June **^th, 2002

Dear Sir or Madam,

My name is ***** ******, a graduate student of the Department of Special Education at the University of Kansas. I would like to ask you a few questions concerning services for Guests with disabilities provided by the Walt Disney Company at each Disney parks in the U.S. I also would like to make a request in a relation to one of those questions. I will conclude my letter with two questions and one request at the end, but before I get to them, first I would like to write about what had driven me to write this letter and why those questions and request are important. This letter is a part of series of actions that respond to a recent termination of one of services for Guests with disabilities at the Tokyo Disneyland in Japan.

I am writing this letter on behalf of hundreds of Disney fans in Japan who wish to have better services for Guests with disabilities at the Tokyo Disneyland. Through working on developing a Japanese version of the Circle of Inclusion website (www.circleofinclusion.org), a federally funded, web-based, non-profit research project at the University of Kansas, which aims at disseminating information and supporting inclusive practices for children with special needs and for their families, I came to know a website (www.eft.gr.jp/gacard/index.html) that a Japanese couple created, who have been working very hard so that disabilities would not deprive their son with autism and other children and adults with disabilities of their dream to enjoy the Disney world. According to them, the Tokyo Disneyland is not just an amusement park that if it does not work, then they can go other parks. It is much more than that. It is a whole world where hopes, energy, happiness, and dreams are abundant enough to share with all park guests that has quite an impact on the quality of life of those who spend their time there. In fact, that has become an expectation toward all Disney parks including the Tokyo Disneyland among people.

Tremendous efforts of this Japanese couple, Mr. and Mrs. Okabe, resulted in making “Guest Assistance Card” for Guests with disabilities possible both at the Tokyo Disneyland in 2000, and at the Universal Studio Japan in 2001. Tokyo Disneyland was able to offer mainly three kinds of assistance under the name of “Guest Assistance Card”, including “No Waiting Time Support”. This assistance had been provided for children and people who had an extremely difficult time to wait in a line to enter an attraction (ex. panicking and presenting challenging behaviors caused by excessive frustration and little understanding of situations) due to the nature of their disabilities and to their difficulty to understand the concept of time. This service option had made significant impacts on so many Japanese families, especially families with a child with autism, ADHD (attention deficit hyperactive disorder), and other emotional disorders, for whom it would had been impossible to come and enjoy at the Tokyo Disneyland if they had not had this assistance. Those families had been enjoying this assistance with such a sincere appreciation, considering it as the best gift that the Disney could have ever provided to them. They also had been very considerate and respectful to other guests in how they utilize this “No Waiting Time Support”. For example, most families use this assistance more as the last resort rather than using it immediately even when their child seems to be having one of those “good days” and to be able to wait, at least for a while, in a line. The “Guests Assistance Card” has been greatly contributing to enhance the trust and respect among people in Japan toward the Tokyo Disneyland, and the Walt Disney Company also (most Japanese people are not clearly aware of the fact that the Tokyo Disneyland is under the operation of Japanese company called Oriental Land Company and it is not under the direct control of the Walt Disney Company), and people see them as an important society leader.

Those Disney fans in Japan are the people who are now disappointed by and feeling angry toward the decision that had been made by the Oriental Land abruptly and unheartedly in this May to discontinue their “No Waiting Time Support” at the Tokyo Disneyland. The Oriental Land Company had not even provided any reasonable and logical reasons that made sense to those Disney fans. They only said that they needed to respond to the claims that they had been receiving from other guests and to take what was better for MAJORITIES rather than to worry about demerits for MINORITIES.

