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Born without arms, Vitória had to endure being the subject of curiosity in the rural Brazilian town where she grew up. But she dreamed of being a dancer and refused to let anything, least of all her disability, stop her. Now she performs ballet, jazz and tap and shares her experiences with her more than 200,000 Instagram followers.

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Vitória Bueno, Dancer

In celebration of International Day of Sign Languages, Shanghai Disney Resort hosted a Sign Language Week. This video shows he joy of connecting with others via this wonderful language and how much of an impact we can make on other's lives.

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2020 International Day of Sign Language | Shanghai Resort

Based on the New York Times bestselling book series, Disney Junior's "Fancy Nancy" follows Nancy, a high-spirited young girl whose imagination and enthusiasm transforms the ordinary into the extraordinary. "The Fancy Nancy" creative team found inspiration close to home when they set out to introduce a neurodiverse character, drawing upon personal experiences with family members and friends. They also consulted at length with experts from the organizations Autism Speaks; RespectABILITY; and Hollywood, Health &amp; Society; all of whom offered valuable insights every step of the way. This episode premiered on April 2, 2020 timed to World Autism Awareness Day.

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Fancy Nancy ‖  "Nancy's New Friend"

As a successful teenage artist with Down Syndrome, Emmett inspires others through his work, including a commission to paint the American flag for the American Embassy in Croatia, his contributions to charities like the National Association for Down syndrome and the Greater Chicago Food Depository and his efforts as an abilities advocate.

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Emmett Kyoshi Wilson, Painter

In the "Doc McStuffins" episode "Hannah the Brave," four-year-old Audrey is inseparable from her spunky doll Hannah because she helps her feel brave during her chemo treatments. But when Hannah gets gum stuck in her hair and can’t go with Audrey to her next treatment, it's Hannah’s turn to be brave and visit Doc McStuffins, who gives her the necessary treatment to get her back to Audrey in time.

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Doc McStuffins ‖ "Hannah the Brave"

The Emmy Award-nominated, comedy-adventure series "DuckTales" chronicles the high-flying adventures of Duckburg's most famous trillionaire Scrooge McDuck; his mischief-making triplet grandnephews, Huey, Dewey and Louie; temperamental nephew, Donald Duck; and the trusted McDuck Manor team: big-hearted, fearless chauffer/pilot Launchpad McQuack, no-nonsense housekeeper Mrs. Beakley and Mrs. Beakley's granddaughter, Webby Vanderquack, resident adventurer and the triplet's fierce friend. In "Nothing Can Stop Della Duck!," a marooned Della Duck struggles for survival against dangerous elements on the moon. After a crash left her pinned under her rocket ship, she makes the decision to amputate her own leg and create a prosthetic out of rocket materials. Determined to get back to her family on Earth, she finally rebuilds her rocket ship and returns home to meet her sons for the very first time.
The "DuckTales" team worked closely with Jack Richmond and Tonya Osborne-Simpson of the Amputee Coalition for the storyline introducing Della Duck (voiced by Paget Brewster), who is twin sister of Donald Duck and mother of Huey, Dewey and Louie. Jack, an amputee himself, and Tonya advised on everything from story and character design to character movement/gait in order to ensure an accurate and sensitive portrayal.

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DuckTales ‖  "Nothing Can Stop Della Duck!"

Go behind the scenes and learn more about the making of Loop". 
In "Loop," two kids at canoe camp find themselves adrift on a lake, unable to move forward until they find a new way to connect and see the world through each other's eyes. This film breaks new ground by featuring Pixar’s first non-verbal autistic character."

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Pixar SparkShorts | Loop | "The Making of Loop"

Born deaf, Tyler had surgery at age 6 that gained him partial hearing but left him with a stutter. Inspired by his mom, he began painting when he was 10 and swiftly blossomed into a rising star whose portraits have captured the attention of sports stars and celebrities alike. Even after spending over a year in a wheelchair after breaking both legs in 2019, Tyler remains uplifting and prolific, teaching others how to follow their dreams no matter what.

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Tyler Gordon, Painter

Created for kids age 6-14, the hosted short-form series "In the Nook" enlists Disney Channel stars to help deliver inclusive stories throughout the year with relaxed and relevant conversations with everyday people who are making a difference in their community and in the world. In honor of Down Syndrome Awareness Month, Ariel Martin and Trevor Tordjman ("ZOMBIES" Franchise) interview Elllie Goldstein, a British 18-year-old model with Down Syndrome. Ellie shares her journey becoming a model and encourages kids to never give up on their dreams.

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"In the Nook" feat. Ellie Goldstein

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2019 International Day of Sign Language | Shanghai Resort

Go behind the scenes and learn more about the making of Float". 
A father discovers that his son is different from other kids in the most unusual way. To keep them both safe from judgement, Dad covers him and keeps him out of sight—but when his son’s ability becomes public, Dad must decide whether to run and hide or to accept his son as he is."

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Pixar SparkShorts | Float | "The Making of Float"

Deaf actress, YouTube star and American Sign Language (ASL) advocate Shaylee Mansfield guest stars as Willow, a new camper whom Gwen (Scarlett Estevez) and Matteo (Raphael Alejandro) suspect is actually a forest fairy, in the "My Fairy Lady" episode of Disney Channel's hit summer camp comedy "BUNK'D." Mansfield caught the world's attention when several of her videos went viral garnering millions of hits. She appeared in ASL Nook for more than 50 episodes inspiring families and children worldwide to learn ASL. "BUNK'D" recently marked a big milestone with the premiere of the series' 100th episode on Disney Channel and DisneyNOW. "BUNK'D" originally premiered July 31, 2015, as a spin-off of the hit comedy series "Jessie" (2011-2015). The series revolves around the hilarious adventures of the campers and counselors at Maine's rustic Camp Kikiwaka. Season 7 of "BUNK'D" premieres on Sunday, July 23 on Disney Channel and DisneyNOW.

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BUNK'D ‖  "My Fairy Lady"

Meet María, a six-year-old Wish kid who is being treated for leukemia. See how Disney and Make-A-Wish made her dream to be a princess come true with this first-of-its-kind Disney wish from a Spanish-speaking Princess Belle.

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Make-A-Wish | Meet Maria

After Ollie (Shaylee Mansfield) encounters her mom Birdie (Sarah Wayne Callies) talking to her Ollie's father -- whom she's never met -- she storms off, and Birdie goes after her. Ollie wants to know if she'll be able to meet her father, and she also explains to Birdie that she knows more about what goes on in the family business than anyone thought. 
From 'The Company You Keep,' season 1, episode 6, 'The Real Thing.'

The Company You Keep | Birdie and Olli Talk About Ollie's Dad

In this installment of Galactic Builders, one Lucasfilm employee and a FIRST robotics team in Chicago share how they’re improving the world through the power of neurodiversity. Julie Kogura’s job at Lucasfilm Animation turned her learning disability into an asset, and The Bionic Wolves share how their differences enable them to help others through STEM and robotics. Galactic Builders is created in collaboration with FIRST, the world’s leading youth-serving nonprofit advancing science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM).

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Building Connections with Star Wars at Lucasfilm

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Melanie Sams

Doug Clark

Marvel Studios’ “Eternals” follows a group of heroes from beyond the stars who had protected the Earth since the dawn of man. When monstrous creatures called the Deviants, long thought lost to history, mysteriously return, the Eternals are forced to reunite in order to defend humanity once again.
 
The outstanding ensemble cast includes Gemma Chan as humankind-loving Sersi, Richard Madden as the all-powerful Ikaris, Kumail Nanjiani as cosmic-powered Kingo, Lia McHugh as the eternally young, old-soul Sprite, Brian Tyree Henry as the intelligent inventor Phastos, Lauren Ridloff as the super-fast Makkari, Barry Keoghan as aloof loner Druig, Don Lee as the powerful Gilgamesh, with Kit Harington as Dane Whitman, with Salma Hayek as the wise and spiritual leader Ajak, and Angelina Jolie as the fierce warrior Thena.
 
Chloé Zhao directs the film, and Kevin Feige and Nate Moore are the producers, with Louis D’Esposito, Victoria Alonso and Kevin de la Noy serving as executive producers. The story is by Ryan Firpo &amp; Kaz Firpo, and the screenplay is by Chloé Zhao and Chloé Zhao &amp; Patrick Burleigh and Ryan Firpo &amp; Kaz Firpo. Marvel Studios’ “Eternals” opens in U.S. theaters on Nov. 5, 2021.

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Marvel Studios' The Eternals | "In The Beginning"

NOW STREAMING ON DISNEY+
 
Marvel Studios’ “Eternals” follows a group of heroes from beyond the stars who had protected the Earth since the dawn of man. When monstrous creatures called the Deviants, long thought lost to history, mysteriously return, the Eternals are forced to reunite in order to defend humanity once again. The outstanding ensemble cast includes Gemma Chan as humankind-loving Sersi, Richard Madden as the all-powerful Ikaris, Kumail Nanjiani as cosmic-powered Kingo, Lia McHugh as the eternally young, old-soul Sprite, Brian Tyree Henry as the intelligent inventor Phastos, Lauren Ridloff as the super-fast Makkari, Barry Keoghan as aloof loner Druig, Don Lee as the powerful Gilgamesh, with Kit Harington as Dane Whitman, with Salma Hayek as the wise and spiritual leader Ajak, and Angelina Jolie as the fierce warrior Thena. Chloé Zhao directs the film, and Kevin Feige and Nate Moore are the producers, with Louis D’Esposito, Victoria Alonso and Kevin de la Noy serving as executive producers. The story is by Ryan Firpo &amp; Kaz Firpo, and the screenplay is by Chloé Zhao and Chloé Zhao &amp; Patrick Burleigh and Ryan Firpo &amp; Kaz Firpo.

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Marvel Studios' Eternals | "Meet the Eternals"

ORIGINAL SERIES NOW STREAMING ON DISNEY+
 
Marvel Studios’ “Hawkeye” stars Jeremy Renner as Hawkeye, who teams up with another well-known archer from the Marvel comics, Kate Bishop, played by Hailee Steinfeld. The cast also includes Vera Farmiga, Fra Fee, Tony Dalton, Zahn McClarnon, Brian d’Arcy James and newcomer Alaqua Cox as Maya Lopez. “Hawkeye” is helmed by Rhys Thomas and directing duo Bert and Bertie.

