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Sunflower Lanyards Are Now Available At New Zealand Parliament In Support Of People With Hidden Disabilities
Visitors to Parliament can request a sunflower lanyard, wristband, or pin, upon arrival for their visit or make a request ahead of time to indicate that they have a hidden disability, or a need for accessible arrangements or support.
Supporting the Hidden Disabilities scheme is one way for Parliamentary Service to help make Parliament a place for everyone and allows more support for people that need assistance during their visit.
“We know accessing Parliament isn’t always the easiest thing for some people to do so we aim to identify barriers and work to reduce or remove them,” says Parliamentary Service Chief Executive Rafael Gonzalez Montero.
“Being part of this global network to support people with non-visible disabilities is a small yet significant step we can make towards being more understanding of one another’s needs.”
The sunflower symbol provides people a way of indicating to staff that they may require some alternative or additional support or arrangements and provides a prompt for Parliament Security or Visitor Services staff to ask what support a person might need during their visit.
“Parliament can be an overwhelming place to visit and this can be even more challenging for people with a disability that may not be immediately obvious to others,” says Senior Accessibility Advisor, Stew Sexton.
“Everyone has different needs, so it’s important that visitors have this option to help make their time at Parliament easier. Adopting a variety of approaches and options for people who need support is the best way forward.”
Security staff and Visitor Services staff at Parliament have received training to recognise the sunflower lanyards and provide support to people as needed.
Visitors still have the option to make a request for specific accessibility arrangements ahead by contacting Parliament ahead of their scheduled visit by getting in touch with Parliament’s Visitor Centre via email at tour.desk@parliament.govt.nz or by calling 04 817 9503. More information on planning a visit to Parliament can be found here.
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