The Walt Disney Company has filed paperwork with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ahead of the Annual Meeting of Shareholders on Wednesday, March 18th. The annual meeting will include a number of Disney proposals and shareholder proposals. The shareholder proposal that has received the most attention lately has been a proposal for an independent review of changes to Disney’s Disability Access Service (DAS). Disney is recommending that shareholders vote against this independent review. Here’s their argument.
Disney Recommends Voting No on DAS Review
The proposal title is “Independent Review and Report on Accessibility and Disability Inclusion Practices”. This proposal recently garnered attention when Disney reversed course and decided to include it in the shareholder meeting after initially seeking to get it tossed out.
In an opening statement, Disney says that they believe that it does not meet the requirements of Rule 14a-8, including on grounds that the proposal, read together with its supporting statement, is materially false and misleading in multiple respects.
Disney points to the following key reasons why it recommends that shareholders vote no against a proposal for an independent review of controversial DAS changes:
- The Company is committed to the design and implementation of innovative and effective services that accommodate persons with disabilities and already reviews its practices on an ongoing basis. The Company has been the industry leader in accessibility for over 30 years.
- The Company provides detailed public information, tips and recommendations regarding its accessibility and disability inclusion practices, both online and in person in its theme parks.
- The Company provides strong governance and oversight of its inclusion practices, as well as risk management.
- The proposal’s request would not enhance shareholder value.
Across the Company, we endeavor to provide opportunities to enjoy our products and services. To that end, the Company has made thoughtful investments to incorporate accessibility for people with disabilities throughout our operations as we strive to design, promote and serve as a model for accessibility. The Company has given the same attention to detail in its development of the Disability Access Service program for its domestic parks, which provides an extraordinary benefit – never having to wait in the regular standby lines for most rides for those who require that option. The Company also offers a broad range of different accommodations to assist in accessing the rides and other attractions in the parks, accessing our content and programming and experiencing our other products and services. For example, the Company offers a range of tools and accessibility features across our streaming platforms and networks, including tools such as audio descriptions, closed captioning, keyboard navigation and interoperability with popular screen readers.
The Company provides detailed information regarding accessibility and disability inclusion practices on its websites, including the publication of an Accessibility Topic Brief. Each of our theme parks also publicly provides thorough information about its accommodations and assists guests both before and during their visits. For our domestic theme parks, Disneyland Resort and Walt Disney World Resort, this includes pages on the Disability Access Service program with guidance on registration and the process for using the program once in one of the parks.
The Company has strong governance and oversight of both its accessibility efforts and risk management. Our Senior Executive Vice President and Chief People Officer leads Disney’s global people and culture strategy; talent acquisition and development; compensation and benefits; opportunity and inclusion; organizational effectiveness; and employee services and systems. Reporting to our Chief People Officer, our Senior Vice President and Chief Opportunity & Inclusion Officer leads the Company’s Opportunity & Inclusion strategy and partners closely with leaders and teams across all segments to foster a culture rooted in belonging. The Chief Safety Officer leads the Company’s guest safety efforts for Disney Experiences, including those related to guest accessibility, in collaboration with businesses and leaders across the Company. The Board and its committees oversee the Company’s major financial, legal and reputational risks, supporting strong brand stewardship and mitigation of such risks. See section entitled “The Board’s Role in Risk Oversight” in this proxy statement for more details.
The Company already details the support and accommodations it offers to guests and consumers with accessibility needs, as well as risk oversight practices and governance. The Board therefore believes that the proposal’s request is not in the best interests of the Company and its shareholders as it would not provide meaningful additional information to shareholders to merit the resources it would require.
For the reasons set forth above, our Board unanimously recommends voting AGAINST this proposal.
This shareholder proposal is a direct response to a massive overhaul of Disney’s Disability Access Service (DAS) back in May 2024. In short, the May 2024 changes significantly restricted the number of guests who qualify for the program. Controversially, Disney limited access to the program for guests who had a “developmental disability like autism or similar”.
This change greatly reduced the number of guests who qualified for the DAS program. To be clear, the program was bloated, and the previously lenient requirements likely meant that there were a number of guests utilizing the program who shouldn’t have been using it. Likewise, the new restrictions seemed to swing too far in the other direction, clearly excluding guests who would not only benefit from the program but also guests who may not be able to experience the Disney theme parks without the program.
Disney has remained firm with the changes, and there is no shortage of social media videos that have gone viral within the online Disney community, showcasing guests who claim to need access to the program but were denied.
At this point, we believe that it is unlikely that this shareholder proposal will pass, but we’ll be sure to track it through to the Annual Meeting of Shareholders and update you when a vote is made public.
As always, keep checking back with us here at BlogMickey.com as we continue to bring you the latest news, photos, and info from around the Disney Parks!