To remind people that the Sunflower Lanyard is for Hidden Disabilities, not a Mask Exemption excuse for anti-maskers.

[EmotionalSupportBear]

Just wanted to remind people that the Sunflower Lanyard is there to let people know that the person wearing it has a hidden disability.

The scheme has been around longer than Covid, and buying one to wear purely because you don't WANT to wear a mask makes you a complete -insert offensive word here-

Thank you.

(obviously if you have a hidden disability/legitimate reason to be wearing one for mask exemption, i'm not talking about you)

Problem is, I have one because I have a GENUINE mask exemption. What else am I supposed to wear??

@MaxNormal

Problem is you get shit if you are unmasked and don't wear one.

Then you get some exemption thingy from the internet as very many have done, you can also buy your phoney vaccination card at the same time to allow you to go abroad! The vaccination cards need to be bar-coded and checked at airports, too many are playing the system.

I just love the people without a medical qualification saying how useless and full of germs they are!
🤨

@Eightandahalfyears

I’m exempt. I refuse to wear a lanyard as that’s not the purpose of them. I also refuse to wear a badge. If I’m challenged, I calmly reply that I’m exempt.

Then lets all, calmly obviously, play this game 'I'm exempt and you can't ask me to prove it'. It really makes a mockery of the use of masks to prevent/reduce the spread, I don't know anyone who actually likes wearing one so maybe we can all claim exemption.

Yes, my boys have sunflower lanyards (mainly for use in airports etc) due to their hidden disabilities but they do wear masks. It's a bit crap that they've been misappropriated.

@MrsArchchancellorRidcully

Problem is, I have one because I have a GENUINE mask exemption. What else am I supposed to wear??

Same for my daughter

She is mask exempt due to her disability.

She wears a sunflower lanyard with a mask exempt card attached a) in the hope that people will leave her the fuck alone (doesn’t work, but she remains ever hopeful) and b) as some way to alert people that she cannot wear a mask without having to get into a huge debate about it because there’s nothing else available.

While people continue to think it’s appropriate to question others about their private medical conditions and in some cases abuse them, she’s not got much choice

@Gilead

I just love the people without a medical qualification saying how useless and full of germs they are! 🤨

Love people without medical qualifications saying that they can tell who's exempt and who isn't.

Whether they are effective or not, it's the equivalent of having an old snotty tissue over your face. Of course it's germ ridden.

the point is, if you're not medically exempt, and you're just not wearing a mask because you don't want to, you shouldn't be mis-appropriating something designed to make the lives of the Disabled easier.

FTR, PTSD is classed as a disability.

i guess by peoples arguments on here, its ok to park in disabled bays, or use disabled loos, or sit in the disabled seats on public transport.

Fuck the disabled.. typical MN shit..

I wear a lanyard because I have anxiety and panic attacks frequently in shops. Due to childhood trauma (being suffocated regularly) I cannot abide anything over my face.

But my anxiety won't allow me to be brazen enough to go without a mask alone, I'm convinced security is going to pull me up or someone is going to shout at me.

So I wear a lanyard as protection against that.
I don't wear one usually. I didn't want to draw more attention to my odd behaviour in shops before covid.

@WorriedMumsDontSleep. it's the equivalent of having an old snotty tissue over your face. Of course it's germ ridden.
Do link me to the peer reviewed evidence that demonstrates this.
They are designed to reduce viral load, not to prevent you from getting ill, but hopefully to ensure that should you squire a virus it will be mild. Oh, and it may surprise you to know, most people don’t blow their noses in their masks.

Aquire!

But I understand what you mean about people who are just antimask with no illnesses wearing them simply to 'get away with it'.

My Dd13 is exempt because of health conditions that could be considered a disability, but are not visible.

She is constantly challenged on buses, in shops etc for not wearing one, when she’s alone or with friends. If she’s with me (I’d be masked but I don’t think that’s why it makes a difference) no one says or asks anything.

Adults going up to a child and challenging them all the time can be intimidating. So I support her in wearing a lanyard to try to keep this at bay.

@EmotionalSupportBear

i guess by peoples arguments on here, its ok to park in disabled bays, or use disabled loos, or sit in the disabled seats on public transport.

Fuck the disabled.. typical MN shit..

No one has said anything like that

Posts like this do nothing to help. Someone who’s pretending to be exempt isn’t going to read this and go ‘oh well @EmotionalSupportBear has said I shouldn’t do it so I guess I’ll stop’.

