Event shines light on hidden disabilities
Shining a light on hidden disabilities and the range of disability sports was on the agenda for a special event at Beau Sejour on Saturday.
‘I wanted to promote the hidden disability sunflower lanyard scheme, which has been running in Guernsey for quite a few years now,’ said States disability officer Gill Evans.
‘And I’ve been thinking about how to enable clubs and societies to be able to be more inclusive and also help people find out more about what’s on offer in Guernsey,’ said Active 8 inclusion officer Caroline Barby.
‘So we thought bringing the two together would be a really nice opportunity.’
Sunflower lanyards are worn by people who have hidden disabilities and were introduced in the UK in 2016. They were often worn when people were travelling to show the person needed extra support.
It is believed that 20% of Guernsey’s population have a disability, and around 80% of these will be hidden disabilities.
‘People may be aware of the lanyards, as they were used quite a lot during Covid,’ said Mrs Evans.
‘But we wanted to reset the message a little bit because it’s not just about not being able to wear a mask, it’s about a much wider consideration.
‘The hope is that with an event like this, we’re giving people information about different disabilities and also supporting people with those disabilities to come in and to participate in some of the different sports and creative things that we’ve got on offer.’
Representatives from many of the island’s disability sports clubs were on hand with help and advice, including Guernsey Disability Swimming, Dynamics football club and Mobility Let’s Go.
Two of the most popular sports on offer were Boccia and Floor Kurling.
Paul Wheatley, from Mobility Let’s Go, explained how the sports could be adapted for different abilities, ages and disabilities.
‘Boccia is a Paralympic sport a bit like bowls, and it was developed by therapists to use more sensory objects like the gel-filled balls, and the Kurling can be used with ramps, brushes or even the feet,’ he said.
‘Even those who are partially sighted can take part, as we can use sounds to show where the targets are.’
