Staff at Access Canberra Service Centres strive to help customers feel seen, supported and understood.

To help ensure this, Access Canberra is now a member of the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower initiative.

This aims to ensure Canberrans living with non-visible disabilities are better supported when visiting service centres.

Not all disabilities, conditions or chronic illnesses can be seen. The Hidden Disability Sunflower initiative encourages inclusivity, acceptance and understanding.

Hidden disabilities may be:

• neurological
• cognitive and neurodevelopmental
• physical
• visual
• auditory.

This also includes respiratory conditions, rare diseases and chronic conditions like diabetes or chronic pain.

The Hidden Disabilities Sunflower initiative

The global Hidden Disabilities Sunflower initiative gives people a tool to share that they have a hidden disability – if they wish to do so.

They can opt to wear a sunflower lanyard or pin. This visual cue shows they might need extra help, understanding or time, without them having to ask.

All Access Canberra Service Centre staff have received Hidden Disabilities Sunflower training.

They also have their own sunflower supporter pins.

This shows customers with hidden disabilities that they have the awareness and training to support them when carrying out government transactions.

“By joining the Sunflower Initiative it’s another way for Access Canberra to show that ‘we see you, we value you and we want to service you in way that best works for you,’” Service Centre Operations Manager Paige Ryan said.

Staff now have a greater understanding of the types of disabilities and/or conditions people experience and how common these are in our community.

“This training also helps encourage our staff to continue to challenge our way of thinking when it comes to how we offer our help, support and guidance to those we service,” Paige said.

More support for Canberrans with neurodiversity

There will be a quiet hour each Wednesday at Access Canberra Service Centres.*

From 10am to 11am, service centre staff will help to facilitate a calmer, less stimulating space for customers to complete their transactions.

Where possible, service centres will have music turned down and mobile phones on silent.

“The aim is to create a less stimulating environment for one hour each week, which will help provide a more inclusive offering to our community,” Paige said.

The Australian Bureau of Statistics estimates that 30-40 per cent of the Australian population is neurodiverse.

*The Dickson service centre, which is appointment-only, will not offer the weekly quiet hour.

Hidden Disabilities Sunflower lanyards and pins are available on the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower website.

Find Access Canberra Service Centre locations.

From 10am to 11am on Wednesday, service centre staff will help to facilitate a Quiet Hour at most service centres.

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