may need some extra help during their travel day.”
Airport guest services will have lanyards, wristbands and ID cards available for those who wish to participate and “Sunflower Supporter” merch for those who interact with passengers regularly.
Help keep the City Paper free.
No paywalls.
No subscription cost.
Free delivery at 800 locations.
Help support independent journalism by donating today.