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Marvel Studios' Hawkeye | "Becoming Maya"

Kayla Cromer

Disney Junior’s Firebuds continues its tradition of inclusivity with the introduction of Castor, a vehicular character born with a cleft hood.
 
In the episode “Cleft Hood,” Axl (voiced by Lily Sanfelippo) takes it upon herself to track a wee-hicle down and convince him to return to the hospital for his cleft hood surgery. But first, Axl must put herself in Castor’s wheels and imagine what he is going through. Writer Jeremy Shipp was inspired to pitch the episode by his son Henry, who was born with a cleft lip and palate. Henry also makes his acting debut, serving as the voice of Castor.
 
Prior the episode’s network debut, Disney Branded Television hosted a virtual screening and Q&amp;A with Firebuds creator and executive producer Craig Gerber, Jeremy and Henry Shipp, and Lauren Appelbaum from RespectAbility, who advised on the episode, for a conversation about the importance of onscreen representation.
 
“My son is very inspiring to me, and it’s not because of his condition,” said Jeremy. “He’s inspiring because of his attitude—and [he’s] a pretty positive kid. I wanted to do a story with a character like him.”
 
“When we wrote the episode, I did not in my wildest dreams think about my son voicing the part,” Jeremy continued. “At the suggestion of the story editor, I had Henry audition for it.”
 
In the episode, Castor carries a plush toy car with a cleft hood named Anya. The toy was inspired by Henry’s own toy of the same name—a doll with a cleft that was purchased by his mother when he was 2 years old.
 
“I felt if we’re putting Castor in there, who takes a page out of Henry’s book, then Anya should be in there, too,” said Jeremy. “I sent the designers a picture of Henry and I believe they got his essence. I then sent a picture of Anya, and the animated stuffy is very similar to the doll.”
 
Since its debut, Firebuds has introduced several disabled characters, including the recurring character Jazzy (voiced by Lauren “Lolo” Spencer), a young Black girl with spina bifida whose “vroom-mate” is a wheelchair car named Piper (voiced by Sammi Haney). Jazzy is the sister of Jayden (voiced by JeCobi Swain), a main character, and there are several episodes that are centered around her in particular.
 
“The disabled community is a group that I felt has been underrepresented in the past, so we wanted to address that in Firebuds,” said Gerber. “[In addition to creating new characters] to include more diversity, we also have individual episodes like ‘Cleft Hood.’ Our show involves medical first responders and we thought there was a great opportunity to do a story about someone who has medical issues that required hospital stays.”
 
He continued, “[We hope] kids watching at home with similar challenges can see themselves reflected onscreen and get a sense of sort of empathy from that.”
 
The team behind Firebuds collaborates with RespectAbility throughout the entire creative process, from ensuring the language is correct in the script to working with animators on depicting the series’ many different disabled characters. “We provided reference videos for the animators [while working on Jazzy],” said Appelbaum. “She doesn’t always stay in her wheelchair car. Sometimes she sits, or she transfers. Some people might incorrectly assume that someone using a wheelchair is either always in the wheelchair or potentially in a bed.”
 
RespectAbility also works with the Disney Branded Television Publicity team regarding how to properly promote the episode and/or character and share it with different members of the community.
 
“We create a good working relationship where the feedback can be ongoing and informative on things that we do in a greater way,” said Gerber.
 
“Cleft Hood” premieres Friday, March 10, at 11:30 a.m. ET/PT on Disney Channel and at 1:25 p.m. ET/PT on Disney Junior. The episode will be available to stream on Disney+ Wednesday, March 15.

The Real-Life Inspiration Behind Firebuds’ “Cleft Hood” Episode

On <a href="https://accessibility.day/">Global Accessibility Awareness Day</a>, ESPN Front Row speaks with Dave Johnson (Sr. Vice President, Technical Services, in Disney Entertainment &amp; ESPN Technology) about technological innovation that is enabling more accessible fan experiences with live sports: Real-time Automated Speech Recognition (ASR) captioning.
 
With the explosion in volume of live sports, news, and entertainment now available on our streaming platforms, delivering captioning for it all became impossible using only our legacy human captioning solutions. Disney and ESPN technologists, working in partnership with programming and business teams at ESPN and ABC, developed and implemented an innovative, scalable, and cost-effective way to bring highly accurate, real-time speech-to-text captioning to live programming. The result is a dramatically increased scale of live captioned content.
 
Led by software and AI development, this automated captioning technology and implementation was first used on ESPN+ live sports content, then extended to other parts of Disney (such as ABC News), and will continue to roll out across ESPN networks and other streaming platforms and networks across The Walt Disney Company within the next few years enabling more capabilities.
 
This work reflects ESPN and Disney’s commitment to enhancing accessibility and showcases their use of innovative technology to constantly improve the fan experience.
 
“This is a fantastic example of cross-company collaboration that leverages technology to create a better, more accessible viewing experience for more fans. Through work with partners and by smartly using the capability of AI, we’re able to enhance exponentially more of our world-class content with captions – and do it with incredible accuracy. And it will continue to improve over the course of its development and implementation. 
This approach has eliminated the 5-second trailing delay, delivering captioning in near-real-time. Plus, it reduces or eliminates paraphrasing often used in traditional captioning – communicating what is said, when it’s said, the way it is said. Viewers receive the same message, whether they hear or read it, marking an important accessibility advancement in live programming.”
— Dave Johnson

Disney’s Automated Captioning Enhances ESPN Viewer Experience

It’s Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD), where companies and individuals across the globe bring attention to the ongoing efforts of accessibility. Accessibility in video games is a very important conversation, with developers striving to implement options to help players with Audio, Motor, Cognitive, or Visual disabilities. As game mechanics evolve and change, so too has the awareness of disabilities in the population. Providing additional options for gamers with various needs allows for anyone to play to their level of comfort. These options help make players of all disabilities and needs feel seen and included in the conversation.
 
Let’s look at some of the amazing features our Marvel Games’ partners implemented in your favorite titles! 
<h3> </h3>
<h3><a href="https://www.marvel.com/games/marvel-s-spider-man" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">MARVEL'S SPIDER-MAN SERIES</a></h3>
<a href="https://www.marvel.com/games/marvel-s-spider-man" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"></a>
 
<a href="https://www.marvel.com/games/marvel-s-spider-man" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"></a>The team’s at <a href="https://insomniac.games/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Insomniac Games</a> is committed to providing the best in class accessibility features in their titles. From Overall Gameplay options to individual settings for your controller, here are some of the standout options you can access in-game now:
 
• QTE Auto Complete – Auto advance all QTE sequences without button presses.
 
• Aim Mode – Sets aim action to a toggle or a button hold.
 
• Skip Puzzles – When enabled circuit, spectrography, and surveillance tower puzzles will have the option to skip.
 
• Controller Layout – Fully Customize your control scheme or choose between presets. Up to two inputs (Default D-Pad Left &amp; Right) can be individually mapped to moves that normally require multiple button presses.
 
• Currently implemented in <a href="https://www.marvel.com/games/marvel-s-spider-man-miles-morales" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales</a>.
 
• High Visibility Spider-Sense – Enable a high contrast Spider-Sense effect.
 
• Contrast Options – Enables various shaders and high contrast options to help with visibility. Use presets or customize each setting individually. Including solid single colors on the hero, allies, enemies, etc.
 
Subtitles
• Subtitles – Display Subtitles for spoken dialogue.
• Subtitle Size – Adjust the size of the subtitles.
• Subtitle Background – Enable a background for subtitles for improved readability.
• Subtitle Color – Set the text color for subtitles.
• Subtitles Speaker Color – Set the speaker name color for subtitles.
 
PlayStation DualSense Controller Options
• Haptic Feedback – This option allows use of haptic feedback for the DualSense wireless controller. If this is disabled it will use classical rumble style vibration.
• Adaptive Triggers – When enabled allows the [R2] and [L2] buttons to dynamically change resistance during traversal actions.
 
Audio
• JJJ Podcast – Automatically play JJJ Podcasts.
• Danika Podcast – Automatically play Danika Podcasts.
• Controller Speaker – Allow certain sounds to play through the controller speaker.
• Controller Speaker Volume – Adjust the volume of the sounds that play through the controller.<a href="https://www.marvel.com/games/marvel-s-spider-man-miles-morales" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"></a>
<a href="https://www.marvel.com/games/marvel-s-spider-man-miles-morales" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"></a>
<h3> </h3>
<h3><a href="https://www.marvel.com/games/marvels-guardians-of-the-galaxy" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">MARVEL’S GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY</a></h3>
<a href="https://www.marvel.com/games/marvels-guardians-of-the-galaxy" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"></a>
 
<a href="https://www.marvel.com/games/marvels-guardians-of-the-galaxy" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"></a><a href="https://www.marvel.com/games/marvels-guardians-of-the-galaxy" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy</a> has a slew of options included to help you tailor the experience to your needs. Including:
 
Input type
• Hold/Press
• Focus Mix – On/Off. Allows players to experience the game with a stronger emphasis placed on the narrative and gameplay related elements of the soundscape.
 
Difficulty Settings
• Easy – You got this
• Intended – You got this, probably
• Hard – You don’t got this
• Custom – I do it my way
 
What’s great about the difficulty settings in Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy? You can further customize them with various sub-categories—
 
• Guardians Mode Slowdown – Slider. This value represents how much time is slowed down when you are in Guardians mode. The higher the value, the greater the slow down. 1 represents a complete pause, while 0 is no slow down at all.
 
• Damage Dealt – Very Low to Very High. The higher this setting, the more damage Star-Lord deals to enemies.
 
• Guardians Cooldown Duration – Slider. This multiplier affects the cooldown on each Guardian’s abilities. Increasing this value will give more weight to your decisions and demand more planning on your part.
 
• Huddle Auto-Win – On/Off. If this setting is turned on, you will not be presented with a choice wheel during the Huddle sequences, and the correct answer will be automatically selected.
 
