Disney Supports Special Olympics Florida on the Fairways & Greens

The Disney Technology & Digital team hosted the eleventh annual Special Olympics of Florida Golf Invitational at Disney’s Magnolia Golf Course, helping to raise funds and celebrate athletes of all abilities.

Centered on inclusion and community, the event started as a grassroots initiative 11 years ago and has since grown to be one of the largest charity golf events in the world, bringing together 500 cast members and individuals from the Central Florida technology community to support more than 60,000 athletes served by Special Olympics Florida.

Diane Jurgens, EVP Enterprise Technology and CIO and Doug Leckie, SVP Technology at Walt Disney World co-hosted this year’s event.

“Special Olympics Florida is an integral part of our community and a true leader in accessibility,” shared Doug. “In Tech and Digital, we constantly strive to develop innovative products and experiences that are inclusive of all of our guests, just as Special Olympics works to celebrate athletes of all abilities.”

Disney has a treasured history with Special Olympics Florida, an organization which provides year-round sports training, competition and health services for children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The funds raised at this event help ensure that all Special Olympics Florida athletes have the opportunity to experience personal triumphs as they shatter the stereotypes surrounding people with disabilities.

For some Disney Tech & Digital cast members, the event also offered an opportunity to reflect on how they bring inclusion to life in their day-to-day work.

“Accessibility and inclusion have been a big part of our organization, not only in how we hire and how we think about staffing as we go forward, but also how we think about our websites and our apps to ensure they’re inclusive for our guests,” said Kelly Cheng, Director of Digital Product Operations.

So, what’s next for our Technology and Digital cast members? They’ll keep teeing off on the golf course each year to support the Special Olympics Florida, but they’ll also continue teeing up cutting-edge technology solutions and digital experiences that welcome all guests to our Disney Parks.