Disability services I use and would recommend

*All headers are links

Sunflower Lanyards

If you have a hidden disability it might be helpful to wear a Sunflower Lanyard to highlight to those around you that you have a hidden disability and therefore might require special assistance or adaptations to meet your needs. Many shops, airports, transport companies, hospitals and other venues and now trained to spot wearers of Sunflower Lanyards and meeting the needs of those with hidden disabilities.

I find wearing a Sunflower Lanyard helps to highlight that I have hidden disabilities beyond what is visible when I’m visibly sat in a wheelchair.

You can also buy cards to attach to your lanyard such as explainer cards about your hidden disability or cards for carers.

I’d also recommend buying Sunflower Lanyards directly from the official organisation as there are unfortunately fraudulent ones being sold elsewhere that look similar to the official Sunflower Lanyard.

Access Cards

Access Cards are a credit card sized card that identifies the wearer as well as outlining the wearers access needs. This could be difficulty queuing, needing one or more carers in with them, step free access, accessible toilet facilities, that the holder of the card has an assistance dog among other access requirements. The holder of this card can use this card when booking tickets so the venue are aware of the person’s needs in advance or they could use the card to obtain a free carers entry pass as the Access Card is a verified document of the holders needs.

I find my Access Card helps to better communicate my access needs as it’s clear and easy to understand what my access requirements are. They also provide me an easier and more discreet way to explain my access needs too as all I have to do is present my card. The cards you do have to buy and they are valid for a few years.

The main downside to Access Cards is that they’re only officially recognised at certain venues and other places so they can’t be used universally and generically to communicate and get your access needs met. I do hope in time that they are more widely accepted the more recognition they are given.

Radar Keys

Radar keys give the holder access to over 9,000 toilet facilities around the UK, these include disabled toilets and Changing Places. 

You are best buying official Radar keys as then they are most likely to work and be good quality.

CEA cards

For a small annual fee CEA Cards give the holder the admittance of a person into the cinema with them, this could be a carer or family member etc. to provide assistance to the card holder. Most but not all cinemas participate in the CEA Card scheme.

Though I don’t go to the cinema anymore when I used to be able to go to the cinema it was helpful to be able to take someone in with me in return knowing that they were also there to support me and care for me should I become unwell or need help.

Can’t Wait Card

This is just one of a few ‘Can’t wait cards’ that you can get for free. If you have a medical condition which means that you urgently need to use the toilet for whatever reason this card can help give you access to a toilet when shown.

I find my ‘Can’t wait’ card really helpful, at times it’s given me access to staff toilets when there’s been no toilets available to the public. It’s also allowed me to use the customer toilets in shops or cafés when I’ve not been a customer. It’s also allowed me to discretely explain why I can’t queue for the toilets or when I’ve needed to get past the queue to get to the disabled toilets/Changing Places.

Claiming my disabled identity

For Disability Pride Month I wanted to write about how I came to identify as disabled…

When I became chronically ill in 2012 I didn’t instantly see myself as “disabled”, I didn’t even initially see myself as chronically ill. I think this was maybe because at the time I initially hoped that my health situation would be temporary and I’d soon get well and regain my old life back, but over time as it sunk it that I was in it for the long haul I began to identify myself as “chronically ill”.

As the months and years went by on the word disability and disabled crept into my life more. For example I needed to use disabled toilets, I had a disability parking badge, I received disability benefits and and among other examples I sometimes had to refer to myself as disabled instead of chronically ill as it was more understandable to able-bodied people in certain situations. My health in public also became more public as I had to start using mobility aids too, from a walking stick to crutches to now an a wheelchair but I still sometimes wear a Sunflower Lanyard to highlight that I have invisible disabilities too beyond my access needs for my wheelchair. 

As time went on I also began to be more ‘dis-abled’ too - by the limits put upon me by my illnesses such as bad symptom days, by the barriers in society such as lack of accessibility in a building or by ableist attitudes and lots more things.

I slowly began to identify with the idea that maybe as well as being chronically ill I could also disabled too. More and more I felt more comfortable with the idea of being disabled and confident to present myself as a disabled person and being part of the disabled community. I didn’t know what the qualifications were to meet the criteria to be disabled but I felt within me that yes I was disabled too.

Under the UK Equality Act 2010 you are disabled “If you have a physical or mental impairment that has a ‘substantial’ and ’long-term’ negative effect on your ability to do normal daily activities.”

With the above two definitions yep I definitely do meet the definition of disability, but even if you do meet the criteria and would rather not identify as disabled that’s completely fine. Be who you feel comfortable being!

I now embrace being disabled and I’m happy to identify myself as disabled. feel proud to be part of the disabled community and I use my lived experience to help raise awareness: I have this blog, and also the opportunities I’ve done with Scope various M.E. charities plus some other random things.

Finding your identity isn’t easy; it was a bit of a grieving process when I accepted I was disabled as it felt almost a permanency to my chronic health conditions, like they were here to stay and this is who I am now. It was also joining a world of access issues especially now I’m a wheelchair user whenever I go out and the nightmare that can be and the exclusion so many people like myself and other disabled people face because the world isn’t designed for us especially when there are places that could so easily be made accessible if the venue wanted to. Or access issues with transport: taxis, buses, trains, planes even ambulances (yep in the UK a lot of NHS emergency ambulances don’t take wheelchairs on board!) Then there’s issues with work and getting assistance with work, disabled children getting the support they need in schools, lack of access in healthcare, the whole challenge with benefits and the stigma that some with that plus the paperwork and assessments, lack of disability representation and misrepresentation, ableism and so so so much more.

Disabled people are the largest minority any yet we are still fighting for equality and equity even in the most privileged of countries. 

It’s nice to feel part of something, especially during Disability Pride Month seeing different disabled people coming together to celebrate their disabled identity and share our pride in having disabilities of all forms breaking down stigma and showing what needs to change in society to make it a better place for disabled people.

Hopefully the more we celebrate Disability Pride Month the more attention it will get to everyone.

The Disability Pride Flag

This is the current Disability Pride flag. Within the flag each colour represents a different type of disability:

• Red = physical disabilities
• Yellow = neurodiverse (such as ASD aka Autism, ADHD, dyslexia, dyspraxia etc.)
• White = invisible or hidden disabilities as well as those who are undiagnosed 
• Blue = emotional and mental health disorders 
• Green = sensory disabilities (visual impairment, d/Deaf and Deafblind etc.)

The original flag:

The original flag was created in 2019 and had much more vivid colours and zig-zagged to represent the barriers disabled people face. However when viewed on digital screens it affected some people with photosensitivity and seizures and other visually triggered symptoms.

In response to this the flag was changed to the flag we have today; the lines were made diagonal and the colours were dulled. The red and the green were also separated to accommodate for those with red-green colour blindness.

It’s time to celebrate

When the clock stuck midnight it marked the start of July, for the disabled community this marks our Disability Pride month. 

A month to celebrate our disabled identity but unlike other pride months there won’t be merchandise, companies won’t change their logo to our flag - they probably don’t even know what our flag looks like. There won’t be any huge carnivals or parades in the streets with everyone disabled or able bodied joining in to celebrating disabled identity and achievements for disabled people. 

Even in the most privileged countries disabled people will still be struggling for equality, their rights, equality, dignity and equity. 

Posts on Disability Pride this month will probably only reach our own community the algorithms probably don’t think our posts worth a share to the world to boost our celebration or even an explanation as to why we even have a Disability Pride Month. 

I know this post won’t go far but at least you now know it’s the disabled communities time to celebrate this month.