A Florida family has said they were removed from Universal Orlando's Epic Universe theme park after a misunderstanding involving their autistic daughter and a Mario-themed keychain. Nikki Daou, her husband, and their seven-year-old daughter, who is nonverbal and has autism, were at the park on December 27 to celebrate the girl's birthday.
According to local broadcaster News 6 Orlando, Ms Daou had registered her daughter with the park's disability access programme before their visit. The family spent several hours at the park and eventually stopped at a gift shop dedicated to Nintendo's Mario character, where the girl became excited by a keychain.
As the shop became crowded, Ms Daou said her daughter grew overwhelmed and irritable. She left the shop with the keychain, while her husband remained behind to pay. He reportedly removed the tag from the item so that the checkout worker could scan it. The keychain cost $16.
Shortly after leaving the shop, Ms Daou was approached by Universal security guards who accused her of shoplifting. She told News 6 Orlando that she felt scared and began crying, and explained that her husband was still inside waiting to pay. Despite this, the family was escorted to a security office and the Orange County Sheriff's Office was called. They were later escorted off the property and told they would be banned for a year and receive a fine in the post.
The family's attorney, Eric Block of Morgan & Morgan, said he sent a demand letter to Universal, accusing the company of overreacting and failing to consider the girl's special needs. He added that Universal responded with a demand letter for money, accusing her of retail theft. The Daou family said they are not seeking a financial payout and hope Universal will instead train staff on its own Americans with Disabilities Act policies.
