Sunflower lanyards/cards

Hello,

I do wear one and would not leave home without as I have found it so useful as many times, I have been struggling when out and staff have seen this and helped me. I have not had any negative expereinces nor being questioned about it. I did have issues in the first lockdown as people thought I was NHS and came up to thank me which was confusing.  

That is awful, why are people so horrible?! I just don't even want to go out. 

Yes, use the sunflower lanyard. You can get them tesco and sainsburys all you have to do is ask for one at customer services.

there is no one gate keeping them so you do not have to show evidence. The lanyard is not a medical exemption but indicates to shop worker that you may need assistance. this can make going through the checkout in the supermarket easier as staff will understand that you do not necessarily want to talk and go slower at the checkout to allow you time to bag your shopping up.

I have been physically assaulted and verbally abused when using one myself because i was wearing a mask and the lanyard. despite mine having both a card for autism, sensory processing disorder, adhd and BAM with a radar key attached some people thought it was okay to come up to me a pull it off from around my neck smashing my face into the trolley. highly recommend getting one with a brake away for that reason.      

Yes and these conversations are very new to me. I struggle with anxiety and can openly talk about that, but autism is something I'm still processing for myself without trying to explain it to other people. I think that answers my question!!! 

I know, it's so frustrating isn't it? It sounds like you know the reasons you want to wear one, unfortunately I don't have the experience so it's best to hear from those who've had to deal with the public whilst wearing them.

Your main decision may come down to how much information you wish to disclose to people. I'm always happy to talk to people as my experience with depression has shown me that some people don't understand what it really is, others may have issues of their own, but are afraid to discuss it out of fear of ridicule. I find that being open about it is also good for me. Not everyone likes to have those kinds of conversations. The lanyard may very well put you in that position.

Yes, I am aware that people are abusing the system. I wonder if people would abuse me if I was clearly not wearing one to avoid mask use (I am happy to continue with mask wearing). I just think I would benefit from the potential extra patience with one way systems and tills as this is resulting in me getting very flustered if I don't know where to wait/go for my turn to pay. 

I suppose I'm not needing access to special services as such, just a bit more time and patience with some aspects of shopping. 

Maybe people should just be patient and polite and I wouldn't need to be worrying about this!!! 

I know there is a level of controversy both in and outside the community over wearing the lanyard. There are also people who do make use of them in order to take advantage of services they aren't entitled to (I know you aren't one of them), as you are undiagnosed, it may be worth taking this into consideration as it could be seen in that light by others.

Those on this site who do wear them, could give you some insight into the types of interactions you might have to deal with if you decided to wear one. This could help to inform your decision.

I'm undecided myself over if I wish to wear one or not. My needs aren't many, however I do have struggles and I also like being able to use my position on my reception desk to demonstrate, that those of us who have hidden disabilities, are still more than able to function with the correct support. I've decided to wait until I have my assessment. I know I have other things like my anxiety and PTSD. I suppose I just wanted the full picture before I made the decision.