• Cost of Elemental Shots – Slider. This multiplier affects how much Elemental Ammo an Elemental Shot costs. Increasing this value will make your Elemental Shots more valuable and require more planning on your part.
 
• Damage Received – Very Low to Very High. The higher this setting, the more damage Star-Lord and the Guardians receive from enemies.
 
• Shield Regeneration – Very Low to Very High. This setting determines how long after taking damage Star-Lord’s shield will begin to regenerate, as well as the rate of regeneration, and the extent of damage taken, while the shield is depleted.
 
• Death Event Timer – Easy to Hardcore. The amount of time an ally is in danger before they become overwhelmed.
 
• Vulnerability Timer – Slider. The length of time that an enemy retains the vulnerabilities applied by abilities.
 
• Death Gate – Very Easy to Very Hard. The number of times a player needs to be hit before dying after reaching 0 HP, as well as the length of time a player is in danger before they recover.
 
• Objects Outline – On/Off. If this setting is turned Off, the white outline around objects interactable by the Guardians is turned off. More observation will be required, and a regular use of your visor to identify opportunities for interactions.
 
• Compass System – On/Off. If this setting is turned off, the Compass system normally shown in the visor will be disabled. Less indications on your next destination will require more exploration.
 
• Hints System – Instant to None. The Hints system delivers hints when it detects you have been stuck on a step for too long. The lower the setting, the more rapidly hints will be delivered. The system can also be turned off entirely.
 
So why do these features matter? With the ever-growing complication of game mechanics and need for something new in each release, there needs to be an emphasis on allowing players to tailor those new mechanics in a way that they can execute them successfully. As a disabled gamer and developer myself, I rely on these features to continue to play the games I love each day. Also, any day I get to advocate about accessibility is a treat!
 
Though these are only a few examples of accessibility features our games, there’s nothing but confidence that this list will continue to expand and grow as the years go on. As long as we’re creating, we’ll continue to strive so that everyone can game!

Celebrate Global Accessibility Awareness Day with Marvel Games

Here at Disney, inclusion is for everyone – we all deserve to feel seen, heard and understood. One Magic Kingdom Park cast member, Walter Jefferson, puts this into practice every day as he communicates with guests who may be deaf or hard of hearing through sign language.
 
Recently, one of Walter’s many special interactions was caught on video and shared by a guest on social media. After their conversation, she said that Walter was her favorite cast member!
 
Walter started with the company in 2015 as a parking cast member at <a href="https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/destinations/animal-kingdom/?CMP=ILC-DPFY23Q2wo0302230308230009D" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Disney’s Animal Kingdom</a> and is now a guest relations coordinator at <a href="https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/destinations/magic-kingdom/?CMP=ILC-DPFY23Q2wo0302230308230010D" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Magic Kingdom Park</a>. His love and commitment to learning ASL (American Sign Language) started when he was a kid and has since flourished into a lifelong passion.
 
“As a little kid, I was enthralled with sign language. I remember seeing a man who was deaf, and I wanted to have a conversation with him, but I did not know how or where to start,” said Walter. “In that moment, I decided I was going to learn sign language. It started with simple greetings and that was my introduction to the language.”
 
Walter’s dedication to ASL has allowed him to connect with guests on a deeper level, demonstrating our shared commitment to creating magical experiences for all.
 
“Learning sign language has allowed me to make genuine connections with so many new people,” said Walter. “As a cast member, it also allows me to help guests from all backgrounds and languages who visit our parks, and I love making a positive impact on their days.”
 
Walter’s story serves as a reminder of the power of connection and the impact of celebrating diversity. I’m proud to be part of a company that continues to prioritize inclusion, celebrate diverse voices and be a place where everyone can see themselves represented.

Cast Member Creates Magic for Young Guest through Sign Language

Alyssa Ibarra kept a secret from her friends and fellow <a href="https://disneyland.disney.go.com/destinations/disney-california-adventure/?CMP=ILC-DPFY23Q3wo0331230405230001G" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Disney California Adventure</a> park cast members for the last eight months: she’s a contestant on the new season of “The Voice” singing competition.
 
But that’s not the only incredible thing about her. “Another fun fact about me is that I was born deaf,” shared Alyssa, who goes by Ali.
 
Ali’s profound hearing loss was detected when she was a baby. “My father was a drummer and my parents realized I didn’t even flinch when he was practicing around me,” she said. Doctors tried surgery, but Ali said she has come to rely on hearing aids and lip reading to pick up the sounds around her.
 
Ali developed a love of music early on, feeling the vibrations of the beat. “When I was little, I was working with a speech therapist and she had me singing songs. I’d sing on pitch, which surprised everyone,” Ali said. “Music has always been part of me. No matter the obstacle, it didn’t keep me from doing what I was passionate about.” By age 7, she was playing guitar and drums.
 
The 24-year-old singer joined the <a href="https://disneyland.disney.go.com/?CMP=ILC-DPFY23Q3wo0331230405230002G" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Disneyland Resort</a> five years ago, working primarily at the <a href="https://disneyland.disney.go.com/attractions/disney-california-adventure/incredicoaster/?CMP=ILC-DPFY23Q3wo0331230405230003G" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Incredicoaster</a> in Pixar Pier, playing gigs when time permits. She has tried out for “The Voice” twice before, but never made it to the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pwYgIktys6s" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">blind auditions</a> until this year, where her powerful rendition of “Killing Me Softly With His Song” had judges Kelly Clarkson and Chance the Rapper turning their seats around and vying for Ali to join their respective teams.
 
“I guess the third time’s a charm,” Ali laughed. It was only then that Ali informed the judges of her hearing loss.
 
Ali took some time away from work to focus on the show, but recently returned and was excited to see her fellow attractions cast members. In fact, until she was allowed to announce her appearance on the show on social media in February, most of her colleagues only knew of her vocal skill from her easy wins at work karaoke parties. “Everyone’s been so supportive,” she said. “I’m very blessed to have a cool job with amazing friends. Their support means the most to me.”
 
Ali said she has always appreciated the inclusive culture at Disney. “Obviously, I faced some challenges before I got better hearing aids, but everyone has been so accommodating. We all embrace each other’s differences.”
 
Lisa Ibarra, Ali’s mom, also works at the resort in Disney Photo Imaging, and she couldn’t be prouder. “Ali’s determination and perseverance has never let anything get in the way,” Lisa said. “I truly believe my miracle child is going to inspire not just those around her, but the entire world!”
 
Look for Ali in this week’s episode (premiering April 3 on NBC) in the battle round as a member of Team Kelly, where artists from the same team compete against each other. While Ali isn’t permitted to divulge how far she goes in the competition, this season of “The Voice” continues through May (check your local listings for details).

Meet the Incredible Cast Member Competing on "The Voice"

Disneyland Resort continues the Disney100 anniversary celebration with today’s reopening of the reimagined Mickey’s Toontown at Disneyland Park. At this animated neighborhood, families and young children can now explore, play, discover, and unwind together while enjoying new interactive experiences and returning familiar favorites. Guests are invited to play their own way, as the land’s environment and experiences allow them to see, hear, feel, and interact with each other in several ways.
 
“Mickey’s Toontown first opened 30 years ago, so there are generations of Disneyland Resort guests who have grown up with it and made magical memories here,” says Jeff Shaver-Moskowitz, Portfolio Executive Producer at Walt Disney Imagineering. “Walt Disney Imagineering set out to keep the essence of what makes Mickey’s Toontown special for so many, while evolving it for the coming generations of families who can’t wait to make new memories here.”
 
The reimagined Mickey’s Toontown was intentionally designed by Walt Disney Imagineering to try to remove as many barriers to play as possible, with more open green spaces for gathering and play. Guests can now experience thoughtful elements for different needs, including companion restrooms, a quieter area for decompression, and a curb-free land that helps make navigation easier for guests of differing abilities.
 
“We wanted to make sure that for big kids, for adults, this land is designed for them as well,” Shaver-Moskowitz says. “We know a day at Disneyland can be hectic and chaotic, running from one attraction to another and one reservation to the next. We wanted Toontown to not only be exciting, but also decompressing and relaxing and welcoming.”
 
Some of the newly designed areas in Mickey’s Toontown include:
 
• CenTOONial Park: The first space guests see when they enter the land is anchored by two new interactive play experiences: a stunning fountain featuring water tables designed for play, inviting guests to have a sensory experience, plus a dreaming tree with sculpted roots for kids to crawl around and explore.
 
• Goofy’s How-To-Play Yard: In the whimsical sound garden, kids can discover new ways to make wacky noises, or play in an all-new, elevated clubhouse. Inside Goofy’s House, guests can help operate a fun, interactive candy-making contraption that only Goofy could imagine.
 
• Donald’s Duck Pond: Little ones can get the wiggles out and make a splash. Perched in the duck pond, Donald’s Boat is surrounded by larger-than-life spinning water lilies, balance beams, and rocking toys. Explorers can peer through the boat’s portholes to witness bubbles of fun inside featuring familiar ducklings Huey, Dewey, Louie, and Webby.
 
“We’ve got a lot of guests who utilize our parks in different ways, who see, hear, feel our experiences in different ways,” Shaver-Moskowitz says. “We want every child to know that when it came to this land, it was designed for them—that they were seen, and that this place welcomes them.”
 
Mickey’s Toontown is home to the new attraction Mickey &amp; Minnie’s Runaway Railway, which opened January 27. With no age/height restriction, families can travel together into the wacky and unpredictable cartoon world of Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse. Now, with the reopening of the reimagined Mickey’s Toontown, the young and the young at heart can once again enjoy returning attractions including Mickey’s House, Minnie’s House, and Roger Rabbit’s Car Toon Spin. Plus, the fun-sized attraction has transformed into Chip ‘n’ Dale’s GADGETcoaster, where guests can go nuts on a coaster created by the resident tinkerer of Mickey’s Toontown, Gadget Hackwrench.

Reimagined Mickey’s Toontown Ushers in a New Era of Play

ESPN once again covers the Special Olympics World Games, this time in Berlin, Germany, beginning Saturday at 3 p.m. ET on ABC. ESPN will feature more than 220 hours of live-streaming competition coverage from 13 sports on ESPN+ and ESPN3.
 
