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Unapei is a French organisation fighting for the rights of people with disabilities and their families.Disneyland is an amusement park in France. Unapei is saying that people with intellectual disabilities For example:
This is why Unapei is asking Disneyland If you want to help Unapei you can:
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Unapei launched a campaign against the discrimination of visitors with intellectual disabilities at Disneyland Paris. The organisation is urging the public to get involved, spread the word, sign the campaign petition available online, and help put an end to the segregationist practices in place at the famous amusement park.
The campaign comes as a response to the many alerts Unapei has received from families and associations of people with intellectual disabilities which have experienced acts of overt discrimination at Disneyland Paris. Previously to the campaign’s start, park management had also been contacted several times by mail and asked to immediately address the distressing issues. But, even if they did not deny the facts brought to their attention, and admitted to the existence of discriminative practices which restrict access to park attractions solely on the criteria of the visible nature of a visitor’s intellectual disability, Disneyland officials do not plan to take any action towards putting an end to them. Park management has explained that the proliferation of discrimination was mandated by the security rules currently in place.
Unapei believes the many instances of singling people with intellectual disabilities out, denying their access to attractions or removing them from queues, amount to the practice of deliberately profiling a specific segment of Park guests. Furthermore, visitors with intellectual disabilities often have no other choice but to identify themselves as such and get a priority pass in order to be able to enjoy access to attractions. In the opinion of Unapei, the priority pass was only put in place to better restrict access to park attractions. The French organisation believes the pass only leads to people with disabilities being side-lined (taken out of regular queues, asked to enter through the exist-way of some attractions, obliged to make a fixed appointment for some rides etc.). Moreover, the special pass forces visitors to follow different rules than other park guests, such as having to be accompanied by a person without disabilities, not being able to enjoy a ride together with other people with disabilities, or in the same way as people without disabilities. For example, Unapei lists the fact that a group of four persons with disabilities, accompanied by one attendant, cannot get on an attraction together, as the attendant must go four consecutive times, once with each of them.
Following the numerous complaints and negative testimonies, Unapei and Papillons Blancs Epernay organized a test visit to Disneyland Paris: ‘This visit attests to the discriminatory practices in place based on stereotyping and restrictive access to park attractions. Visitors with intellectual disabilities expect to live a magical moment, in a magical world. But they discover a hostile universe, the adventure of discrimination begins, the dream crumbles over the injustices and gives way to a sense of indignation and revolt’, Unapei wrote.
To support this campaign you can:
- Sign the petition and encourage other to do the same,
- Share the news on your website and social networks
- Do you have a disability and have been discriminated against in Disneyland Paris? Testify by writing to discrimination@unapei.org.
- Follow Unapei on Facebook, like and share their campaign page.
Unapei is the first federation of French associations representing the rights and interests of persons with intellectual disabilities and their families. Created in 1960, it brings together 550 associations of volunteers, parents and friends, who believe that all persons with intellectual disabilities should have access to equal opportunities and be integrated in society.
