A family from Florida says a visit to Universal’s Epic Universe (Epic Universe) to celebrate their autistic daughter’s birthday ended with them being escorted out of Universal Orlando’s newest theme park and accused of shoplifting.
The family have described the situation as a misunderstanding tied to their child’s disability. Nikki Daou said (via WKMG News 6) she visited Epic Universe on the 27th December, 2025, with her husband and their autistic daughter, who was celebrating her birthday.
Daou told WKMG News 6 that she had previously registered her daughter with Universal Orlando’s disability access program and reviewed her accommodation needs with the resort ahead of their visit.
After being at Epic Universe for several hours, Daou said (via WKMG News 6) the family entered a Mario-themed gift shop, where her daughter became excited about a keychain. As the store became more crowded, Daou said her daughter became overwhelmed and agitated.
Dao said (via WKMG News 6) that she took her daughter out of the shop to calm her whilst her husband stayed behind shopping and planned to pay for the $16 keychain. She said her husband removed the tag from the item and kept it with him inside the store.
After exiting the store, Daou said (via WKMG News 6) she was approached by Universal Orlando security outside the shop and was accused of shoplifting.
“I felt very scared,” Daou said. “I immediately started crying.” She told security that her husband was still inside the store and intended to pay for the item. Despite her explanation, Daou (via WKMG News 6) said she was taken to a security office, where she was questioned.
According to Daou, she was later told that Orange County Sheriff’s Office deputies were on the way and that her family would be escorted off property. She said Universal informed her she had been trespassed from the park for one year and would receive a fine in the mail.
Erick Blog of Morgan & Morgan, Daou’s attorney, told WKMG News 6 he has submitted a demand letter to Universal, accusing the company of overreacting and failing to consider the family’s explanation.
“They didn’t apologise or acknowledge that this was a misunderstanding,” Block told WKMG News 6. “Instead, they send a demand letter for money ,accusing her of retail theft,” the attorney added.
Daou said (via WKMG News 6) she believes Universal Orlando did not take her daughter’s disability into account when the situation occurred. She questioned whether employees were aware of the company’s disability access policies.
Stay tuned to Orlando Theme Park Zone for more Orlando theme park-related news and information.
H/T WKMG News 6
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