It was true that there were people who tried to make use of the “Guest Assistance Card”, especially the “No Waiting Time Support” service, and attempted unlawful participations at the Tokyo Disneyland. However, it did not seem to be logical nor reasonable that the Oriental Land Company solely attributed the problem to those assistances and said “No Waiting Time Support” needed to be ceased even though they did understand there were guests who could not wait with reasonable efforts due to their disability conditions. It did not make sense to many Japanese Disney fans such as Mr. and Mrs. Okabe. It did not make sense to them because the Oriental Land Company had been refusing their request to make the “Guest Assistance Card” as an official service and to publicly inform people of this service so that people could know what assistance and services were available at the Tokyo Disneyland. Mr. and Mrs. Okabe also believed that they could prevent unlawful usages of this assistance by clearly stating rules and guidelines on how to use the assistance, and by increasing awareness toward this support service among general guests. In fact, similar assistance has been working very well without any serious problems related to unlawful usage of the assistance at the Universal Studio Japan in Osaka, where such assistance has been officially included in their service menu. But, the Oriental Land Company had been just refusing to make this assistance official on the ground of a possibility that it might encourage people to unlawfully use this service. And now they said that it was causing problems after all, so they needed to discard it!

Furthermore, the Oriental Land Company did not let people know in advance about changing their policies on the “Guest Assistance Card”, let alone discontinuing the “No Waiting Time Support”. They might say that they did not think they would have to let people know since this service WAS NOT OFFICIAL anyway. However, it would be very UNPROFFESSIONAL for them if they said they couldn’t expect what the consequent of their such abrupt and sneaky action would be, which were to go home being shocked, devastated, sad, exhausted, battered, furious, and LOSING TRUST toward the Disney world in most cases according to the families who shared their stories. One mother sadly said: “It is as if the Tokyo Disneyland, which I thought was meant to be a ‘Dream Land’, is now telling us that ‘A dream is just a dream.’

Through their website and an email list serve that they administered, Mr. and Mrs. Okabe had collected more than three hundreds signatures from people who strongly wish to bring the “No Waiting Time Support” back to the Tokyo Disneyland in only less than one month. They had submitted those signatures to the Oriental Land Company recently along with several suggestions and alternative ideas to modify the “Guests Assistance Card” service. Through the list serve, we’ve been having intense discussions regarding this matter and it was such a discussion that the following two questions and one request emerged:

[Questions]

1. We have rather “unconfirmed” information about services for guests with disabilities provided at Disney parks in the U.S. We obtained this information through people of the Oriental Land Company and people who actually visited a Disney park in America.
Based on this information, our understanding that has not been confirmed yet is the following:

· There is a service called “White Card” at the U.S. Disney parks that is similar to the “Guest Assistance Card” at the Tokyo Disneyland.

· This “White Card” service includes a service similar to our “No Waiting Time Support”, the service that has been the main target of this whole situation and that has recently been terminated by the Oriental Land Company.

· This “White Card” service has not been announced to the guests as an official service due to increased unlawful usage of this service by some guests.

Is our understanding about the “White Card” correct as summarized above? If it’s not, what are the real facts?

2. We understand that the Tokyo Disneyland is under the operation of the Japanese company, the Oriental Land Company, that is independent of the Walt Disney Company.
However, we wonder if there is any line of communication between the Oriental Land Company and the Walt Disney Company as the companies that share the same mission and aspiration to create a dreamland that Mr. Walt Disney had dreamed of.

[Our Request/Hope]

If there is any possible communication line between the Oriental Land Company and the Walt Disney Company, it is our STRONG HOPE that the Walt Disney Company would help the Oriental Land Company REGAIN THE TRUST of Japanese Disney fans by making rationale, logical, and respectful actions considering this matter. We also hope that you would help the Oriental Land Company to be creative in order to provide better service for ALL guests who just love to be at the Tokyo Disneyland and in the Disney world.

The Oriental Land Company takes a position that refuses to listen to people with disabilities and their families for their ideas, suggestions, and comments to make their services guest-friendly and functional. They think that once they start to listen to one person, then they would have to listen to another person, and so on and on and on, and they would rather listen to nobody. In such a situation where it is hard for us to be heard, your help will have a very significant meaning and power to us, and to the Tokyo Disneyland also we believe.

Finally, I would like to tell you how much we appreciate for your time to read this letter. Please contact me with any responses, advice, or questions on this matter at*******(home phone until 7/30) or at *****@****. We, all of the Japanese Disney fans, greatly appreciate your help, your time to listen to us, and your amazing efforts to make the world better!

Sincerely Yours,

**** *********

The University of Kansas

Graduate Research Assistant