Disneyland Cast Members Create Accessibility-Focused Attraction Models

Innovative Accessibility: Disneyland Cast Members Create Attraction Models

From soaring with Dumbo to evading the First Order, Disneyland Resort’s attractions captivate guests with immersive, multi-sensory storytelling. Often, it’s the meticulously designed ride vehicles that truly transport visitors into these imaginative worlds.

Driven by Disney’s commitment to enhancing accessibility, a dedicated team has pioneered a pilot program of 11 tactile models showcasing Disneyland Resort’s attraction ride vehicles. This groundbreaking initiative, the first of its kind for a North American Disney park, culminates a year of dedicated development.

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Starting March 12, the 3D-printed models will be available for guests who are blind or low vision, providing a tangible opportunity for guests to explore the immersive elements of an attraction vehicle prior to experiencing the attraction.

When a guest arrives at the Disneyland Resort Main Entrance Esplanade, they can have an individualized conversation with a cast member at the Accessibility Services Kiosk, at which time they can request to interact with the Tactile Models. An Accessibility Services cast member will then escort the guest to a private room and provide them a visual description of the attraction vehicle as they interact with each Tactile Model.

Making Magic with Miniature Models

A member of the Walt Disney Imagineering Creative Development team — a team that was integral in creating the Tactile Models — explained the importance of working closely with cast members who are blind or low vision from ENABLED, the Disneyland Resort accessibility and inclusion-focused Belonging Employee Resource Group (BERG), to create user-friendly models that provide a tactile experience of the attraction vehicles. “If you are not blind or low vision, you might not consider the importance of familiarizing yourself with an attraction vehicle ahead of time,” the Imagineer said.

The cast members behind this initiative strategically created a total of 11 Tactile Models including:

Disneyland Park Tactile Models

• Dumbo from Dumbo the Flying Elephant
• Bateau from Pirates of the Caribbean
• First Order Transport Vehicle from Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance
• Carrousel horse from King Arthur Carrousel
• Teacup from Mad Tea Party
• Goofy’s locomotive from Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway

Disney California Adventure Park Tactile Models

• Clamshell from The Little Mermaid – Ariel’s Undersea Adventure
• Car from Radiator Springs Racers
• Roadster from Luigi’s Rollickin’ Roadsters
• Carnival car from Toy Story Midway Mania!
• Racoon critter from Jessie’s Critter Carousel

The Fantasyland classic, Dumbo the Flying Elephant, is one example of a highly immersive attraction where guests take an “ear-borne” adventure with Dumbo and ride in an elephant-shaped attraction vehicle. “If you’re not able to see some of those visual elements of the ride vehicle you’re in, you don’t know that you’re sitting in an actual elephant or that they are flying in a circle over Fantasyland,” a project manager from the Disneyland Resort Accessibility Integration team said. “But now that we have the physical model for these guests to interact with, they are immersed into the story through elements that maybe they weren’t able to experience before.”

Other Tactile Models in this launch will further guests’ understanding of attraction themes while also creating an awareness of the vehicles’ structure. The project team behind the Tactile Models explain that some of the ride vehicles – such as Pirates of the Caribbean or Radiator Springs Racers – were important to include so Guests can familiarize themselves with how the seats are arranged to understand the space and how to safely enter the vehicle.

As with any Disney creation, the Imagineers behind the magic made sure to add special, uniquely-Disney details to the Tactile Models. For example, as guests escape the First Order on Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance, their escape pod is piloted by an R5 unit that swivels its head as it looks for the best escape route. Similarly, on the Tactile Model version of the First Order Transport Vehicle, guests can move the R5 unit’s head when interacting with it.

Guests who choose to experience Luigi’s Rollickin’ Roadsters and climb aboard a colorful car that dances to tire-tapping Italian tunes, can familiarize themselves with the Tactile Model before entering the park. While the roadsters in the attraction feature license plates with the names of Luigi’s cousins, one of the Imagineers who created the Tactile Model for Luigi’s Rollickin’ Roadsters chose to add their own personal touch to the model’s license plate. “The license plate on the Luigi’s Rollickin’ Roadsters Tactile Model is actually a call back to an Imagineer’s daughter, who is now also an Imagineer. It’s her birthday and initials,” a fellow Walt Disney Imagineer on the project said.

To Infinity and Beyond

The Accessibility Integration team, one of many teams behind the Tactile Models, shared that the pilot collection is just the beginning, explaining that the development team has goals to both add more attractions to the collection and explore other types of tactile models that can enhance the guest experience for those who are blind or low vision.

With the creation of more individualized offerings and accommodations at Disneyland Resort, initiatives like Tactile Models bring beloved tales to life for even more guests. Through the power of collaboration among passionate cast members, like those on the Tactile Model creative and accessibility teams, the possibilities are truly endless.