Many families and associations have alerted Unapei about manifest discrimination in Disney parks in Paris.

Families have reported shocking practices: facial discrimination, denial of access, non-respect of conditions of access by the persons in charge of attractions.

Together with Unapei, families ask Disneyland to stop immediately these unbearable discrimination practices against persons with intellectual disabilities.

Facial discrimination above all

Persons with an apparent intellectual disability queuing in the standard queue are being denied access to the attractions and are requested to leave the queue. They have no other choice than identify themselves as a visitor with disability and obtain the so called « Priority Card » in order to have a chance to enjoy the attractions.

A Priority Card to better limit access to attractions

As a result of being granted a Priority Card, persons with disabilities are put aside: they are not allowed to queue with other visitors, they must access attractions through the exit door, they often have to wait till a set time to ride the attraction even if there are places left in the attraction, etc.. Besides, the Priority Card also compels persons with disabilities to respect different and derogatory rules to access attractions: obligation to go with an “able bodied person”, interdiction to use an attraction with other persons with disabilities during the full cycle of the attraction.

For instance, a group of 4 persons with disability and 1 companion cannot ride the attractions together. The companion must ride the attraction 4 times to enable each person with disability to ride the attraction.

EXCERPTS OF PERSONAL STORIES

A family – excerpt: "We were embarking the small boats when a staff member hailed my parents. He asked my sister, who has Down Syndrome, to leave the boat. My father refused and explained that my sister has the Priority Card which allows her to access the attractions. The staff member persevered, explaining that my sister should have queued in the special access area. I stepped in, arguing that there were no objective reasons for her to queue apart, and that nothing justifies this measure except for stigmatizing her even more while her disability is already very apparent. The conversation became heated, I opposed to my sister leaving the boat, we insisted again, but the staff member did not yield. My mother cried, everybody was looking at us.”

A group of persons with disabilities from a group home – excerpt: "Persons whose disability was not physically apparent were able to access the attraction without any problem, accompanied by a case worker. When the second case worker and the persons whose disability was more apparent (Down Syndrome) wanted to access the attraction, they were stopped at the first inspection point.”

A group of adults with intellectual disabilities from a recreation centre - excerpt: "We went to the special entrance of the attraction, for persons with a « Priority Card ». There, surprise surprise, the person in charge of the attraction told us that it was prohibited to ride the attraction with so many persons with intellectual disabilities, despite the fact that we had more companions than needed."
Etc… etc… etc…

It is not acceptable for the first European and French touristic destination to have such practices as institutionalised practices. Despite several written and live complaints from the families and Unapei, the management of Disneyland Paris has not moved an inch. Unapei can no longer stand the exclusion of persons with intellectual disability. Facing this violence, Unapei is pressing charges against Disneyland.

Please help Unapei, persons with disabilities, and their families: sign and share this petition to ask Disneyland® Resort Paris to immediately cease discrimination!