Visit Ogden Joins the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower Program
Visit Ogden is proud to join The Hidden Disabilities Sunflower Program, training community partners and staff to recognize people with hidden disabilities so they can visit the area with greater ease.
04.17.2023
OGDEN, Utah — To help make Ogden a more accessible and positive place for all to explore, Visit Ogden joined the worldwide Hidden Disabilities Sunflower initiative, empowering people with non-visible disabilities throughout the community.
Participants in the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower Program display a sunflower lanyard, which serves as a visual cue for trained staff to provide additional kindness, patience, and respect. The program has been adopted by a wide range of organizations, including retail stores, transportation hubs, universities, schools, and colleges, with the goal of creating more inclusive and accessible environments for individuals with hidden disabilities.
“We want all residents and visitors to feel welcome in our community. This is a great opportunity to bring an internationally recognized program into our community to work to ensure that those with hidden disabilities feel not only welcome but acknowledged and appreciated,” said Sara Toliver, President and CEO of Visit Ogden
Use of the Sunflower lanyard is a way to alert staff that someone may require additional assistance, a vital visual cue that doesn’t bring unneeded stigmatization to individuals. Some common forms of assistance that trained staff may provide include:
- Allowing extra time for the individual to complete a task or make a decision.
- Providing clear and simple explanations of products, services, or procedures.
- Offering support and reassurance in stressful or overwhelming situations.
- Adapting the environment or procedures to better meet the needs of the individual.
- Avoiding any actions that may cause discomfort or distress, such as sudden movements or loud noises.
Since its establishment in 2016, the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower Program has been adopted worldwide by all types of organizations, all to support colleagues and customers.
The Sunflower has become a widely recognized symbol of support, with 450 universities, schools, colleges, retail stores, transportation hubs, and airlines and airports participating in the program.
Visit Ogden is proud to have provided Hidden Disabilities training to the following community partners:
- Weber State University Campus Recreation
- Weber State University Outdoor Recreation
- Ogden Downtown Alliance
- Weber County Culture, Parks and Recreation
- Weber County Sports Complex
- Powder Mountain
- Ogden City Recreation
- Ogden City Diversity Commission
- Ogden Weber Chamber of Commerce
- Ogden Valley Adaptive Sports
- Nordic Valley
- Golden Spike Event Center
- Awesome Autistic Ogden
- Hampton Inn and Suites Ogden Utah
- Tru Home 2 Suites by Hilton Ogden
- Hilton Garden Inn Ogden
- Courtyard by Marriott Ogden
- Ogden Eccles Conference Center
For more information on the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower program, click here.
For questions, comments, or to receive training for your staff on the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower Program please contact:
CAREN WERNER Community Partnerships Manager, Visit Ogden
Caren@visitogden.com O: 801-778-6252 | C: 801-814-6034
About Visit Ogden
The greater Ogden area has been continually marked as one of Utah’s leading destinations for travel and recreation. Outside and National Geographic Adventure Magazine both declared Ogden as “one of the top ten best places to live.”
Ogden, the crossroads of the west, located in Weber County is 45 minutes north of the Salt Lake International Airport. The area inspires visitors with more than 170,000 acres of National Forest, three ski resorts, hundreds of miles of single-track trail for hiking and mountain biking and 13,000 acres of lakes connected by pristine rivers for paddle sports and fishing. For additional information visit www.visitogden.com. Or contact Taylor Hartman, Director of Marketing & Communications at taylor@visitogden.com.