The Sunflower Conversations
Welcome to the Sunflower Conversations, the podcast where we explore the experiences of disabled people with non-visible disabilities through the lens of the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower.
This is a space to hear authentic stories from disabled people navigating life with non-visible disabilities such as chronic illness, mental health conditions, neurodivergence, and more. While most episodes focus on lived experience, we also feature occasional insights from experts in healthcare, accessibility, and inclusion.
Whether you or someone you care about wears the Sunflower, our conversations aim to raise awareness, build understanding, and help create a more inclusive and compassionate world.
Empowering voices. Raising awareness. Challenging assumptions - one conversation at a time.
The Sunflower Conversations
Advocating for the Sunflower with Andrea Cartensen
Andrea Carstensen, a double Master's student at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) and Sunflower Friend.
Andrea discovered the Sunflower at Gatwick Airport after moving from the US to the UK for university. As a young person living with non-visible chronic health conditions, she shares her journey from Sunflower lanyard user to advocate. Through high-level UN advocacy and campus policy reform, Andrea has successfully championed the adoption of the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower at LSE through the Student Union, ensuring a legacy of inclusivity that extends beyond her time at the university.
If you are experiencing any issues discussed in this podcast, please get in touch with your healthcare practitioner.
For information:
- Learn more about the Sunflower hdsunflower.com
Hosted by Chantal Boyle, Hidden Disabilities Sunflower.
If you enjoyed this podcast, please rate, review and share it to increase awareness and understanding of non-visible disabilities.
Find out more about the Sunflower by visiting the website hdsunflower.com
Music by "The Emerald Ruby" Emerald Ruby Bandcamp and Emerald Ruby website
Advocating for the Sunflower and non-visible disabilities at LSE with Andrea Cartensen
Speaker Key:
CB Chantal Boyle
AC Andrea Carstensen
VO Voiceover
00:00:00
VO
Welcome to the Sunflower Conversations, where we explore the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower and its role in supporting people with hidden disabilities.
CB
I'm at LSE today, which is the London School of Economics, and I am with…
AC
Hi, I'm Andrea Carstensen, and I'm a double master's student of public administration and global affairs with LSE and the University of Toronto. At LSE here, it’s the School of Public Policy.
CB
And Andrea is one of our Sunflower Friends. And you have been working very hard as a Sunflower Friend, haven't you?
AC
Hope so.
CB
So we're just going to have a little chat just to find out why did Andrea want to become a Sunflower Friend, and what has she been doing. So first of all, why did you want to be a Sunflower Friend? Why is it important to you?
00:01:12
AC
So as you can see, I am a Sunflower lanyard user myself. I have been for a couple of years now. Originally, I'm from the United States, and I moved to the UK for university, actually. And since the Sunflower started here at Gatwick Airport, and that's the place where I transit through quite a bit, that's where I first started hearing about it.
I have some chronic health conditions. And so especially as a young person, it's not always evident. There's a lot of preconceptions about what disability is, what it encompasses, and what it doesn't, maybe. And so when I first saw this symbol, I thought it was great.
And then from there, really, it started with doing research and becoming aware myself. And then the natural progression of that was, I'm using it in a personal capacity, but how can I raise awareness? Because like I said, I didn't even know about this until a couple of years ago. And so I really wanted to expand the reach and increase the inclusivity around, and respect for, all people, whether or not you have a disability or are an ally.
CB
And that's brilliant. And I think maybe we can just talk a little bit more about what you've done, what you've achieved and what you've accomplished so far as a Sunflower Friend in achieving those objectives that you've just stated.
00:02:43
AC
Right. So I became a Sunflower Friend about a year ago or so, I think. And I am currently involved in high-level advocacy, specifically in UN spaces. And so as a Sunflower Friend, I was able to represent and share what the Sunflower is, and its utility, in some of these spaces where I travel for other types of advocacy work, and really expand…
Again, it's about expanding the reach and raising awareness with people who either have a very surface-level understanding, have misunderstandings, or no understanding or awareness at all. So that's where a lot of my work has been concentrated in this, is raising awareness on a global level, with people from around the world.