Special Olympics athlete Daina Shilts has reported the USA or World Games for ESPN since 2018. The snowboarder reflects on her ESPN experiences throughout the years, how she prepares for her reporting role, and why fans should be tuning in to the largest inclusive sports event in the world.
 
What does it mean to you to be reporting on a passion project of yours? 
 
It’s a dream come true. My ESPN family treats me like everyone else, which means the world to me, and I can’t wait for the World Games so I can share these athletes’ remarkable stories.
 
I enjoy reporting because I can relate to these athletes and share my perspective on it. Whether it’s before competition, winning a medal or simply just being nervous for the moment, I understand.
 
What’s your game day coverage preparation like?
 
I always get pumped up on game day and want to make sure I look my best for the camera with the right outfit – props to our makeup people! No go-to snack for me; I just make sure I do eat something.
 
Other than that, I’m pretty simple. I just make sure I’m prepared for whatever sport or sports I’m covering.
 
For those new to Special Olympics and/or the World Games and looking to learn more, can you explain why they should tune in?
 
They are going to see some of the best athletes representing their countries and learn that a disability won’t stop these competitors. Watching these spectacular athletes will provide fans with a different look on life and a new outlook for those who turn their disability into abilities!

Daina Shilts on Reporting on Special Olympics World Games

Caitlin Clark took her talents to the sidelines for Special Olympics Southern California.

Caitlin Clark Coaches at Special Olympics Southern California

Did you know April is Autism Acceptance Month? In honor of the month, we are proud to share a little more about Guillermo, a Custodial cast member at <a href="https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/destinations/hollywood-studios/?CMP=ILC-DPFY23Q2wo0223230014F" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Disney’s Hollywood Studios</a>, and shine a spotlight on the stories of our cast members with autism. So, let’s begin with one of Guillermo’s favorite phrases: “Lights…Cameras…Action!”
 
Guillermo has been a fan of moviemaking since he was a child. A Florida native and lifelong Disney fan, some of his favorite flicks include all the Star Wars films, “Dinosaur” and “The Little Mermaid.” He can recite entire movie scripts by memory and loves to share his favorite film and Disney facts with all he meets. So, when searching for jobs, there was no question – he wanted to work at <a href="https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/?CMP=ILC-DPFY23Q2wo0223230017F" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Walt Disney World Resort</a>.
 
After filling out his paperwork and attending a local job fair, Guillermo received an offer for a Custodial role on the spot, where he has thrived for the past nine years. He was an opening cast member at <a href="https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/destinations/animal-kingdom/pandora-world-of-avatar/?CMP=ILC-DPFY23Q2wo0223230018F" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Pandora — The World of Avatar</a> and recently transferred to Disney’s Hollywood Studios for the opening of <a href="https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/destinations/hollywood-studios/star-wars-galaxys-edge/?CMP=ILC-DPFY23Q2wo0223230019F" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Star Wars: </a><a href="https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/destinations/hollywood-studios/star-wars-galaxys-edge/?CMP=ILC-DPFY23Q2wo0223230019F" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Galaxy’s Edge</a>, where he can enter the worlds of some of his favorite movies each day. His favorite moments on the job? Sharing some of his favorite bits of film trivia with guests as he keeps the park sparkling. 
 
“Movies are a part of who I am,” Guillermo explains. “One of my favorite Disney songs is “Part of Your World” because Ariel sings about how she wants to be where the people are, and so do I. My autism will never be a barrier for me.”
 
Through The Walt Disney Company’s <a href="https://disney.guildeducation.com/partner?CMP=ILC-DPFY23Q2wo0223230020F" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Disney Aspire</a> program, which helps cast members make the most of their future through flexible educational opportunities, Guillermo was able to receive both his high school diploma and a Technical Certificate in Digital Media Video Production from Valencia College. He hopes to pursue his love of moviemaking full time as a video producer for the company, even setting up his own independent production company to grow his skills.
 
“My advice to others with autism is to always trust in yourself. The sky is the limit ‘to infinity and beyond,’ so always look to the stars and know anything is possible.”
 
If you’re ever visiting Disney’s Hollywood Studios, be sure to stop and say hello to Guillermo. You may see him walking the red carpet in the future!

Celebrating Autism Acceptance Month with Disney Cast

As we strive to make our stories accessible to all audiences, Disney Theatrical Group recently held sensory inclusive performances of Frozen and The Lion King for theatergoers across the country. Performed in supportive and judgment-free environments, these shows provided an opportunity for autistic individuals, as well as people with sensory processing disorders and other disabilities, to enjoy the shared experience of live theatre.
 
To make this feat possible, Disney Theatrical Productions partnered with Aspire, a local nonprofit expert in disability inclusion. Aspire's team of accessibility specialists provided a sensory audit, supported environmental planning, trained staff and volunteers, and helped to ensure an inclusive and welcoming guest experience. Slight adjustments to the production were implemented, including low house lights, exclusion of strobe lighting, and softened sounds.
 
The lobby also offered quiet spaces and activity areas for families. Guests were encouraged to bring their own sensory items, seat cushions, comfort objects, and extra support items to the theater to use during the performance.

Disney Theatrical Group Offers Sensory-Friendly Performances

From June 17-25 in Berlin, Germany, more than 7,000 athletes from 180 global delegations will compete in 26 sports as part of the largest inclusive sports event in the world — Special Olympics World Games Berlin 2023. ABC and ESPN media platforms will again bring coverage of the World Games throughout the week, including coverage of the World Games Opening Ceremony, more than 220 hours of live streaming competition coverage and a “Best Of Special Olympics World Games Berlin 2023” recap show.
 
Good Morning America’s Robin Roberts will co-host the broadcast from the historic Brandenburg Gate in Berlin on June 16.
 
Games coverage begins with the World Games Opening Ceremony on June 17 at 3 p.m. ET on ABC. The three-hour telecast from Olympiastadion in Berlin will capture the inspiration and pageantry of the Opening Ceremony and the parade of athletes and will feature vignettes capturing the incredible stories of several athletes from around the globe.
 
Kevin Neghandi, Jen Lada, and Special Olympics athlete Daina Shilts will host the Opening Ceremony coverage, with reporting from Tim Tebow and Julie Foudy. GMA’s Robin Roberts will serve as the Master of Ceremony.
 
Throughout the week (June 18-25), ESPN will feature more than 220 hours of live-streaming competition coverage from 13 sports on ESPN+ and ESPN3. ESPN will provide enhanced coverage for three sports — Athletics (Track &amp; Field), Swimming, and Powerlifting — with original commentary and additional production elements, with world feed coverage of the remaining 10 sports (Artistic Gymnastics, Basketball – both 5v5 and 3v3, Futsal, Handball, Hockey, Rhythmic Gymnastics, Soccer and Volleyball — both indoor and beach).
 
Additional content will be featured across ESPN’s digital (ESPN.com, the ESPN App), linear, and social media channels.
 
“ESPN’s commitment to coverage across both ESPN+ and ESPN3 shows how much we value our broadcast partnership, reaching more than 185 countries and territories worldwide,” said Kate Jackson, ESPN Vice President, Production. “Special Olympics stands for unity and inclusion, and those messages have never been more important. We’re so proud to cover these games and share these remarkable athletes’ stories.”
 
ESPN’s coverage will feature five Olympic and Paralympic athletes who totaled 11 Olympic medals — Victoria Arlen, Rowdy Gaines, Cheryl Haworth, Dan O’Brien, Julie Foudy — along with commentary from Drew Fellios, Jason Ross Jr., and Patrick Kinas, and reporting from Alexis Nunes and Kelsey Riggs.
 
ESPN’s coverage will be rounded out with a two-hour Best Of Special Olympics World Games Berlin 2023 program July 2 at 1 p.m. ET on ABC, capturing and recapping the top moments from the World Games, along with original multiple features and stories.
 
“It’s an absolute privilege for all of us at ESPN and The Walt Disney Company to tell the stories of inclusion, unity, and teamwork by athletes with intellectual disabilities competing from around the world at Special Olympics World Games in Berlin,” said Kevin Martinez, Vice President of ESPN Corporate Citizenship. “The Special Olympics movement promotes acceptance, camaraderie and human potential in ways that can only be accomplished through sport.”
 
ESPN &amp; SPECIAL OLYMPICS
 
ESPN’s relationship with Special Olympics spans more than 40 years. Since 2013 that relationship has deepened, with ESPN serving as the official media partner for Special Olympics World Games and USA Games events in Los Angeles (2015), Austria (2017), Seattle (2018), Abu Dhabi (2019), and Orlando (2022) as well as the 50th Anniversary of Special Olympics.
 
Additionally, ESPN and Special Olympics have a long-standing alliance to use the power of sports to promote social inclusion and acceptance through support and sponsorship of Special Olympics Unified Sports®. Dedicated to promoting social inclusion through shared sports training and competition experiences, Unified Sports® joins people with and without intellectual disabilities on the same team. It was inspired by a simple principle: training together and playing together is a quick path to friendship and understanding. Since 2013, ESPN has been the Global Presenting Sponsor of Unified Sports® resulting in a 182 percent increase in Unified participants globally, bringing the number to over $1.8 million participants.
 
ESPN employees have volunteered with Special Olympics for nearly 40 years.

ESPN’s Coverage of Special Olympics World Games Berlin 2023

Music from Wondrous Journeys is now available to stream; new ways to celebrate the Oscars® at Disney Parks; remembering Disney Legend Burny Mattison; the creep-tacular Haunted Mansion teaser trailer materializes; haunting scoop on the new season of Secrets of Sulphur Springs; Miley Cyrus and Disney are reuniting; Disney+ releases a trailer for The Crossover; details on Jeremy Renner’s Rennervations; Typhoon Lagoon reopening date announced; a new doll in a wheelchair added to Magic Kingdom’s “it’s a small world”; and one of the original Disney Railroad steam engines returns to service. Plus, The Mandalorian star Katee Sackhoff on series surprises, Disneyland days, how Bo-Katan is a Disney Princess, and why she loves Jar Jar Binks.
 
Click "Learn More" to listen to the podcast.

