Link: https://old.reddit.com/r/autism/comments/1vqrfx6/wearing_a_disability_identifier_badge_at_the/

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The original was posted on /r/autism by /u/TeslaToils on 2026-08-17 12:49:57+00:00.

I will be traveling alone next week for the first time in several years without someone to help me, and people have been impatient and rude with me at the grocery store, my other major space I struggle with and need understanding or support at. I want to find a solution so people can either know I am autistic and think before they act, or if they’re going to be rude either way at least I know I tried.

Basically, I want a way to “signal” to others around me in these public spaces that I have a sensory sensitivity or a disability, not that I am intentionally disrespectful. The most obvious solution is over the ear noise cancelling headphones, but I can‘t stand them (comfortable headphone suggestions are welcome from anyone that also wears glasses and can’t normally tolerate them). I think a sunflower lanyard for my chronic pain and autism, along with a badge with either my support needs or the good old “I have autism please be patient” on it could help me.

The actual questions now!

If you are in the US and use a badge/identifier/lanyard in areas that are overwhelming or you need more support in, have you had people be understanding, have you experienced more discrimination, or have you noticed no difference?

If you are not in the US and use an identifier, what has your experience been too?

If you need support in areas like airports and do NOT use a lanyard or obvious identifier, what do you do instead? Just wear headphones? Just suffer through it and spend significantly more time recovering afterwards? Just have a note you hand people?