Holidays

I did a recent trip to Billund, in Denmark. It was the first time I used my sunflower lanyard in the airport and venue I went to visit (The Lego House). The airport (Heathrow) was OK, although I didn't get any help or get through security any quicker (probably because the queues were actually very short anyway). They did have a quiet room in Heathrow, with really comfy sofa's and some loungers where you could nap for a little bit, and the lights would dim and it was lovely and quiet... it was a huge help. I travelled with BA, and added "special assistance". What this meant for me was being able to choose a seat for free and get priority boarding for free... and that again was a huge help. BA staff were very helpful too. 

The hotel I stayed in was all self service which was easy enough, and was perfect for me. And the venue (Lego House) I visited also recognised the sunflower lanyard scheme, and they were very helpful. 

My tips for travelling would be:

• Get yourself a sunflower lanyard if you haven't got one already (https://hdsunflower.com/uk/) - on their website it also shows what shops/venues/airports etc recognise the scheme. Usually if they recognise the scheme, it means their staff are trained to look out and offer support to those wearing the lanyard. 
• Look at the venues accessibility policy. Usually you can find this on their website, in the menu (sometimes under "plan your visit" sections) or if you scroll down to the bottom and click "Accessibility". 
• Make sure you add on special assistance when you book your flights. Usually you add this when you book the ticket, and you chose the category that best matches your needs. You can contact the special assistance team with the airline to preselect your seat for free. I have copied a link to EasyJet (as an example) for their non-visible disabilities special assistance: https://www.easyjet.com/en/help/boarding-and-flying/hidden-disabilities 
• Some venues, especially airports or large venues, have a guide on "AccessAble", showing everything from steps, to how long it takes to get certain areas, what the toilets are like, the brightness of rooms etc, and I've used this before to prepare myself and what to expect at the venue. https://www.accessable.co.uk/ 
• Finally, a lot of venues accept the "Access Card", which is a scheme that confirm what your support needs are, adds a symbol to a card which you can then show at certain venues. This will sometimes help get a carer in for free or use concession rates, skip queues etc. https://www.accesscard.online/ 

There might be lots of other things, but the best bet is to check the venues you are planning to visit and look at their accessibility options.

I did a recent trip to Billund, in Denmark. It was the first time I used my sunflower lanyard in the airport and venue I went to visit (The Lego House). The airport (Heathrow) was OK, although I didn't get any help or get through security any quicker (probably because the queues were actually very short anyway). They did have a quiet room in Heathrow, with really comfy sofa's and some loungers where you could nap for a little bit, and the lights would dim and it was lovely and quiet... it was a huge help. I travelled with BA, and added "special assistance". What this meant for me was being able to choose a seat for free and get priority boarding for free... and that again was a huge help. BA staff were very helpful too. 

The hotel I stayed in was all self service which was easy enough, and was perfect for me. And the venue (Lego House) I visited also recognised the sunflower lanyard scheme, and they were very helpful. 

My tips for travelling would be:

• Get yourself a sunflower lanyard if you haven't got one already (https://hdsunflower.com/uk/) - on their website it also shows what shops/venues/airports etc recognise the scheme. Usually if they recognise the scheme, it means their staff are trained to look out and offer support to those wearing the lanyard. 
• Look at the venues accessibility policy. Usually you can find this on their website, in the menu (sometimes under "plan your visit" sections) or if you scroll down to the bottom and click "Accessibility". 
• Make sure you add on special assistance when you book your flights. Usually you add this when you book the ticket, and you chose the category that best matches your needs. You can contact the special assistance team with the airline to preselect your seat for free. I have copied a link to EasyJet (as an example) for their non-visible disabilities special assistance: https://www.easyjet.com/en/help/boarding-and-flying/hidden-disabilities 
• Some venues, especially airports or large venues, have a guide on "AccessAble", showing everything from steps, to how long it takes to get certain areas, what the toilets are like, the brightness of rooms etc, and I've used this before to prepare myself and what to expect at the venue. https://www.accessable.co.uk/ 
• Finally, a lot of venues accept the "Access Card", which is a scheme that confirm what your support needs are, adds a symbol to a card which you can then show at certain venues. This will sometimes help get a carer in for free or use concession rates, skip queues etc. https://www.accesscard.online/ 

There might be lots of other things, but the best bet is to check the venues you are planning to visit and look at their accessibility options.