D23 Inside Disney | Katee Sackhoff on The Mandalorian

Ahead of National American Sign Language (ASL) Day on April 15, Disney+ has added a new option for Marvel Studios’ <a target="_blank" href="https://www.marvel.com/movies/ant-man" rel="noreferrer noopener">Ant-Man</a>. Starting April 14, viewers can access ASL as an option when viewing Scott Lang’s first adventure in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
 
The ASL Video service was created by Deluxe in partnership with Grupo Steno, with Delbert Whetter, of <a target="_blank" href="https://www.respectability.org/" rel="noreferrer noopener">RespectAbility</a>, joining the project as a daily consult on ASL best practices and to help build Creative Guidelines. Additionally, Douglas Ridloff — who has previously worked on other Marvel Studios titles involving ASL, including <a target="_blank" href="https://www.marvel.com/movies/eternals" rel="noreferrer noopener">Eternals</a> and <a target="_blank" href="https://www.marvel.com/tv-shows/hawkeye/1" rel="noreferrer noopener">Hawkeye</a> — joined to work with the ASL performer, Jac Cook.
 
Whetter explained: “The Deaf creatives on the team, which include Douglas Ridloff and ASL performer, Jac Cook, exceeded expectations as they set out to communicate Ant-Man’s entertaining dialogue and sound effects in a manner befitting Marvel’s distinctive style, subversive humor, and high-velocity action.“
 
In the MCU’s first introduction to Scott Lang, the master thief must embrace his inner hero and help his mentor, Doctor Hank Pym, protect the secret behind his spectacular Ant-Man suit from a new generation of towering threats. Against seemingly insurmountable obstacles, Pym and Lang must plan and pull off a heist that will save the world.
 
To access the feature with ASL, find it under the EXTRAS tab on the ANT-MAN page on Disney+.

"Ant-Man" Arrives on Disney+ With New ASL Option

<a href="https://disneyland.disney.go.com/?CMP=ILC-DPFY23Q3wo0419230425230001G" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Disneyland Resort</a> has a long-standing history of volunteering in the Anaheim community through its Community Workforce Development Initiative. Disney VoluntEARS from the Disneyland Resort recently conducted mock interviews in partnership with <a href="https://mydaycounts.org/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">My Day Counts</a>, a nonprofit dedicated to training people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
 
My Day Counts strives to provide a sense of community and support as participants work toward their goals through trainings, activities and curriculum. Many students from Disney’s first workshop at My Day Counts have already completed successful interviews and gotten jobs within the community.
 
Kyle O’Shea works at <a href="https://disneyland.disney.go.com/dining/disneyland-hotel/goofys-kitchen/?CMP=ILC-DPFY23Q3wo0419230425230002G" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Goofy’s Kitchen</a> at the <a href="https://disneyland.disney.go.com/hotels/disneyland-hotel/?CMP=ILC-DPFY23Q3wo0419230425230003G" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Disneyland Hotel</a> and is a participant in My Day Counts. He says the cast member involvement with the organization is important because “it shows the participants at My Day Counts that there is an opportunity [for them] at Disneyland.”
 
When asked how he brings that special Disney cast member magic to what he does at the resort, Kyle said he smiles and tries to show everyone that Disneyland is home.
 
“I never thought I’d come to Disneyland to work here; it’s a dream,” said Kyle. “It’s a great experience working here with all the other cast members… it’s just like a family.”
 
The VoluntEARS who conducted the interviews were just as thankful for the opportunity. Cast members Michelle Sico and Vicky Quinnan, both members of ENABLED, a Disneyland Resort Business Employee Resource Group that promotes respect, equality, and appreciation of people with disabilities through community, awareness, education and inclusion, carried their passion for community and belonging into this experience.
 
Michelle appreciates the employee resource groups for encouraging community for those with similar life experiences. “Having the space where you can just be who you are and not worry about judgment is so wonderful,” she said.
 
Crystal Rodriguez of My Day Counts said the resort’s involvement with the organization is pivotal. “It shows our participants that if they can interview with Disney, they can ace it anywhere,” Crystal said.
 
“Our participants being able to do a mock interview with Disney gives them confidence,” added Andrea Seeley of My Day Counts. “Receiving direct feedback about how they did is really important and will help them take their interviewing skills to the next level.”
 
The Disneyland Resort collaborates with nonprofit organizations and school districts that serve a diverse set of needs in the community for youth and jobseekers. The Community Workforce Development Initiative supports three pillars: mentorship, career skills development and community program support. Disney VoluntEARS’ efforts at My Day Counts were part of the Disneyland Resort Community Workforce Development Initiative.

Disney VoluntEARS Partner to Help Community Members Pursue Goals

July is Disability Pride Month and throughout the year, we celebrate our employees, consumers, and fans with disabilities around the world through the power of our unparalleled storytelling, iconic brands, creative minds, and innovative technologies.
 
There are numerous ways you can celebrate Disability Pride Month with us:
• ABC Owned Television Stations <a href="https://abc7.com/localish/">Local-ish</a> will feature relevant stories and opportunities. 
• ABC News <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/Nightline">Nightline </a>will air a segment highlighting the importance of American Sign Language.
• <a href="https://www.nationalgeographic.com/tv/">National Geographic</a> will spotlight Oscar winner Troy Kotsur on <a href="https://www.nationalgeographic.com/tv/shows/running-wild-with-bear-grylls">Running Wild with Bear Grylls</a> airing 7/30. <a href="https://www.nationalgeographic.com/tv/shows/home-in-the-wild">Home in the Wild</a> featured Wesley Baird, a 4-year-old who lives with FOXG1 Syndrome. The series started airing on National Geographic on 5/2 and Disney+ on 6/28.
• Disney Branded Television will air <a href="https://youtu.be/6PCR_0hVqNw">Mickey Mornings “Birthday” Song</a> in American Sign Language on <a href="https://www.disneychannel.ca/">Disney Channel</a> and <a href="https://www.disneyjunior.ca/">Disney Junior</a>.
• Disney Branded Television’s <a href="https://disneynow.com/shows/pupstruction">Pupstruction’s</a> will premiere a new episode “Wishbone Comet” highlighting the importance of accessibility on 7/28.
 
We are all greater than a single story and we all deserve to feel seen, heard and understood, not only during heritage months, but year-round.
 
Last year, The Walt Disney Company’s continued dedication to furthering inclusion and diversity in the entertainment industry was demonstrated with a <a href="https://impact.disney.com/impact-stories/charitable-giving/disney-announces-1-million-multi-year-grant-to-exceptional-minds-in-support-of-inclusion-and-diversity-in-entertainment/">$1 million multi-year grant</a> made to <a href="https://exceptional-minds.org/">Exceptional Minds</a>, a nonprofit creative arts academy for young adults on the autism spectrum.
 
Disney’s donation helps advance Exceptional Minds’ mission to support neurodiverse artists cultivate their skills through customized training and hands-on experience, which prepares the artists to launch careers in digital arts and animation. Many Exceptional Minds graduates successfully land roles in the industry, and we are proud to have several alumni working at various studios within Disney.
 
The grant is part of the <a href="https://impact.disney.com/charitable-giving/next-generation/#:~:text=Disney%20Future%20Storytellers,who%20have%20been%20historically%20underrepresented.">Disney Future Storytellers</a> initiative, which is The Walt Disney Company’s commitment to empowering the next generation of storytellers and innovators. From arts and STEM education for school-age children, to scholarships, mentoring, and creative and technical skill-building for teens and young adults, Disney is helping today’s youth dream about their future, build their talents and skills, and become who they imagine they can be.
 
More surprises from your favorite Disney brands will be shared throughout the month, and be sure to follow @ReimagineTomorrow on <a href="https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FReimagineTomorrow-108752528089585&amp;data=04%7C01%7CShelby.D.Curry%40disney.com%7C0f141904a8204ec4079408d994abea29%7C56b731a8a2ac4c32bf6b616810e913c6%7C1%7C0%7C637704288345560833%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&amp;sdata=S0O46Wv0SbjULVYGnoQ0UGbZS3OJMYh3x0IFmYz5%2BZE%3D&amp;reserved=0">Facebook</a>, <a href="http://www.instagram.com/ReimagineTomorrow">Instagram</a>, and <a href="https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Ftwitter.com%2Freimaginetmrw&amp;data=04%7C01%7CShelby.D.Curry%40disney.com%7C0f141904a8204ec4079408d994abea29%7C56b731a8a2ac4c32bf6b616810e913c6%7C1%7C0%7C637704288345570786%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&amp;sdata=ITXdBkceklvJrde2qW1sqTHYVU4LGaE5QBTdr4T%2FzHY%3D&amp;reserved=0">Twitter</a> to share ways you plan to celebrate the month.

Celebrating Disability Pride at Disney

This July marks the 33rd anniversary of Disability Pride Month, and we are celebrating the diversity and intersectionality of those with disabilities within The Walt Disney Company and beyond. As part of this year’s observance, we’ve amassed a selection of creative content available to watch on Disney’s streaming platforms, social channels, and linear networks. From the first Deaf Super Hero in the Marvel Cinematic Universe to inclusive animated series, there’s sure to be something that captures your interest. 
 
