Introduction to Sunflowers in Sydney

The Sunflowers in Sydney Project is a valuable opportunity that the Powerhouse has been invited to be a part of. The Sunflowers Scheme aims to raise awareness and support of Hidden Disabilities across Sydney.

This project is NDIS funded and we are working in collaboration with Aspect Australia and Hidden Disabilities. There are a number of other organisations partnering with the scheme including the Australian National Maritime Museum, Sydney Royal Easter Show, Australian Museum, Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras, Gracie Jiu Jitsu Paramatta, Museum of Contemporary art Australia, West Tigers and Art Gallery NSW. 

At these destinations, a person with a hidden disability can choose to wear the sunflower to discreetly communicate to staff that they have a hidden disability and may need help, assistance or simply more time. The staff offer support in the form of being asked how we can help, listening to what is needed and providing time, patience and respect to the wearer. 

The Sunflower lanyard is available for visitors to pick up at all the Powerhouse sites, from the visitor services desk.

What is the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower?

The Hidden Disabilities Sunflower enables people with non-visible disabilities to access the support they need. It acts a prompt for someone to choose to let people around them know they have a non-visible disability and that they may need a helping hand, understanding, or simply more time.

Not all disabilities are visible – some are not immediately apparent

Globally 1 in 7 of us live with a disability. That is approximately 1.3 billion people. But while some of us experience a disability that is visible, many have a non-visible condition or experience a combination of both visible and non-visible conditions. These can be physical, visual, auditory or neurological and range from autism and ADHD to cognitive impairments such as learning difficulties and dementia, as well as mental health conditions. They can also be respiratory and chronic conditions such as asthma, diabetes, chronic pain and sleep disorders.

As diverse as these conditions are, so are each person’s access needs and the barriers they face in their daily lives. So some individuals with conditions that are not immediately obvious to others opt to wear the Sunflower to discreetly identify their individual access needs in shops, at work, on transport, or in public spaces.

Click on the videos below to learn more, please note these links are private, use this password to access videos: HDSS_2021_Sunflower

Making the invisible visible.