Eureka! in Halifax has become the first museum and visitor attraction in the UK to sign up to the sunflower lanyard scheme for people with hidden disabilities.
The green lanyards and wristbands can be requested for free at the museum’s tills by visitors who have conditions that are not necessarily visible, such as hearing loss or autism.
The wearer is then discreetly identifiable to staff during their visit should they require additional support. They can take the lanyards away with them to use elsewhere.

The scheme was first trialed at Gatwick Airport in 2016 and has since been taken up by other airports as well as several supermarkets and train companies.

“It’s important to us that our attraction is as accessible as possible, for as many people as possible,” said Liz Peniston, the content and experience director at Eureka!

“The sunflower lanyards scheme is a brilliant way for people to flag their need for support, facilities or just a bit more time without feeling exposed or singled out.

“There was no doubt that we wanted to get involved the moment we heard about it and, judging from the hugely positive reaction of our visitors, I’d encourage other museums and visitor attractions to get involved too.”
Museums who wish to join the scheme can purchase lanyards from the Hidden Disability Store and make these available for visitors to use and take home. Or they can offer additional support, such as fast-tracked entry, to visitors who come wearing a lanyard.
The museum said it has received positive feedback from visitors since introducing the lanyards earlier in the summer.
As part of its access provision, Eureka! also provides a range of free support and services for disabled visitors and their carers, including fast-tracked admission, a Changing Places facility, ear defenders and chill out zones.
As well as enabling staff to proactively support visitors with hidden disabilities and make them aware of the available facilities, feedback suggests the lanyards also help to raise awareness with other parents.
"Fear of being judged by other parents is a major source of stress and anxiety for people with hidden disabilities and their carers, but this scheme helps to raise awareness and potentially diffuse difficult situations," a spokeswoman for Eureka! said.
"We already use people with a range of disabilities in our marketing and now we can include sunflower lanyards to raise awareness of hidden disabilities too."