ORLANDO, Fla. – A Florida family says a visit to Universal Orlando’s Epic Universe to celebrate their autistic daughter’s birthday ended with them being escorted out of the park and accused of shoplifting, a situation they describe as a misunderstanding tied to their child’s disability.
Nikki Daou said she visited Epic Universe on Dec. 27 with her husband and their nonverbal, autistic daughter, who was celebrating her seventh birthday. Daou said she had previously registered her daughter with Universal’s disability access program and reviewed her accommodation needs with the company ahead of the visit.
After several hours at the park, Daou said the family entered a Mario-themed gift shop, where her daughter became excited about a Mario keychain. As the store grew crowded, Daou said her daughter became overwhelmed and agitated…