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Petition calls for Disney to create Down's syndrome princess Petition calls for Disney to create princess with Down's syndrome
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A petition calling for Disney to create an animated hero with Down’s syndrome has picked up more than 58,000 signatures online.A petition calling for Disney to create an animated hero with Down’s syndrome has picked up more than 58,000 signatures online.
Animated films from Disney have featured various disabled characters, from 1937’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarves to Frozen. They include Quasimodo from The Hunchback of Notre Dame and Gabriella, who is deaf and communicates through sign language, in The Little Mermaid. But the studio has yet to produce a film that centres on a character with Down’s.Animated films from Disney have featured various disabled characters, from 1937’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarves to Frozen. They include Quasimodo from The Hunchback of Notre Dame and Gabriella, who is deaf and communicates through sign language, in The Little Mermaid. But the studio has yet to produce a film that centres on a character with Down’s.
San Francisco Bay Area residents Keston Ott-Dahl and her wife, Andrea, have a 15-month-old daughter, Delaney, with the syndrome. They posted the petition online on 1 October, the start of Down Syndrome Awareness Month, and have seen it move to just a few hundred signatures short of its 59,000 target.San Francisco Bay Area residents Keston Ott-Dahl and her wife, Andrea, have a 15-month-old daughter, Delaney, with the syndrome. They posted the petition online on 1 October, the start of Down Syndrome Awareness Month, and have seen it move to just a few hundred signatures short of its 59,000 target.
The petition reads: “Disney does a great job of depicting right from wrong. It has long provided wonderful moral lessons that teach our children to be good people, but sadly, the company comes up short in one critical area. What wonderful lessons of diversity, compassion, and acceptance Disney could teach our kids if they promoted disabled characters as heroes and heroines in their beloved movies!”The petition reads: “Disney does a great job of depicting right from wrong. It has long provided wonderful moral lessons that teach our children to be good people, but sadly, the company comes up short in one critical area. What wonderful lessons of diversity, compassion, and acceptance Disney could teach our kids if they promoted disabled characters as heroes and heroines in their beloved movies!”
Ott-Dahl, an author and activist, told the Orange County Register: “Children with Down’s syndrome and disabilities are frequently targets for bullying. But how great would it be if young children can learn compassion and see disabled heroes in their favourite animated films? Disney is in such a great position to have an impact on kids’ lives.”Ott-Dahl, an author and activist, told the Orange County Register: “Children with Down’s syndrome and disabilities are frequently targets for bullying. But how great would it be if young children can learn compassion and see disabled heroes in their favourite animated films? Disney is in such a great position to have an impact on kids’ lives.”
Artist Alexsandro Palombo highlighted the paucity of physically disabled characters in Disney’s children’s movies earlier this year when he published a series of drawings depicting famous animated icons such as Snow White and Pocahontas in wheelchairs and with missing limbs. The studio has not commented on the petition.Artist Alexsandro Palombo highlighted the paucity of physically disabled characters in Disney’s children’s movies earlier this year when he published a series of drawings depicting famous animated icons such as Snow White and Pocahontas in wheelchairs and with missing limbs. The studio has not commented on the petition.