Dear Disney,

My name is Hannah Diviney and I’m a 21-year-old writer and disability advocate. I have Cerebral Palsy, a physical disability which affects my fine and gross motor skills. It means I use a wheelchair to navigate through the world.

I’m writing you this message as a young woman who has always loved Disney films but never seen herself in them.

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. You’d be working to dispel the painful idea that many children subconsciously absorb life with a disability has to mean a life without joy, adventure, friendship or love.

Beyond that, you’d also be providing a powerful reference point for non-disabled children to understand us and our lives. You would actively be creating a culture of tolerance, acceptance, empathy and understanding to replace fear, confusion and the seeds of bigotry that are often unconsciously sowed when we are confronted with something different that is hard to understand

For decades now, you as a company have stood at the forefront of children’s lives by providing high quality emotionally intelligent entertainment full of valuable lessons and important tools to help all of us understand the world.

As the first company to hopefully take this bold step, Disney would be a visionary leader in what I hope will become a powerful trend of better representation across the board.

Walt Disney envisaged his empire as a place for children to dream and hope. These days, we know more than ever that hope is the most powerful thing we have. Children with disabilities don’t have that place of fantastical hopes and dreams. We’ve never seen the possibilities of our lives represented for us and the world.

You have the chance to give us that magic

Hannah