Eternals—Available on Disney+ 
Deaf actress Lauren Ridloff plays speedster Makkari in Eternals (2021), joining a star-studded cast and making history as the first Deaf Super Hero in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The film, which features an exciting new team of Super Heroes—ancient aliens who have been living on Earth in secret for thousands of years—follows the events of Avengers: Endgame. “Being cast as a powerful entity who happens to be Deaf is groundbreaking,” Ridloff told D23. “Finally, the world sees how I exist as a Deaf individual. My strengths are different than most and have a place here in this universe.” 
Hawkeye—Available on Disney+ 
Alaqua Cox made her MCU debut as Deaf Indigenous Tracksuit Mafia leader Maya Lopez, who is determined to make Clint Barton pay for his own vengeful deeds, in Marvel Studios’ Hawkeye, which debuted on Disney+ in 2021. Cox, who is a Deaf, Native American amputee, will reprise her role in Echo, coming exclusively to Disney+ later this year. “I’m amazed with Marvel because they are doing such a great job with diversity and representation,” she told D23. “It means so much to me because I feel like kids with all types of cultures and disabilities deserve to have more role models that look like them… Representation matters more than we know.” 
Firebuds—Available on Disney Channel, Disney Junior, and Disney+ 
Since its debut, the Disney Junior animated series Firebuds has introduced several disabled characters within the setting of its fantastical world where talking vehicles live, work, and play with the humans who drive them. These include recurring character Jazzy (voiced by disabled actress Lauren “Lolo” Spencer, who is also a wheelchair-user), a young Black girl with spina bifida whose “vroom-mate” is a wheelchair car named Piper (voiced by Emmy®-nominated disabled actress Sammi Haney), and there are several episodes that are centered around her in particular. In addition, there’s an episode by staff writer Jeremy Shipp titled “Cleft Hood,” which introduces Castor, a vehicular character with a cleft hood. The episode is inspired by Jeremy’s son Henry, who was born with a cleft lip and palate; Henry also made his voice acting debut as Castor. 
“The disabled community is a group that I felt has been underrepresented in the past, so we wanted to address that in Firebuds,” said Emmy® Award-winning creator and executive producer Craig Gerber. “[In addition to creating new characters] to include more diversity, we also have individual episodes like ‘Cleft Hood.’ Our show involves medical first responders and we thought there was a great opportunity to do a story about someone who has medical issues that required hospital stays.” 
The team behind Firebuds collaborated with disability representation nonprofit RespectAbility throughout the entire creative process, ensuring the language is accurate in the script and working with animators on depicting the series’ many differently-abled characters. 
Pupstruction—Available on Disney Channel, Disney Junior, and Disney+ 
Disney Branded Television’s all-new animated series, geared toward kids ages 2–7, follows the adventures of a doggone hard-working construction crew led by Phinny (voiced by Yonas Kibreab)—an innovative young corgi who dreams up some of the biggest and wildest ideas to help his town of Petsburg. 
Among the members of the Pupstruction crew is Roxy, who uses wheels for her hind legs and is voiced by Scarlett Kate Ferguson, who is also a wheelchair-user. While the series highlights the importance of accessibility and inclusion in several episodes, Roxy is not defined by her disability; she’s a part of the team just like everyone else. Behind the scenes, the creative team engaged in extensive conversations regarding accessibility in Petsburg. “Construction can be silly and fun—pouring concrete, knocking over walls, and doing demolition—but construction can also build things that make a difference in people’s lives,” Travis Braun, series creator and executive producer, told D23.com. “One of my favorite episodes is when the pups encounter a staircase leading to the observatory but it’s not accessible for everyone, so they strategize a way to change it.” 
Lost Cities With Albert Lin—Available on Disney+ 
Host Dr. Albert Lin, an award-winning scientist, explorer, and amputee, takes viewers on epic quests in this docuseries from National Geographic. Combining high-tech archaeology, breathtaking visuals, and genuine exploration, the series applies 3D scanning to some of the most extraordinary sites of antiquity and brings the mysteries of the past vividly to life. Expeditions include treks to the mountaintops of Colombia, Jordan, Peru, Israel, and more. 
 
In the Nook featuring Ellie Goldstein—Available on Disney Channel YouTube 
Created for kids ages 6–14, this short-form series enlists Disney Channel stars to help deliver inclusive stories through relaxed and relevant conversations with everyday people who are making a difference in their communities and in the world. In one <a href="https://reimaginetomorrow.disney.com/search?q=representation-of-people-with-disabilities#ecosystem-content/in-the-nook-ellie-goldstein" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">episode</a>, Ariel Martin and Trevor Tordjman from the ZOMBIES franchise interview Ellie Goldstein, a British 18-year-old model with Down syndrome. Goldstein shares her journey to becoming a model and encourages kids to never give up on their dreams. 
Loop—Available on Disney+ 
 
This Pixar SparksShorts features two kids at canoe camp who find themselves adrift on a lake, unable to move forward until they find a new way to connect and see the world through each other’s eyes. This <a href="https://reimaginetomorrow.disney.com/search?q=representation-of-people-with-disabilities#ecosystem-content/go-behind-the-scenes-and-learn-more-about-the-making-of-loop-2" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">film</a>, created in consultation with the nonprofit Autistic Self Advocacy Network, broke new ground by featuring Pixar’s first nonspeaking autistic character Renee who was played by autistic actress Madison Bandy. 
DuckTales: “Nothing Can Stop Della Duck!”—Available on Disney+ 
In this <a href="https://reimaginetomorrow.disney.com/search?q=representation-of-people-with-disabilities#ecosystem-content/duck-tales-della-reunited" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">episode</a> of DuckTales, a marooned Della Duck—a recurring character—struggles for survival against dangerous elements on the moon. After a crash left her pinned under her rocket ship, she makes the decision to amputate her own leg and create a prosthetic out of rocket materials. Determined to get back to her family on Earth, she finally rebuilds her rocket ship and returns home to meet her sons for the very first time. 
 
The DuckTales team worked closely with the Amputee Coalition for the storyline introducing Della (voiced by Paget Brewster), the twin sister of Donald Duck and mother of Huey, Dewey, and Louie. Richmond, an amputee himself, and Osborne-Simpson advised on everything from story and character design to character movement/gait to ensure an accurate and sensitive portrayal. 
Fancy Nancy: “Nancy’s New Friend”—Available on Disney Junior 
 
For this <a href="https://reimaginetomorrow.disney.com/search?q=representation-of-people-with-disabilities#ecosystem-content/fancy-nancy-nancys-new-friend" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">episode</a>, the Fancy Nancy creative team found inspiration close to home when they set out to introduce the neurodivergent character Sean, drawing upon personal experiences with family members and friends. Sean is voiced by George Yionoulis, who was diagnosed with autism when he was 2 years old. They also consulted at length with experts from the organizations RespectAbility and Hollywood, Health &amp; Society—all of whom offered valuable insights every step of the way. This episode premiered on April 2, 2020, and was timed to World Autism Awareness Day. 
Big City Greens: “Quiet Please”— Available on Disney Channel and Disney+ 
 
In this Season 2 episode, the Greens visit the city library and hope to find a book that will spark Cricket’s interest in reading, but they quickly run afoul of a strict, eerie librarian. Determined to keep the library a quiet place, the librarian threatens to throw them out if they make any sound. Cricket’s sister, Tilly, notices two Deaf library patrons communicating via ASL, giving her the idea that her family can communicate in the same way. While Tilly is the only family member to know ASL, the Greens use that as inspiration to communicate through hand gestures and movements. 
In order to ensure authentic portrayal, Big City Greens creators and executive producers Chris and Shane Houghton brought in a trio of Deaf-led ASL consultants including Delbert Whetter, a Deaf film producer and consultant; Jevon Whetter, a Deaf actor, filmmaker and ASL dialogue coach; and Justin Maurer, an ASL interpreter who is a “CODA” (child of Deaf adults). The trio not only provided guidance but also met with the creative team in-person, recording the dialogue in ASL for the animators to use as reference. The consulting team also provided assistance during development prior to production as well as publicity and promotion afterwards. 
Not Dead Yet—Available on ABC and Hulu 
The sitcom stars Gina Rodriquez as Nell Serrano, a broke and newly single self-described disaster, working to restart the life and career she left behind five years ago. When she lands the only job she can find—writing obituaries—she starts getting life advice from an unlikely source. In Season 1, viewers learn that Nell’s roommate Edward, played by autistic actor and comedian Rick Glassman, is neurodivergent. He and Nell learn how to better communicate and eventually become friends. In the episode “Not Friends Yet,” Nell meets Edward’s long-distance girlfriend and viewers see how Edward navigates a romantic relationship with differences in communication styles. 
Will Trent—Available on ABC and Hulu 
Based on Karin Slaughter’s New York Times bestselling Will Trent series, Special Agent Will Trent (Ramón Rodríguez) of the Georgia Bureau of Investigations (GBI) was abandoned at birth and endured a harsh coming-of-age in Atlanta’s overwhelmed foster care system. But now, Trent, who is dyslexic, is determined to use his unique point of view to make sure no one is abandoned like he was. 
The Good Doctor—Available on ABC and Hulu 
Freddie Highmore stars as Dr. Shaun Murphy, a young surgeon with autism and savant syndrome, who continues to use his extraordinary medical gifts at St. Bonaventure Hospital’s surgical unit. The medical drama is a co-production between Sony Pictures Television and ABC Studios.
 PLUS, Young Creators Corner—The Walt Disney Company: Reimagine Tomorrow 
This initiative celebrates young talent from the extensive programs and partnerships The Walt Disney Company has forged to support young people from early childhood through their first careers by providing opportunities and access they need to make their dreams come true. 
Among those recently featured: <a href="https://reimaginetomorrow.disney.com/search?q=representation-of-people-with-disabilities#young-creator/emmett-kyoshi-wilson" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Emmet Kyoshi Wilson</a>, a successful teenage artist with Down syndrome who inspires others through his work; <a href="https://reimaginetomorrow.disney.com/search?q=representation-of-people-with-disabilities" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Victória Bueno</a>, who—despite being born without arms—refused to let anything stop her from pursuing dance; and <a href="https://reimaginetomorrow.disney.com/search?q=representation-of-people-with-disabilities#young-creator/tyler-gordon" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Tyler Gordon</a>, a notable teenage painter and anti-bullying advocate, who is partially Deaf and stutters.

13 Things to Watch During Disability Pride Month 2023

At The Walt Disney Company, our mission is to entertain, inform, and inspire people around the globe through the power of unparalleled storytelling, reflecting the iconic brands, creative minds, and innovative technologies that make ours the world’s premier entertainment company.
 
Since our founding nearly 100 years ago, storytelling has fueled our Company, and contributing positively to our communities has been integral to how we operate. This report shares our track record and ongoing efforts to make the world better for individuals, families, and communities through our stories, experiences, operations, and philanthropy.
 
We inspire a world of belonging by embracing stories and storytellers who reflect the life experiences of people from across the globe.
 
We encourage a world in balance by lowering the environmental impact of our operations and investing in wildlife care and conservation. 
 
