By Theo Uy

The Adelphi Disability Advocacy Group (ADAG), hosted the Hidden Disability Sunflower Lanyard reception on March 30th to kick off Adelphi becoming one of four colleges in the U.S that is a Hidden Disability Sunflower Lanyard official campus.

The newly implemented Sunflower Lanyards are a way of identifying individuals on campus who have a disability that can’t be detected by sight alone. Diabetes, autism, OCD and bipolar disorder are a handful of conditions that these lanyards are meant to help identify to advance disability advocacy at Adelphi. 

Hailing from London in the Gatwick airport, the sunflower lanyards were originally used to identify passengers with hidden disabilities who may need additional help when traveling. Seeing the potential assistance this system can provide in other environments, CEO of Hidden Disabilities Sunflower Paul White along with representatives from other organizations sought to share this system throughout Europe and now it has established roots in the U.S. and Adelphi.

Vice president of ADAG and sophomore neuroscience major Jace Savalli said, “These people may need additional assistance, take more time to understand things or may need a seat. There are many different reasons someone may wear the lanyard. Many have a card on the lanyard with important information on it or pins that people put with important info on them.” 

Savalli added, “As someone with multiple hidden disabilities I think this is something that is an important tool that can be used to help people who may need it. The lanyards may help people be more compassionate to people who are wearing one if they know what the lanyard means.”

ADAG leaders worked diligently to provide a welcoming atmosphere at their inaugural Hidden Disability Sunflower Lanyard event.

Many people with a visible disability don’t have it any easier. They often suffer from mistreatment and disrespect because of a disability they were either born with or grew into. Winter can be an especially precarious season for disabled people as accessibility ramps can be blocked by mountains of ice, making the terrain difficult. This winter, Savalli and other disabled members of the Adelphi community registered complaints for multiple accessibility ramps being blocked due to the weather. It wasn’t until the snow melted on its own did these people even have a chance of entering certain buildings. 

For more information, ADAG encourages all Panthers to attend their meetings or get in touch at adag@adelphi.edu . For further reading on the sunflower initiative visit the Hidden Disabilities website and to learn more about people with disabilities visit The National Center on Health, Physical Activity and Disability website.