Building Inclusive Pay: The LEGO Group Announces New Initiatives to Support Fans and Colleagues With Non-Visible Disabilities, Conditions and Sensory Needs
The first toys to ever feature official Sunflower lanyard as LEGO® Friends, LEGO® Icons, and LEGO® DUPLO reveal Sunflower references to promote inclusion.
All 55 LEGO Minifigure Factories worldwide to launch Sunflower lanyard designs, allowing fans to personalise their minifigures as Sunflower wearers.
New partnership with Hidden Disabilities Sunflower to better support employees.
LEGO stores in Europe to become Sensory Inclusive Certified by KultureCity by end of March 2025.
Billund, Denmark, 3rd December 2024: To mark this year’s International Day of Persons with Disabilities, the LEGO Group today introduces a wave of new initiatives designed to support and celebrate fans and colleagues with disabilities, conditions and sensory needs that aren’t immediately apparent.
The company is partnering with Hidden Disabilities Sunflower to create awareness through LEGO products; supported by employee training. The Sunflower has become a globally recognised symbol allowing individuals to discreetly share that they have a non-visible condition which may require extra support, time, space or understanding whilst going about their day – whether that be in travel, shopping, at work or in public spaces.
First Toys to Feature Official Sunflower Lanyard
The LEGO Group is proud to introduce the world’s first toys to feature the official Sunflower lanyard, promoting awareness and inclusion across different age groups and themes. Developed with input from experts and individuals with lived experience, these three new sets are featured in this video and aim to offer authentic representation:
· LEGO DUPLO® First Time at the Airport (10443) for ages 2+, helps toddlers navigate feelings about airports. It includes a child who is a Sunflower lanyard user, a teddy, suitcase, pilot figure, security desk, and a movable airplane.
· LEGO® Friends Heartlake City Airport and Airplane (42656) for ages 8+, features Ryan, a university student wearing noise-reducing headphones and a Sunflower lanyard, along with eight other characters, a dog, passenger airplane, airport, taxi, and luggage cart.
· LEGO® Icons Tudor Corner (10350) for ages 18+, is the latest in the modular building range and centres around the Old Guarded Inn. It includes a neurodivergent female character who uses a Sunflower lanyard. The 3,266-piece set also includes a haberdashery shop, watchmakers’ studio and an apartment – where the character’s lanyard is kept at the entrance, ready for her outings.
Fans will from today also be able to customise minifigures using the Sunflower symbol at all 55 Minifigure Factories worldwide at LEGO House* and select LEGO stores, LEGO Certified Stores, LEGOLAND Discovery Centers, LEGOLAND Windsor and for US fans, also www.LEGO.com. This initiative aims to give fans additional opportunities to design the character they want to see themselves, a friend or family member represented as.
Paul White, CEO at Hidden Disabilities Sunflower comments on the work:
“Across the globe, 1 in every 6 person lives with some form of disability and 80% of them have a disability that is non-visible. HD Sunflower is excited to partner with the LEGO Group on raising awareness and acceptance across their fan and colleague base and can’t wait to see the impact that this will create.”
This partnership marks another milestone in the LEGO Group’s ongoing journey towards building more inclusive play opportunities. Recent research** by the brand revealed that nearly 8 in 10 parents say children today care more about diversity and inclusion than their generation did, and wish they felt better equipped to talk about it through playful approaches. Children agree, saying they care about everyone being treated equally (88%) and want to play with toys that teach differences (83%).
Fan Reflections
Jayden Sorhaindo 14 years old Sunflower user with Long QT Wave Syndrome, a life-threatening heart condition with no visible signs, said about the news: “I’ve loved LEGO play since I was a kid, so seeing LEGO characters wearing the Sunflower lanyard is huge. It’s incredible to think that children can learn about the lanyard from such a young age. For those of us who experience challenges that aren’t visible, this popular toy can bridge understanding and empathy. It’s a reminder that it’s okay to be different. I have a younger sister who is 4 and is autistic, she also wears the Sunflower lanyard when we go out so she will also identify with this, which makes this even more personal for me.”
Tasha Sorhaindo, mum to Jayden and Sunflower user with Systemic Lupus and dilated cardiomyopathy also commented “I feel privileged to be a part of this huge and important project. LEGO toys are for all ages, and the idea of having characters wearing Sunflower lanyards is truly remarkable and genius. Not only does this raise awareness, but it has the potential to combat bullying by fostering understanding and acceptance among children. This initiative paves the way for conversations that can help encourage everyone to wear their lanyards with pride, just like the LEGO characters.”
Martin Moxness, autistic adult Sunflower lanyard user and Hidden Disabilities Sunflower Ambassador with ADHD and Tourette syndrome, says about the work: “Seeing the Sunflower lanyard in LEGO sets is a significant step in normalising hidden disabilities. As a child, this would have been life-changing and would have made me feel seen and accepted. Even as an adult, it’s deeply meaningful to see such representation in an iconic product. This initiative is a milestone for the entire community and empowers individuals of all ages, inspiring creativity, fostering connection, and promoting inclusion.”
Driving Change Internally at the LEGO Group
Starting today, LEGO employees in Denmark and the UK with non-visible disabilities, conditions and sensory needs can pick up a LEGO branded Sunflower lanyard free of charge, while bespoke training aimed at equipping people leaders to better support teams will also be rolled out. Additionally, training and online courses will be available to any employee interested in learning more about the Sunflower lanyard and how to show support. The LEGO Group plans to expand it to offices worldwide.
Speaking on this new partnership, Lauren von Stackelberg, Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer VP at the LEGO Group said: “Workplace representation is critical to embed across your business as it reflects our consumers and communities, fosters belonging, and enables everyone to thrive. Our partnership with Hidden Disabilities Sunflower is a key step in supporting colleagues with non-apparent disabilities, conditions, and needs. By embedding diversity and inclusion in everything we do, we make LEGO play and experiences more accessible and positively impact the lives of our colleagues, consumers, and communities.”
Sensory Inclusive Stores
Extending on the news from April this year that LEGO House and all LEGO stores in the US and Canada had been Sensory Inclusive Certified by KultureCity, fans can look forward to the certification also coming to LEGO Stores across Europe by end of March 2025. KultureCity is a nonprofit organization dedicated to enhancing accessibility in public spaces for individuals with sensory needs and non-visible disabilities. Their Certification includes staff training and Sensory Bags available at certified stores to checkout at no cost during visit. Sensory Bags at LEGO stores include noise-reducing headphones, 3x fidget tools, emotional cue cards, strobe reducing glasses and a KultureCity VIP lanyard to discretely signal to staff that you have a sensory need.