We support a world of hope and deliver joy, comfort, and peace of mind to our communities when they’re needed most through our charitable giving, which totaled approximately $233 million in fiscal 2022.
 
We continue to invest in our people. The underlying character of our Company comes from the hard work, energy, and dignity of our people.
 
We are focused on operating responsibly and on conducting our business in accordance with high standards of ethics.

Disney Releases 2022 Corporate Social Responsibility Report

ESPN’s award-winning series SC Featured is set to premiere “Nothing Else Matters,” a 30-minute episode that tells the inspiring story of high school basketball coach Patrick Behan, who was diagnosed with ALS one year ago on May 6, 2022. “Nothing Else Matters” will air on ESPN2 on May 7 at 7 p.m. ET.
 
Despite his debilitating condition, Behan continued to coach his team at St. John’s College High School in Washington, D.C. to a conference championship, inspiring his players and community with his determination and resilience. With May marking ALS Awareness Month, the episode delves deeply into Behan’s personal journey with ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, and the impact he has had on his team and community. Viewers will hear from Behan’s family, friends, and former players, as well as from Behan himself.
 
“We are proud to continue our commitment to telling compelling stories through SC Featured,” said Jose Morales, Vice President, Production, ESPN Features, who oversees SC Featured. “Coach Behan’s story is an inspiring one and we’re excited to bring this longer-form episode to our viewers.”
 
SC Featured is ESPN’s award-winning series that tells compelling stories in sports. SC Featured has received 47 Sports Emmy Award nominations and won five Emmys since it was branded in 2013. SC Featured has also won eight Edward R. Murrow Journalism Awards in the past seven years, with “A Father’s Resilience” the brand’s most recent Murrow recipient in 2022.
 
After the original airing, “Nothing Else Matters” will be available for streaming on ESPN+ and the ESPN app.

ESPN's “Nothing Else Matters” Highlights Coach Battling ALS

Microtia and atresia. If you’re like me, you probably have no idea what those words mean. Neither did Rachel Swears, General Manager of Merchandise at <a href="https://www.disneysprings.com/?CMP=ILC-DPFY23Q2wo0223230014F" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Disney Springs</a> (and pretty awesome mom!), until she spent weeks anxiously researching them, nine years ago. That’s when Rachel’s son Channing was born with a small ear (microtia) and hearing loss caused by the absence of his ear canal (atresia).
 
And learning about Channing’s condition was only the beginning for their family; the start of a long journey to give him every opportunity to hear the world around him almost the same as others can. There were dozens of questions that kept Rachel up at night — how would other kids treat him? Would his condition affect his cognitive development? And there was only one question she had an answer to: was she willing to fight for him?
 
Yes. She fights hard to make sure Channing and others like him are represented in the world and the moment you meet him, you can tell why. His confidence is inspiring and contagious. He’s so proud to be exactly who he is. In fact, he’s excited to be different!
 
That’s why today is such a special day. Rachel took him to Disney Springs to show him the results of a project that was very special to her heart. Channing’s story inspired a team of cast members to create something amazing that they want to show him!
 
This Mother’s Day and every day, we honor and celebrate all the wonderful moms out there who are the true magic in our lives! For more stories highlighting our incredible cast members, stay tuned to the Disney Cast Life blog.

Magic on Mother’s Day: How a Mother’s Love Inspired Disney Cast

Have you ever wondered what the difference is between all of #DisneyOnBroadway’s #Accessibility tools inside the New Am Theatre? 
 
Watch as their Social Media Manager Fredo gives you an inside look at how each of these works, and where you can get them on your next visit to Agrabah! 
 
Get to know them below:
 
Assistive Listening Devices – A special headset that amplifies voices and sounds using infrared signals from the microphones inside the theatre.
 
Audio Descriptive Device – A pre-recorded narration that guides guests through all the action on-stage, describing the characters, choreography, and staging.
 
Captioning Device – A fully automated system that displays the dialogue, lyrics, and sound effects on a handheld display in English. 
 
Translators – These devices automatically narrate a summary of the show in 5 languages: Spanish, Portuguese, Japanese, Mandarin, and Korean.
 
Pro-Tip: If you’re coming to the show, you can reserve any of these devices for free by emailing newyork@soundassociates.com. 
 
Image Description: 
• A video of Fredo, a Hispanic man in his early 30s with dark brown hair wearing blue hearing aids, entering the New Amsterdam Theatre on Broadway and demonstrating the assistive devices available at every performance. • The assisted listening devices look a bit like headphone that loop around your neck. • The devices for Audio Description and Closed Captions are grey, larger than a cellphone but small enough to hold one-handed, and include a display screen for captions. • The summary translation devices are small, black boxes that connect to wired headphones. • The video includes brief excerpts of ALADDIN the Musical on Broadway, as well as imagery of the station where guests check out the devices.

DTG Aladdin Accessibility

Accessibility Tools at "Aladdin" the Musical on Broadway

Get ready for a rockin’ week with brand-new content coming to your TV (and assorted streaming devices). On Monday, meet The Good Lawyer in a special crossover episode of The Good Doctor, airing on ABC. Hit the ice Tuesday with the simulcast broadcast of the NHL Big City Greens Classic across Disney+, Disney Channel, Disney XD, and ESPN+. Season 2 of Turning the Tables with Robin Roberts debuts Wednesday on Disney+, and Freeform’s Good Trouble kicks off Season 5 Thursday. Cap off the week with the premiere of Bono &amp; The Edge: A Sort of Homecoming, with Dave Letterman Friday, exclusively on Disney+.
 
The Good Doctor—Monday, March 13, at 10 p.m. ET/PT on ABC Introducing… The Good Lawyer. In the embedded pilot episode of the new ABC drama series, Dr. Shaun Murphy (Freddie Highmore) seeks legal representation to help him win a case and puts his faith in a promising young lawyer who has obsessive compulsive disorder. The episode guest stars Kennedy McMann as Joni DeGroot, the brilliant, funny, and self-aware lawyer who is relatively new to her prestigious law firm when she takes Shaun’s case. Felicity Huffman plays Janet Stewart, a highly regarded attorney and partner at the law firm with a fierce intellect and dry wit. The episode will be available to stream the next day on Hulu. 
 
NHL Big City Greens Classic—Tuesday, March 14, at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT on Disney+, Disney Channel, Disney XD, and ESPN+ Prepare to see the Greens lace up their skates for the NHL Big City Greens Classic! ESPN, Disney Channel, and the NHL are teaming up to bring fans the NHL Big City Greens Classic, the first-ever live, animated NHL game telecast, featuring the Washington Capitals vs. New York Rangers. The alternate presentation of the game will feature live volumetric animation of players and teams modeled after characters on Big City Greens. Plus, all your favorite characters, including Cricket and Tilly, are getting in on all the fun!
 
Turning the Tables with Robin Roberts—Wednesday, March 15, on Disney+ Disney Legend Robin Roberts returns for another season of intimate conversations with multiple generations of Hollywood’s most inspiring women. This season’s wide-ranging guests include Brooke Shields, Chloe Kim, Chrissy Metz, Dionne Warwick, Hayley Kiyoko, Kelly Osbourne, Kyla Pratt, Loni Love, Marsai Martin, Rita Wilson, Sheryl Lee Ralph, and Yaya DaCosta. Listen to never-before-heard stories of how these trailblazers learned grace, found fulfillment, conquered certainty, embraced community, and more. All episodes are available to stream at launch.
 
Good Trouble—Thursday, March 16, at 10 p.m. ET/PT on Freeform The Coterie crew is back! In the Season 5 premiere, the dynamics of the group change after Mariana (Cierra Ramirez), Evan (T.J. Linnard), and Joaquin (Bryan Craig) attempt to escape Silas’ farm. Meanwhile, Davia (Emma Hunton) and Dennis (Josh Pence) bask in the honeymoon phase of their new relationship, while Sumi (Kara Wang) helps Alice (Sherry Cola) find a new gig. Episodes are available to stream the next day on Hulu.
 
Bono &amp; The Edge: A Sort of Homecoming, with Dave Letterman—Friday, March 17, on Disney+ Academy Award®-winning filmmaker Morgan Neville follows comedian and host Dave Letterman on his first visit to Dublin to hang out with Bono and The Edge in their hometown and experience the city. Letterman joins the two U2 musicians for a concert performance unlike any they’ve given before. Viewers will discover the extraordinary relationship between Bono and The Edge and see how it developed across more than 45 years of close friendship to become one of the most remarkable songwriting partnerships in the history of rock ‘n’ roll. The documentary is part concert movie, part travel adventure, plus a whole lot of Bono and The Edge, with Letterman’s humor throughout.

5 Fantastic Things to Watch This Week

In celebration of Deaf History Month, we caught up with Mark, Manager of Accessibility &amp; Services for Guests with Disabilities at Walt Disney World Resort. Mark has been teaching an American Sign Language (ASL) Basics class for our participants for the last few months. In addition to learning over 50 signs, participants also discover more about the history of ASL and the Deaf community in a fun, interactive session.

Disney Programs Learning | Sign Language Basics

It’s easy to see how children of all ages are enjoying the newly reopened <a href="https://disneyland.disney.go.com/destinations/disneyland/mickeys-toontown/?CMP=ILC-DPFY23Q3wo0601230607230001G" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Mickey’s Toontown</a> at <a href="https://disneyland.disney.go.com/destinations/disneyland/?CMP=ILC-DPFY23Q3wo0601230607230002G" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Disneyland park</a>, but what might not be as apparent is that Disney Imagineers got input from cast members with disabilities to thoughtfully reimagine the land with new interactive spaces and play areas designed to allow guests to see, hear and interact with one another in various ways.
 
“We wanted to make sure we were designing for differing abilities, and creating as many opportunities as possible to play,” said Elliot Rosenbaum, producer at Walt Disney Imagineering (WDI). Throughout the project, the WDI team talked with <a href="https://disneyland.disney.go.com/?CMP=ILC-DPFY23Q3wo0601230607230003G" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Disneyland Resort</a> cast members in ENABLED, a Disney Business Employee Resource Group that promotes respect, equality and appreciation of people with disabilities.
 
