Invested In Inclusion
Community Relations, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Theme Parks

Creating a Universe Celebrating Diversity

Like all of Comcast NBCUniversal, Universal Parks & Resorts embraces diversity, equity and inclusion for both our Team Members and our guests. We work hard to prioritize these values and make them an integral part of everything we do across our resorts, theme parks and attractions around the world.

It is always our goal to bring diversity, equity and inclusion to life in our parks and throughout our company with our guests and Team Members in mind. This is practiced every day in ways both big and small, and we’d like to highlight some of the recent measures that have been put into place by our theme parks.
 
At Universal Orlando Resort, the Jurassic World VelociCoaster has been a runaway hit. Well over 1 million guests have now experienced the thrill of the hunt, racing the Raptors at 70 miles per hour through twists and turns, rushing 155 feet in the air and plummeting down an 80-degree drop. From the moment the design phase began for this attraction, the experience of guests with varying abilities was thoroughly considered.
 
Going beyond ADA compliance, the attractions team wanted to create an opportunity for as many guests as possible to experience the attraction. Their solution was to design a transport system to safely assist guests who use a mobility device in entering and exiting the ride vehicle. Typically, a roller coaster may have only one seat or row that can accommodate these guests. This new system allows guests to choose which row they prefer, giving them more control over their individual experience.
 
After working for months with mobility and access consultants, the team partnered with the ride manufacturer to ensure everything came together perfectly. Universal Parks & Resorts chose not to patent this or any accessibility innovation, in the hopes devices like these can become standard practice industry-wide and boundaries to enjoying these types of attractions can be removed.
 
Also in Orlando, another example of our accessibility efforts can be found at The Bourne Stuntacular. The attraction’s storyline plays a huge role in the overall experience. To make sure those with hearing impairments won’t miss out on such an integral part of the show, industry-first captioning glasses were designed to display all character dialogue as it happens.
 
One of the many initiatives in place across the company is ongoing listening sessions with Team Members. During one of these sessions, the question was asked, “Why don’t we have more diversity in our attractions?” This question ultimately spurred action.
 
In 2021 Universal Studios Hollywood opened The Secret Life of Pets: Off the Leash! This spectacular, immersive ride features more than 60 animatronic figures, a new interactive tracking technology and projection mapping to put guests right into the story. Because of that question, that storyline also features a same gender, multi-racial family for the first time in a Universal attraction.
 
These are just a few examples of the work we’re doing in the area of diversity, equality and inclusion. We’re proud of the culture we’ve created, yet we know there are always more we can do to better represent the diversity of our Team Members and our guests who experience our incredible theme parks around the world. We invite you to learn more about our initiatives by clicking here and to visit any of our theme parks to see firsthand our diverse universe in action.