“We’ve never seen the possibilities of our lives represented for us and the world”
Disney has brought magic to the lives of so many children, but there is a huge portion of the population who are left out of the fairytale.
A campaign has been launched to introduce Disney’s first disabled princess.
And it’s about time too.
Disney has made strides in being more inclusive, especially this year, but the company is still neglecting a lot of its audience by solely having princesses who are non-disabled.
A 21-year-old writer and disability advocate has started a petition to create a disabled princess.
Hannah Diviney penned a moving open letter in a bid to get Disney to make these much-needed changes.
She wrote: “My name is Hannah Diviney and I’m a 21-year-old writer and disability advocate. I have Cerebral Palsy, a physical disability that affects my fine and gross motor skills. It means I use a wheelchair to navigate through the world.”
Hannah explained that she is a huge fan of Disney movies, but has never seen herself in them.
She shared that creating a disabled princess would give “millions of children around the world the invaluable chance to see themselves having adventures and being the hero of their own stories”.
“You’d be working to dispel the painful idea that many children subconsciously absorb life with a disability has to mean a life without joy, adventure, friendship, or love.”
Introducing a disabled Disney princess would also help educate non-disabled children to understand their lives.
“You would actively be creating a culture of tolerance, acceptance, empathy, and understanding to replace fear, confusion, and the seeds of bigotry that are often unconsciously sowed when we are confronted with something different that is hard to understand.”
Hannah said this move has the chance to give disabled people magic.
“Walt Disney envisaged his empire as a place for children to dream and hope. These days, we know more than ever that hope is the most powerful thing we have. Children with disabilities don’t have that place of fantastical hopes and dreams.
“We’ve never seen the possibilities of our lives represented for us and the world.”
You can help support Hannah by signing and sharing her petition. Click here to support her and help make Disney even more inclusive.
