A Florida mother says her family was kicked out of Universal’s Epic Universe theme park because of misconceptions about her autistic daughter.
Nikki Daou was charged with shoplifting and was temporarily banned from Universal properties, according to a letter sent by her attorney. Daou told USA TODAY that she took her daughter outside a crowded store in late December to avoid a meltdown.
Her then-six-year-old son, whom she described as “severely autistic” at the time, was clutching a key chain she hadn’t yet purchased, although she had no intention of buying one yet. Dow’s husband, Alan, who is also disabled and uses a wheelchair, remained at the home to remove the tags on the items and pay for them.
“She just clung to it. You know, she started saying, ‘My Mario, my Mario, my Mario.'” In her world, repetition is important, Daou recalled. “We learned that you don’t accept what (she) is into.”
Ms. Daou also knew what would happen if she and her daughter remained in the store longer. “She (changes) within a minute or two from being calm, calm and collected to throwing herself on the floor, punching herself, punching others, banging her head against the floor and walls,” Daou said, adding that during that trip, her daughter had already had one meltdown while waiting to receive a disability pass from the resort.
Daou said the two were just leaving the store when a plainclothes security guard approached her and told her to leave with him because he had been caught shoplifting. Daou said she tried to explain the situation, but her husband also came out, but “he wouldn’t listen.”
She said the guard not only took the keychain, but “they’re dangling it in front of the child, and the child is screaming, ‘My Mario, my Mario.'” She said the guard confiscated the first keychain, so her husband bought two more and showed the guard the receipt, to no avail.
Universal did not immediately respond to USA TODAY’s request for comment.
Daou said he was taken to the theme park for further questioning. “At that point I’m sobbing. I’m terrified,” she said. She explained the situation to another guard.
“He was out for maybe two minutes, came back and handed me three papers, and he said that from this point on, you’re trespassing on Universal and its affiliates, the parking lot, and CityWalk. The Orange County Sheriff is on his way to escort you off the property. You’ll receive the fine in the mail, and you’ll need to pay it.”
She said the sheriff arrived but was allowed to leave without an escort. However, Daou said the park took away her husband’s wheelchair and her disabled daughter’s stroller, which she had borrowed from the park. They had to take turns carrying out their daughter and personal belongings.
“While I’m holding Alan, she’s punching and kicking me,” Dow said, adding that her husband’s disability already makes it painful to walk. Meanwhile, she said she was concerned because they were staying on Universal property and took resort transportation to the park.
“It’s like, ‘Okay, we’ve been trespassed. Can I take the shuttle? Can I go back to the hotel?'” she said.
“Of course they called me,” said Rick Block, an attorney at Morgan & Morgan, where Daou is a paralegal. “I told her to just stay in the room and not come out. So they had to wait all night wondering, ‘Am I going to get kicked out or am I going to get arrested because it’s a trespassing violation?’
They left home the morning after their daughter’s seventh birthday, but a few days later received a letter from a Universal lawyer demanding $200 in civil action.
“In response, I issued a letter requesting certain things, including a portion of the money being donated to an autism charity of Dowse’s choice, a letter of apology, and a revocation of the trespass, which was clearly of no financial benefit to them,” Block said.
Block noted that the family had already spent hundreds of dollars at Universal before being accused of stealing the keychain and was not seeking any compensation.
“Intent is part of Florida’s theft law,” he said. “So if you want to mislead on Universal’s part that she shouldn’t have walked out and walked outside with her property, then again, she’s not leaving, she’s not running away, they’re waiting for Alan to pay for the damn key chain. But if you argue that she shouldn’t have done that, I get that, but there was no intent to take Universal’s property. That’s the basic basis for civil theft under the law.”
Block said a representative from Universal contacted him expressing interest in meeting with him, but he hasn’t heard back yet. Speaking on behalf of the Daou family, he said he would like to see more training for employees on how to interact with guests with disabilities and their families.
Universal Orlando already has partnered with the International Certification and Continuing Education Standards Board on the Disability Access Card. IBCCESS cannot comment on this specific incident, but its president, Meredith Tekin, told USA TODAY: “In general, we know that in any setting where the public is involved, all staff need autism training on how to navigate difficult situations. Unfortunately, in these scenarios there is often the potential for miscommunication and misunderstandings on all sides, and training is key to understanding everyone.”
