“About one in 20 people has some kind of thyroid disorder, which may be temporary or permanent.” – The British Thyroid Foundation
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World Hyperthyroidism Day is a day in which people come together to raise awareness around Hyperthyroidism.
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“An overactive thyroid, also known as hyperthyroidism or thyrotoxicosis, is where the thyroid gland produces too much of the thyroid hormones.
“The thyroid is a small butterfly-shaped gland in the neck, just in front of the windpipe (trachea). It produces hormones that affect things such as your heart rate and body temperature.” – The National Health Service
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Hyperthyroidism & The Access Card
Here at The Access Card, we support many cardholders to help them discreetly communicate the barriers they might face when out and about or visiting shows, events, or tourist destinations and have provided some more information about some of the typical access requirements we have processed.
Everyone is different and experiences their needs in different ways, but here are some examples based on our experience.
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Standing & Queuing
Whether you have difficulty with physically being in a queue for a significant period of time, difficulty with the concept of queuing, or have difficulty with being in a queue/ crowded spaces, the ‘Standing & Queuing’ symbol can be added to your Access Card to help communicate this access requirement.
Different providers have their own ways of accommodating this access requirement.
For example, Thorpe Park accepts Access Cards with the ‘Standing & Queuing’ symbol as proof for a Ride Access Pass.
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Level Access
The ‘Level Access’ symbol is not just available to wheelchair users, but also to people who find accessing stairs impossible or require additional space in order to feel more comfortable in a venue’s environment.
Different providers have different systems in place to facilitate this access requirement.
For example, Slamdunk Festival has accessible viewing platforms available at every stage, with the exception of the smallest ones if space is an issue. Spaces will be allocated on a first-come-first-served basis. For more information, please visit the festival’s website.
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Access to Toilets
If you require urgent access to the toilet because of your health condition, e.g. Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) or incontinence, we have the ‘WC’ symbol. This symbol discreetly communicates this access requirement with different providers.
Urgent access to the toilet is a different access requirement to a general need to use an accessible toilet and therefore the ‘WC’ symbol cannot be awarded for the latter. If you would like more information about this, please speak to a member of our team.
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Distances
For people who would perhaps have significant difficulty with walking/ self-propelling a wheelchair for more than a short distance, we have the ‘distances’ symbol to communicate this access requirement with different providers.
Different providers have their own ways of accommodating this access requirement.
For example, the Port Eliot Festival offers a designated accessibility buggy to help you around the site, it will be based in the accessible carpark on Thursday and Friday but can be contacted via the info point on the HAHA and the Bowling green. Accessible parking is also available. For more information, please visit the festival’s website.
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Essential Companions
For those that require a substantial amount of support from another person when out & about, we have the ‘+1’ symbol which indicates to providers that you would need a substantial amount of support to be able to access their facilities.
Different providers have different systems in place to facilitate this access requirement.
For example, Legoland Windsor Resort accepts Access Cards with the ‘+1’ symbol as proof for a free essential companion ticket.
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Additional Access Requirements
The ‘Additional Access Requirements’ symbol is used to indicate that you have additional access requirements that haven’t already been covered by the other symbols & you can communicate these access requirements with different venues & attractions.
A lot of venues & attractions will include additional information about their events/services on their website. This may include information about the use of strobe lighting & smoke machines during performances. Please refer to each venue’s website for this information.
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Face Mask Exemptions
More recently, throughout COVID, we have had a number of people whose needs mean that they are either unable to put on, wear or remove a face covering, or that they can feel distressed when wearing a face covering and as a response to feedback from our members we now have an additional face mask symbol for those that need it.
There are a number of face mask exemption cards and certificates available in the UK, but we are the only face mask exemption card that offers verification of your exemption.
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Thinking of applying for a Card?
If you think the above would be useful for you and would like to apply for your Access Card you can do so quickly and easily by completing our short online application form and uploading some supporting information confirming your needs.
All applications received from people with Hyperthyroidism during World Hyperthyroidism Day (1st June 2021) can use the discount code ‘hyperthyroidismday21’ to get £5 off a three-year Access Card.
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Further Sources of Information, Advice, and Support
Check out our full directory for how these symbols apply at over 1,000 venues in the UK and beyond.
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The British Thyroid Association
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“The British Thyroid Association is committed to promoting research and interest in the field of thyroidology and to the enhancement of clinical care to patients with thyroid disorders.”
The British Thyroid Association
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Web: www.british-thyroid-association.org
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The British Thyroid Foundation
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“We work with medical professionals to provide information that is reliable and evidence-based. All our volunteers have first-hand knowledge of thyroid disease. Through our network of telephone contacts, local groups and Facebook groups, we offer support based on patient experience…”
The British Thyroid Foundation
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Tel: +44 (0)1423 810093
Web: www.btf-thyroid.org
Email: info@btf-thyroid.org
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