Self-diagnosed dyslexics are now allowed to skip airport queues and are handed free VIP lounge entry.
Travellers with “hidden disabilities”, a term which encompasses a number of mental health conditions like ADHD and autism, can exploit a long list of luxury privileges without medical proof.
Holidaymakers taking advantage of the extra travel perks can enjoy a life of luxury in the airport lounges, sipping on free champagne while being offered an array of culinary delights, including hot food buffets and fruit platters.
They can also receive priority boarding as well as free seat collection, all with a simple wave of a sunflower lanyard.
The “Hidden Disabilities Sunflower” was launched back in 2016 as a way for individuals to signal they have a disability which might not be immediately apparent.
It covers conditions like dementia, Crohn’s, diabetes and epilepsy and is recognised all over the world, including 300 UK airports.
However, it also includes mental health conditions, such as dyslexia, autism and ADHD.
The scheme allows people to indicate they could be in need of a “helping hand, understanding or more time in shops, at work, on transport, or in public spaces”.
One who exploited the disability-designed perks said she felt ’embarrassed’
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The lanyards can be bought for as cheaply as £1.30 and require no formal medical diagnosis for purchase.
Lanyard-wearing individuals can also travel with extra bags – free of charge – and can fast-pass through security lanes for both them and their travelling partner.
Online influencers are showing off methods to trick airport staff into handing over the perks, with one, revealed by The Telegraph, telling followers: “Helpful tip – Tell your airline you have ADHD!”
Another, exposed by the paper, used a Sunflower lanyard to exploit a Virgin Atlantic flight – a system which she admitted was “tricky” due to overstimulation and concerns over losing baggage.
Around 300 airports recognise the sunflower lanyard
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In the video, she said: “I felt really embarrassed at first and like a fraud as I have not had an official autism diagnosis yet.
“It is really good to know that you can wear it anyway, you don’t have to prove anything.”
She claimed to be going through the “diagnostic process”.
A Virgin Atlantic spokesman said: “At Virgin Atlantic, we believe everyone can take on the world and we are committed to supporting customers with additional needs, including those with non-visible disabilities such as autism, ADHD, dyslexia and other neuro-diverse conditions, to help reduce travel anxiety and make journeys as smooth and comfortable as possible.
“Customers should contact our dedicated Accessible Travel Services team in advance of travel to discuss any support they may need, and they will provide assistance free of charge.”
Psychologist Dr Becky Spelman added that a support system, once widely known, would “inevitably” be a target for exploitation.
In the UK alone, some 6.3 million Britons are dyslexic, making up about 10 per cent of the population.
However, whether the condition is overdiagnosed has been the subject of heated debate, with many classing it as merely “reading difficulty”.
GB News has approached The Hidden Disabilities Sunflower scheme for comment.
