Menu
disney world rules discrimination

“Boycott Disney!”: Fuming Mother Claims Disney World Discriminated Against Her Autistic Child, There’s a Catch

There’s something truly magical about the Disney Parks. Whether that’s going to the Walt Disney World Resort or the Disneyland Resort, with each of their Theme Parks. There are tons of magical entertainment offerings at the Parks, whether those are attractions like Haunted Mansion and Space Mountain at Magic Kingdom Park and Disneyland Park and Avatar Flight of Passage at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park or shows like “Fantasmic!” at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, there’s much on offer for any Disney fan.

But things do go awry at the Disney Parks.

Magic Kingdom Disney World

Mickey Mouse and Friends at Magic Kingdom Park, Walt Disney World Resort / Credit: Disney

Whether from bad behavior on account of Guests who cross the line and pick fights with other Guests or yell obscenities at Cast Members, or the rare occasion of the opposite, things can sometimes be soured. There have unfortunately even been times when tragedy has befallen some Guests and Park-visitors while they were at the Disney Resorts.

However, sometimes, a Guest can have a bad experience that is less straightforward. Occasionally, Guests may feel like they have been discriminated against, while others disagree. That’s exactly what happened with this Disney Guest.

One mother took to social media to share how Disney had “discriminated” against her son, who is autistic. She shared that her 14-year-old son had wanted to dress up as Mario for the day and go to the Parks. During their time there, many fellow visitors came up to the family and asked to take photos with the boy. Disney Cast Members reportedly came up to the family, surrounded them, and told the mother that the son was “violating their policies” by dressing up as Mario.

@ourdiznyfamily

@waltdisneyworldparks @starbornlove @disneyparks #disney #disneyworld #waltdisneyworld #wdw #fyp #distok #disneydrama #dramatiktok #disneytiktokcommunity #disneytiktokcircle

♬ original sound – OurDiznyFamily

As the mother continues on in the video, her son was not bothering anyone and was having the time of his life. Cast Members shared that because people were stopping them and asking for photos, it was becoming a safety violation. The mother insisted she wouldn’t tell people that they couldn’t “hi to my kid.” When Cast Members told the mother she would have to refuse when other Guests asked to take photos with her son, she refused, saying “I don’t work here; it’s not my job.”

She concluded her video by saying, “All I can say is, ‘Boycott Disney’.”

Beacons of Magic, Tree of Life, Disney's Animal Kingdom

Beacons of Magic, Tree of Life, Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park, Walt Disney World Resort / Credit: Disney

However, while the mother was quite set in her view, people in the comments disagreed, and most were highly unsympathetic, commenting hat the boy was in full costume. One fan shared, “Sorry but it’s a very well known rule…”

Another former Cast Member took it one step further and shared, “Are used to work for Disney so I know the policies and procedures and yes I’ve had to go to managers in kick people out because they’re dressed up and…And they’re not supposed to follow the rules and you won’t have any f——g problems like she just posted just for clout.”

It’s certainly well-known that Disney is quite particular about its dress-code policies and has mentioned in no uncertain terms that Guests shouldn’t dress up in costume over the age of 14, so perhaps it might be prudent to make sure to do your homework before a Disney vacation, especially because, as the mother herself pointed out, a Disney World vacation is by no means cheap.

About Priyanka

Priyanka is a writer, artist, avid reader, and travel enthusiast based in Chicago. In her free time, she is probably walking by the lake, catching up on the latest releases on TV, or spending inordinate amounts of time rewatching Moana, Encanto, and her Disney Channel life-long favorites Zack and Cody wreak havoc on the Tipton.