70 years ago, Walt Disney launched his first of his theme parks, Disneyland in Anaheim, CA. While changes have certainly been made, with some rides exiting, and some proving they can stay the duration, one thing is certain, Disneyland has maintained its status as one of the must-see destinations for families. Even Vice-President J.DD. Vance visited recently. The fanfare for the big day has caused synergy with Disney Plus, and a series of first person points of view have been released. They aren’t all rides, some are just immersive experiences like being on Main Street USA. Professionally filmed, they certainly beat the stuff you can get from family trips on Youtube.

Disneyland itself offers audio description for visitors. while not every ride or attraction has audio description, they do have a wide smattering of description. The argument could be made they don’t want their equipment on rides where the device could get wet, or fly off of a fast moving rollercoaster. The rest of the park has plenty to offer.

I was a former cast member myself, at Disney world. Many have worked for the mouse at some point, and I spent some time working at Fort Wilderness in the Disney World Resort in Orlando, FL. I’ve had the ability, being a local resident, of going to Disney World quite a bit. Before losing my sight, I could easily navigate any park without needing a map.

But not everyone has gone yet, and while Disney doesn’t want to give away the whole shebang, creating exclusionary celebratory material is not a good look for the 70th Anniversary. the fact is, they missed the boat on this one. Their handful of experiences and rides feature no audio description on Disney Plus. So, while sighted audiences have the ability to enjoy these few attractions from their living room, blind people do not.

I didn’t bother sitting through every one, but I did get through enough to have a wide array. I checked out Tiana’s remodeling of Splash mountain, Haunted Mansion, Main Street USA, Pixar Play, and Incredicoaster. None had audio description. Main Street USA is just the entry to the park. I have. Feeling Pixar was just a look at the area of the park dedicated to Pixar, like they have of mickey’s Toontown. Haunted Mansion is actually a ride that has audio description, and they didn’t import the existing track.

Imagine, being able to sit at home just like your sighted family and friends and enjoy a really cool first person experience of these rides. especially, rides that would normally be off limits to our equipment. Disney might be afraid the headsets would get wet on the Tiana ride in person, but at home, we just get it from our TV. the only way we get wet is by choice.

So, thanks Disney, for marginalizing a disabled group. These first person videos offer so much to people who can never travel to Disney, from people with mobility issues, to kids who financially will have a trip to Disneyland out of their reach. If you have a medical condition that prevents you from getting on a certain ride, here’s the video. Professionally shot, and not a shaky cam from a dad trying to capture his family along the way. As someone who has been through the park, one of the things I noticed was how quiet Main Street was. You’ll never get it without the roar of thousands of people rushing off to stand in line somewhere.

this whole experience was a great idea, but somewhere along the way, once again, Disney forgot tht blind people, low vision individuals exist. Instead of this being an immersive experience for all, it became an exclusionary experience for some, and sadly that group is too frequently excluded as is.

this was a misstep for the company. What was meant to celebrate the lasting legacy of Disney’s Imagineers, and Walt Disney’s vision, becomes just one more experience we have to sit through without any visual reference to what is going on around us. Maybe, we forgot to all wish upon that star.