Disneyland Resort Accessibility Manager Erin Quintanilla, a leader in ENABLED, helped Disney Imagineers create a space for everyone to play. Cast from ENABLED were brought in early to provide their perspective on the reimagined land, down to the tiniest details.
 
“In Goofy’s House, you will see that one of the junior woodchucks is using a wheelchair,” Erin said. “Seeing that representation in the ‘toon world’ was so important.”
 
Erin also notes efforts to make the land a place that represents cast members with disabilities as well, including podiums accessible for cast who use wheelchairs. “Allowing people who identify with a disability to be part of that conversation … was important the whole way through.”
 
Beeta Laskowski, an operations training manager, said cast took part in “training around disability awareness, [including] using the knowledge to help provide individualized recommendations for guests.” The training dovetailed the story of Mickey’s Toontown with disability awareness, encouraging cast to interact with guests in the way each individually may prefer to play and engage with the story.
 
The spirit of the land is that there are experiences for everyone. Some of the changes included:
• A virtually curb-less land, to help young guests still learning to walk and those using wheelchairs or mobility devices to play, experience and get around the land with ease.
• A reimagined Goofy’s House and the all-new <a href="https://disneyland.disney.go.com/attractions/disneyland/goofys-how-to-play-yard/?CMP=ILC-DPFY23Q3wo0601230607230004G" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Goofy’s How-To-Play Yard</a>, with interactive elements that allow kids to explore in an approachable sensory experience.
• A reimagined version of Donald’s Boat in <a href="https://disneyland.disney.go.com/attractions/disneyland/donalds-duck-pond/?CMP=ILC-DPFY23Q3wo0601230607230005G" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Donald’s Duck Pond</a>, which guests can engage with the interactive portholes on the boat.
• A wheelchair-accessible food and beverage podium, so cast in wheelchairs are better able to assist guests with their orders at <a href="https://disneyland.disney.go.com/dining/disneyland/cafe-daisy/?CMP=ILC-DPFY23Q3wo0601230607230006G" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Café Daisy</a>.
• Newly designed reversible costumes that mix and match, with textured fabric to help cast with differing levels of visual ability select their costume with ease while showcasing their individual personalities.
• Incorporating Braille into the tree roots at <a href="https://disneyland.disney.go.com/attractions/disneyland/centoonial-park/?CMP=ILC-DPFY23Q3wo0601230607230007G" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">CenTOONial Park</a>, so as children explore they will come across the words “dream” and “play.”
• Open green areas with shade from trees to allow children to play in the grass or decompress and unwind on the lawn.
 
In contrast to the loud noises, bright colors and active stimuli at Goofy’s House and Goofy’s How-To-Play Yard, Donald’s Boat allows guests to interact with varying water elements as much as they feel comfortable. “Water is one of those unique things that stimulates you and decompresses you at the same time,” explained Ryan Wineinger-Schattl, senior creative director at WDI. “Reinvigorating Mickey’s Toontown gave us a chance to dream big on behalf of our youngest guests. The most important thing we could give children and families is an inspiring place to play.”
 
Everyone involved in the project said they have been thrilled to see how guests are enjoying the land, just as they had hoped.
 
“I am so excited for guests to feel the new atmosphere of the land as a whole,” Elliott shared. “There’s a <a href="https://disneyland.disney.go.com/attractions/disneyland/mickey-minnies-runaway-railway/?CMP=ILC-DPFY23Q3wo0601230607230008G" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">new attraction</a>, all-new interactive activations and play opportunities, new landscape and circulation layout, new colors, graphics, in-world storylines and more. It’s going to be so fun to see returning guests experience [the land] in a new light, or first-time guests explore and make some new memories with their families.”
 
“This neighborhood feels both stimulating and decompressing, both buoyant and lush, and most of all, it is a place for our youngest guests to roam free and explore as new pals,” said Ryan. “The one thing you can’t know until you’ve experienced it, though, is the town’s reinvigorated spirit.”

How Walt Disney Imagineering Reimagined Mickey’s Toontown

Joanna Collins, a software engineer in the Technology and Digital organization at Disney Parks, Experiences and Products, is known for her passion and advocacy for accessibility in Disney’s websites, mobile applications and other digital products. Joanna has worked in the accessibility space for years and is a subject matter expert on accessibility standards and practices.
 
“Joanna goes above and beyond to ensure our applications are accessible for our guests and cast. She doesn’t stop at the systems she owns or supports – she is the cast member who sees something that needs to be fixed and works to partner with the right teams to help them make changes to ensure our applications are inclusive for all,” said Kelly Noble, Joanna’s leader.
 
Joanna didn’t develop these skills overnight. Prior to her role as a software engineer, Joanna’s started at the Disneyland Resort Travel Sales Center as a Reservation Sales Agent. There, she picked up technical skills and eventually moved into a technical role supporting applications used at the call center.
 
Joanna began providing technical support to cast members with visual disabilities at the call center who use screen reading software to navigate and read information while they book hotel reservations and travel packages for guests over the phone. Over the years, her passion for accessibility grew.
 
“I first had to learn how the screen reader worked and the types of issues that caused incompatibilities in other software. I had experience in HTML coding, and that sort of sparked everything. I learned how to write custom scripting for screen reading software, and how to make an accessible website,” said Joanna.
 
Along with advocating for and supporting those cast members, Joanna now collaborates with design and development teams, ensuring accessibility compliance for the wide range of content created for guests on our websites.
 
“There’s a difference between being able to identify an accessibility issue versus knowing how to fix it as well – I can do both. I can write code to our developers saying exactly how to fix an issue. So, instead of saying, ‘we’re having an issue with this button,’ I can say: ‘This is the issue, here’s who’s affected by it, here’s what’s causing it, and here’s how to fix it,’” said Joanna.
 
While Joanna’s skillset and technical abilities are unique, her passion is shared by many other cast members across the company.
 
“People across the company care about accessibility and do what they can to support it. Everyone knows accessibility is important, and it falls under our Inclusion Key,” said Joanna. “My goal is to make every single person feel welcome and included. Disney is committed to diversity and inclusion, and I lead the teams in my area acting on that commitment. We want people with a wide range of abilities to have that magical experience whenever they interact with our digital products.”
 
Cast members like Joanna work hard every day to ensure everyone can experience Disney magic, from booking their dream vacation on our website to experiencing all our parks and resorts have to offer. Thanks for all you do, Joanna!

Cast Member Advocacy Leads to Accessible Technology

The Disney+ Original series The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder continues to tell entertaining and hilarious stories, while highlighting culturally specific experiences of the Black community and addressing universal topics. Now in its second season, the series spotlights the topic of autism through the character BeBe (voiced by Aiden Dodson).
 
In the recent episode “BeBe,” the character repeatedly goes missing only to wind up in inexplicable places. Baffled by his actions, Trudy (voiced by Paula Jai Parker), Oscar (voiced by Tommy Davidson), and Penny (voiced by Kyla Pratt) seek medical attention, and in the process discover BeBe is autism. Actor and autism activist Holly Robinson Peete lends her voice to the character Dr. Lord, who operates a school for neurodivergent children and evaluates BeBe.
 
In honor of Autism Acceptance Month, Disney Branded Television hosted a virtual screening and Q&amp;A with series creatives Bruce W. Smith and Ralph Farquhar; guest star Peete; and moderated by RespectAbility consultant Diane J. Wright. Dodson, who like his character is also autistic, later joined the conversation, donning a T-shirt reading “Team BeBe” and emblazoned with the character’s image.
 
When developing The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder, Smith and Farquhar wanted to continue the progress of the original series with trailblazing storylines and characters. Those conversations led to discussions about the Proud family’s youngest members BeBe and CeCe (voiced by Bresha Webb) and how to shape the now-slightly-older characters. “For some unexplained reason, we put a cape on BeBe and we started to examine him internally,” said Smith.
 
And while prepping for Season 2, Meredith Roberts, executive vice president, TV Animated, Disney Branded Television, requested an episode center around autism. “We didn’t want to do a special episode [on autism] and then never visit [it] again or explore the character beyond that episode,” recalled Farquhar. “We thought this would be a perfect trait to imbue his character with and then examine it in a holistic way—a total family way, not just the BeBe character.”
 
Farquhar and Smith enlisted the expertise of Peete, whose son R.J. was diagnosed with autism in 2000, to ensure the autism diagnosis experience—especially the within the Black community—is depicted authentically. Peete relished the opportunity to be a part of her family’s favorite show, both behind the scenes and voicing a character.
 
“When my son was diagnosed, there was zero representation of autism and neurodivergence on television, let alone from the African American point of view,” Peete said. “The viral clip of Dr. Lord diagnosing BeBe is one of the most gratifying things I have ever been part of. I didn’t write it, but it was a reimagination what I wish that developmental pediatrician had said on that day 23 years ago.” Peete also shared with Bruce that her son was also quite fond of capes, just like BeBe.
 
In addition to the inclusion of Peete and Dodson, Smith shared that one of the main story artists for The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder is autistic and requested to work on the scene where BeBe is diagnosed. “The artist wanted to take on that specific section and he told me after he had finished it, he never thought his talents would meet that specific subject matter,” Smith said.
 
The episode also marks the first time that audiences see Oscar bond with BeBe. “It took this journey with them,” said Smith. “This is Oscar’s only son and I think all those emotions were hitting him at that moment.”
 
Shared Peete, “That representation is so powerful because Black dads can struggle with [denial and acceptance]—and moms, too. Oscar is very stubborn and does not accept a whole lot; this is something that he had to really shift his heart to understand what he has moving forward. It was an amazing scene to see unfold before our eyes.”
 
Added Wright, “Another benefit that you may or may not have realized in the adult [autistic] community [is that] Black autistic men are the group that has the most to risk by being ‘out,’ and knowing who they are and recognizing themselves. So, showing a boy and a father bonding and discussing that, it paves the way for openness about growing into a Black autistic man.”
 
Both Farquhar and Smith are still overwhelmed with the positive reception from viewers long after the episode’s debut. “I hope to explore the BeBe character more,” Farquhar continued. “People come up to us all the time and say, ‘I want to tell you how much we love the BeBe episode,’ and how much they appreciate it.”
 
Season 1 and 2 of The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder are available to stream on Disney+.