A growing number of businesses and organisations are joining in with a nationwide initiative to support people with autism and other 'hidden disabilities'. The list includes Gatwick Airport, supermarket giant Sainsbury's and, most recently, The Mall Walthamstow.

The Mall Walthamstow officially joined the Purple Tuesday campaign, which focuses on changing the guest experience for disabled people and making the shopping centre more accessible. Every member of The Mall Walthamstow's guest-facing teams will receive up to date training in autism awareness and, once qualified, will wear a recognisable autism aware badge that shows they know how to deliver specialist help to people with autism.

People with autism or other conditions that may not be immediately noticeable will be able to collect a Sunflower Lanyard to wear upon entering The Mall Walthamstow. The Sunflower Lanyard is fast becoming the official symbol that shows employees that a person may require extra support.

The Sunflower Lanyard was successfully launched at Gatwick Airport: to date, well over 10,000 of them have been collected and used. Following this success, Sainsbury's became the first supermarket to trial the initiative, building on its vision to be the most inclusive retailer in the UK. After a successful launch at their store in Barnstaple, Sainsbury's will be rolling out the Sunflower Lanyard scheme to more stores over the coming weeks.

Here at Jobskin, we work extensively in the field of caring for people with autism and so we are excited and happy that the Sunflower Lanyard scheme is proving to be such a success. Find out more about how our SDO garments can help people with autism on our website!