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A woman has started an online petition that she hopes will pressure the Walt Disney Company into making a progressive change. Her demand is more representation of people with disabilities, something she has not seen portrayed in any Disney movie. Celebrities and Disney fans are showing their support for this campaign and its message.
Credit: Hanna Lassen/Getty Images
Woman Fights Disney to Promote Advocacy
Hannah Diviney, 23, was diagnosed with cerebral palsy when she was born. Cerebral palsy is a group of disorders that affects a person’s mobility, balance, muscle tone, and posture. For Diveney, this means using a wheelchair to navigate her way through the world.
Growing up, Hannah Diviney loved Disney films, but as a young girl, she never saw herself represented in the stories. Hannah felt firsthand how much it affected children with disabilities to not see a character with a visible disability represented on screen. Now as an adult and a Disney fan, she is determined to change all that. Hannah started a petition asking the Walt Disney Company to create a disabled Disney Princess.
On her campaign website, Hannah explains, “Creating a disabled Princess (we know how influential those characters are) would give millions of children around the world the invaluable chance to see themselves having adventures, rich full lives and being the hero of their own stories.”
Hannah wants a Disney Princess specifically because she knows that those characters tend to be the most popular and get the most merchandise. If she is going to fight for representation in the disabled community, she wants it to be impossible to ignore.
Disney Fan Seeks Representation
At her core, Hannah is an avid Disney fan. She adores the movies and characters, and she feels confident that once Disney hears her story, they will empathize with her point of view. Hannah recognizes that Disney has been a champion for providing enriching, quality children’s entertainment. She believes that if the company makes this bold step, it will further distinguish itself as a “visionary leader in what I hope will become a powerful trend of better representation across the board.”
Credit: Women’s Weekly
Her online petition has already earned 64,632 signatures. Celebrities like Reese Witherspoon, Jameela Jamil, and Mark Hamill have all shown their support for the cause. Hannah hopes that the support will grow so that Disney will hopefully realize that they “have the chance to give us that magic.
