Hidden Disabilities
Adelaide Airport: Catering to the needs of people with special needs
An airport can be a busy and stressful place, especially if you are unsure what to expect on the day. It is even more stressful when you or your travel companion has a disability that is not immediately obvious to airport staff – a hidden disability. Hidden Disabilities can include autism, anxiety, dementia, mental health conditions, visual impairments, deaf or hard of hearing.
We want to ensure that everyone’s journey through Adelaide Airport is as seamless as possible, so we have implemented a program providing a way for you to pre-plan your journey or let our staff know you may need support.
Travel Tip: If you haven’t already done so, be sure to contact your airline and make them aware of any special assistance requirements that you may have. If wheelchair assistance is required, your airline is best placed to help you.
Hidden Disability Lanyard
If you or someone you are travelling with has a hidden disability, you can request a hidden disability lanyard. Wearing a sunflower lanyard when you are at Adelaide Airport is a discreet way for you to indicate to our team that you may need a little extra help, guidance or time with the airport processes. Our team have been trained to recognise the lanyard and provide the assistance and support you may need.
Tips for using the hidden disabilities lanyard:
- If you are feeling overwhelmed or have specific requirements, please don’t hesitate to approach an Adelaide Airport team member for help or to make a request.
- Please use the assistance lane at security screening. Security team members are aware of varying disabilities and will conduct searches as efficiently and sensitively as possible. Please note that this lanyard does not provide fast track access through Security or Passport Control.
- The lanyard does not provide a personal staff escort through the airport process. If you require this level of assistance or wheelchair assistance, your airline is best placed to help you. If you haven’t already done so, be sure to contact your airline and make them aware of any special assistance requirements that you may have.
- The lanyard does not provide guaranteed help with your luggage. If this is something that you specifically require help with, please contact your airline to see what special assistance they are able to provide.
International Regulations – This program does not exempt passengers from normal airport procedures.
- If travelling on an international service, you can proceed directly to the counter where Australian Border Force officers will check your passport.
- If you are travelling in a group, we typically only facilitate the passenger requiring assistance and the immediate carer (maximum two adults).
What if you need extra support?
If you have requirements beyond what the airline can provide we recommend you look at specialised assistance services such as Medical Travel Companions.
We also have our airport facility dog, Elmo, who will be available at set times to meet and greet customers that may benefit from the comfort of a dog to help guide them through the process if they need it. Elmo is usually onsite between Monday to Friday 9am – 5pm however, he does have weekends and public holidays off as he likes to travel himself. If you would benefit from his presence and you are travelling at this time please email [email protected]
Elmo Facility Dog
Can I use this lanyard at other airports?
Other Australian airports with the Hidden Disabilities program;
This program is in proud partnership with Spectrum Connected
Request a Lanyard
To request a Hidden Disabilities Sunflower lanyard kindly fill out the form below. Once your request has been confirmed you can collect your lanyard from our Welcome Desk situated on the ground floor near International Arrivals. The Welcome Desk operates from Monday to Friday from 8 am to 6 pm and is closed on public holidays.
We would also like to provide you with some useful resources to assist you:
- Adelaide Airport Disability Access Facilitation Plan
- Meet Elmo, our Airport Facility Dog
- Hidden Disabilities Information Sheet
At Adelaide Airport, we are committed to creating an inclusive and accessible environment for all our customers, regardless of their abilities or disabilities. Our focus is on fostering quality relationships and making the airport experience easy, seamless, and connected.