Especially, I specifically work in the Society of Youth Affairs. And so like I mentioned, there's oftentimes a stigma around disabilities, and it's perceived as something maybe that happens to older people, especially when they're non-visible. And so I've worked on that side for the past year.
And then like I mentioned, I'm a student here at LSE. And so LSE currently is not a member of the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower Network. And so as a Sunflower Friend, I was actually able to propose to the Student Union to basically put resources behind for the next academic year, to make sure that LSE joins this network. There are a couple other London universities that have already adopted it, but it's not on this campus yet.
00:04:27
And so we actually just came from the voting of it, where it was passed with over a 75% majority. And it will be automatically adopted for the 2025-2026 year. I’m very excited. The Student Union, they think that it'll be very easily implemented. And then the work really begins with the following up and building on the groundwork of what the Sunflower does.
CB
I just found that whole experience very interesting.
AC
Yes.
CB
Because it wasn't, oh, this looks like a good idea, let's do it. It was discussed, it was dissected, it was debated, it was interrogated.
AC
Right.
CB
I was asked questions. And that tells me that this is going to be implemented, and it's going to be implemented well, because that group of students in the Student Union, and the other members of staff that are in there, it means something to them…
AC
Yes.
CB
And they fully understand it. And there were some changes made, wasn't there, to the proposal of the policy. So what you've been doing is actually looking for a policy implementation.
00:05:43
AC
Yes.
CB
So that just means that it will have longevity here. So when you leave…
AC
Yes.
CB
As our ambassador, our Sunflower champion, your legacy will continue. And that will only benefit the whole LSE community…
AC
Right.
CB
Whether you're staff or a student. And we raised the point, didn't we, about coming in from other countries as well. So you can get your Sunflower lanyard before you take off, so you have a good journey when you're arriving in a new country.
AC
Yes.
CB
And then when you arrive here at campus, you still get that end-to-end Sunflower journey, which is what we're striving for, so that all sectors, whether you're going out, popping out for a coffee around the corner, that we want everywhere in society to recognise the Sunflower and afford that…
AC
Yes, exactly.
CB
Empathy and kindness.
00:06:36
AC
That’s why, as opposed to taking a more LSE, university policy-specific view, that's why I pushed for the adoption and the joining of the Hidden Disability Sunflower, because it's beyond this campus. I will be leaving in actually a week or so, and yet my Sunflower journey doesn't end here. Same with people who start at LSE and then leave. They carry it with them. And so that's why I'm really excited about it.
And I think, actually, some of the recommendations strengthen the accountability side for the university, which is really exciting. People really want to see this built upon to address other systemic issues around disability awareness and inclusion. And so that's really exciting, I think, and that's definitely one of my biggest achievements as a Sunflower Friend.
CB
Well, I just want to thank you on behalf of the whole community and the team behind the Sunflower, here and in the US, when you go back to the US as well. Thank you so much for your time and your effort and your dedication. It's you and it's the Sunflower community that really do empower that symbol. It's a very simple symbol, but there’s so much that sits behind it. So thank you very much, Andrea.
AC
Yes, thank you so much. I’m very excited. And thank you so much for your support too.
CB
It's been a pleasure.
VO
If you enjoyed this podcast, please share it, leave a rating and review to help raise awareness of non-visible disabilities and the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower. You can also follow and subscribe to the Sunflower…
00:08:28
If you'd like to share your Sunflower story or conversation, please email conversations@hiddendisabilitiesstore.com. Find out more about us or listen to this recording again by checking out our Insights page at hiddendisabilitiesstore.com. You can also find us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube and LinkedIn. Please help, have patience and show kindness to others, and join us again soon. Making the invisible visible with the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower.
00:09:05