What actually happens is people, like myself, who have a mask exemption and wear the lanyard to try and avoid confrontation and aggression feel worse and feel like everyone is judging them. It makes it harder for everyone.

@NoEffingWay

I hate wearing the lanyard, it actually makes my sensory issue worse as I can't bear things around my neck irony

I have dyspraxia and find things touching my face unbearable, and they make me panic and forget to breathe. I tried so hard to wear a mask but find it triggers anxiety and makes me feel awful.

I only wear the lanyard in shops to avoid having to explain all of the above whilst i freeze because I can't wear hats or gloves because of the issues I have

Are you me?! Can't stand the feeling of gloves - check... lanyard around neck - check... hats - check!

you know what they do? They raise some awareness of just how much shit disabled people have to put up with, mostly from perfectly abled people who just think they can take something made to make our lives a bit easier, and life a bit fairer, because they feel like it.

As someone mentioned up thread, the fidget toys are a prime example, abled people thought they looked cool, so they became a fad, and all got banned.. i was lucky that i had my DS's written into his EHCP so he was able to keep using his, but all the other kids in the school who needed them weren't without a fight.

People don't think, and when you've had a lifetime of having to explain your disabilites, or reasons for needing adjustments, and someone comes up with something that says 'i have a hidden disability, i might need some extra help' and people who have no fucking business using it, steal it for some selfish reason, and then in turn make everyone else think anyone using it is an anti-masker, or lying about their disabilities, then it removes something else from us.

People who don't live with a disability will NEVER get it, and i will stand firm in my belief that anti-maskers who wear the lanyard purely so they can get away without wearing one/being challenged about it are complete and utter cunts.

See I’m not sure they ever did much. Because the purpose was too wishy washy all along.

I could see the point at places like airports perhaps but that’s about it. Pre covid I saw people complain that they weren’t approached by staff in a shop to see if they needed anything whereas if Ds wore one it would be a “do not approach” warning so how exactly does it help when there isn’t really a clear purpose?

@Shuffleuplove

Ok so what you’ve done there is inadvertently devalue the sunflower lanyard.

What has ‘devalued’ the Sunflower Lanyard is that I can buy one for £2.99 on Amazon and have it in my possession tomorrow when I have absolutely no reason to wear one.

We have more than one disability in our household. At least one is undiagnosed officially due to the age of the person and the process in the past.
I doubt very much many people who are actually 'just' anti mask go to the trouble of using the sunflower lanyard. However, it was the only option given to a large number of people who have mental or otherwise invisible disabilities, so that's what they'll use.
And there are a lot, a lot of people who have hidden or otherwise disabilities in the UK. So unless you are seeing more than 20% (significantly more) I wouldn't assume that they are not entitled to be exempt.

Anecdotally I have not seen anyone wearing one.

@WorriedMumsDontSleep

We have more than one disability in our household. At least one is undiagnosed officially due to the age of the person and the process in the past. I doubt very much many people who are actually 'just' anti mask go to the trouble of using the sunflower lanyard. However, it was the only option given to a large number of people who have mental or otherwise invisible disabilities, so that's what they'll use. And there are a lot, a lot of people who have hidden or otherwise disabilities in the UK. So unless you are seeing more than 20% (significantly more) I wouldn't assume that they are not entitled to be exempt.

Anecdotally I have not seen anyone wearing one.

Thank you!! Exactly.

Huh. I was told to wear the lanyard by my CPN. She told me to not engage with anyone who asked me about masks, not to even look at them, just lift the lanyard and move on. I do also have a letter from my psychiatrist in case police or anyone stops me (I was getting very anxious about that) but I was told to not not use that unless I have to as that's just letting myself get caught up with strangers and their problems and that's not good for me.

What am I meant to do?

(Have OCD, PTSD and bipolar affective disorder with history of hospitalisation. Wear mask on good days. On bad days it can trigger significant flashbacks and panic attacks.)

It is. And what used to be an extremely useful tool for us has become useless..... I really hope they bring out a different lanyard for people who actually need them to help them cope with their day to day life. Not just because they don't want to smudge their make up.

Why get yourself so worked up @EmotionalSupportBear ?

Whenever you see someone out and about with a sunflower lanyard (which, in my experience, isn't very often) you will never know if they have a disability or do not. Do you assume a certain percentage of them are fakers?