Diviney, a girl currently living in Sydney, believes that the process of fighting her disability could change if there are positive representations of disabled individuals like her in films.
Speaking with Reuters during an interview, Diviney stated, “In essence, the campaign aims to create a Disney princess who is disabled, as Disney princesses are often the most prominent characters.”
Disney princesses appear in many places and have a significant influence.
“These characters appear in various media, from storybooks to birthday party themes and Halloween costumes. Therefore, I genuinely hope that my character can show up in places like that,” she added.
Diviney started an online campaign in 2020 for Disney to create a disabled princess character, and the petition has garnered over 64,000 signatures.
A 23-year-old, who is currently a content writer for an online news site aimed at women, recently appeared in the Australian animated series “Latecomers” and believes that the experience of becoming a character is quite different from other traditional roles.
Last year, Diviney “tagged” Beyoncé and Lizzo on Twitter regarding their use of the term “spaz” in their songs, a derogatory term for individuals with spastic disabilities. Both artists subsequently deleted the term from their songs following the widespread sharing of Diviney’s tweets.
Brain disorders currently affect about 0.1% of Australia’s 26 million population. The most common condition is Spastic Diplegia, a form of cerebral palsy that causes paralysis in the lower limbs. This is also the condition that Diviney has been diagnosed with.
