It's a dream come true for Jeannie Amendola

By Sandra Bostwick

Jeannie Amendola knows how to work a castle and can get there without a pumpkin coach.

A stellar career earned her a spot as one of three 2005 Walt Disney World ambassadors, representing close to 60,000 cast members. And, as in every Cinderella story, she had odds to beat.

Her story might start with, "Once upon a time Princess Jeannie was born, legally blind..." But that's just a detail.

"I've never allowed my disability to prevent me from going for those things I've always wanted," she says. "I went away to college, I've traveled and I have a professional job that I love! Actually, I feel like I've won the job lotto!"

Happily-ever-after scenarios are just a day's work for this administrative assistant to a senior Walt Disney World executive. Imagine standing on a red carpet in front of Cinderella's Castle on the opening day of Hong Kong's Disneyland, the majestic mountains standing like a giant mural in the distance. Amendola had a moment, for that split second before she spoke, when she couldn't believe that she, out of all the billions of people in the world, was standing there.

"When I walked out, they played 'When You Wish upon a Star,' and one of the lines is 'makes no difference who you are.' That has kind of become my theme song."

She describes the experience as "overwhelming—even though you can't see the audience, you can feel their presence. You can hear the movement and people's voices... On Main Street, you can always smell popcorn, the candy, and cookies baking in the bakery. All of your senses are so attuned."

Then the vision fades to black with the powerful sound of unseen fireworks overhead which, she says, "really go right down to your stomach when you are that close."

Behind the Scenes

An increasingly busy Walt Disney personally selected the first ambassador in 1964 to be his voice as the demands for interviews and public appearances grew. Today's ambassadors represent more than 50 years of growth and diversification in studio entertainment, parks and resorts, consumer products, and media networks that all attempt to maintain the spirit, attitude and attention to detail that Walt Disney intended.

With 2006 revenue that approached $35 billion, the ambassadors remind us that it all started with a mouse!

Good service, well-maintained surroundings and a positive atmosphere make Walt Disney World a great place to work or play. For people with disabilities, the accessible grounds and staff awareness training create one of the most barrier-free mainstream environments in the country.

In Orlando, as an ambassador, Amendola introduced the president of Walt Disney Worldwide Operations, Al Weiss, as he awarded a $1 million grant to the Orlando Boys and Girls Club at Cinderella Castle in the Magic Kingdom. She practiced the stage layout beforehand by counting steps and memorizing direction, so she could later approach the crowds unassisted. "They also explained the lighting rundown, which also was a great help to me. In rehearsals, everyone quickly came to know that I had no problems with my script or parts," she explained. "I always memorized everything. No need for a teleprompter!"

As the ceremony opened, awe replaced her focus on technical issues for a moment. "I could hear my own voice on the microphone as I was speaking to these government officials and special guests at Walt Disney World and it almost felt as if Walt Disney himself is there with you, as if he is placing in your hand his magic and his dream, and you have to cherish it and nurture it and share it with all of the cast members and with all of our guests around the world."

Sounds like a job description that Walt Disney might have written himself.

Cast members who can't live up to the standards Disney founded back when gas station workers wore starched uniforms and delivered speedy service with a smile may not go far here. A grouchy employee can take the glitter off any consumer experience, and the high percentage of cast members who channel Walt's ideals cast a magic spell that creates pockets of warm fuzzies in a cold, hard world. Since attitude is hard to change, the right fit earns an employee plenty of leeway for learning trainable job skills, which is especially beneficial to those with challenges.

For people with disabilities, accessibility with a smile is more important than compliance with regulations. Being respectful and pleasant to everyone is expected on the job. It just makes the place, well, nicer. Even the most disabled cast members carry themselves with confidence and pride here, where differences are celebrated rather than hidden. In fact, Walt Disney World was named the number one place to launch a career in a 2006 survey by Business Week. (Gerdes, L., Sept. 18, 2006)

Walt would have been pleased to know that after all these years, the workplace summary reads, "Cynics need not apply: Culture stresses creativity, optimism and decency."

While Walt Disney World slipped down the ranks in the 2007 survey, successful employees with disabilities have probably not even noticed.

Training, Disney Style

As a 2004 traditions orientation assistant, Amendola trained cast members on their first day of work and role-modeled the upbeat attitude. "Traditions introduces the Disney culture through an interactive experience," she said. Traditions orientation emphasizes inclusion for cast members from hundreds of countries and focuses on abilities rather than limitations. "We recognize the cast for the value they bring to the company's vision and the magic they make every day."

The Disney traditions merge cultures from the world, including groups with disabilities, to foster the service standards that many guests describe as uniquely "Disney."

Amendola served four years as president of the diversity resource group CastABLE, which earned recognition from Springboard Consulting and Work Life Matters magazine as one of six Fortune 500 companies named for the First Annual Disability Matters Award. The name is an acronym for Cast Appreciating, Supporting, Teaching Ability, Better Living, Equality.

"CastABLE is for supporters and advocates of cast with disabilities within the workplace," she explained. "The group is designed to serve cast members who are interested in the professional, cultural and educational development of people with disabilities...in the areas of education, community, image and communication. [We] provide an inclusive forum and resource opportunity for our cast, while also advising on products and services for guests with disabilities."

Amendola has developed unique gifts that compensate for unavailable visual cues in a setting where attention to faces or name tags are part of doing business. Her voice reaches out on the phone, with energy and warmth, like a good handshake.

"As long as I've met someone once, I can usually remember them," she said. "It's our culture and tradition to be very friendly, and on a first name basis, but I've worked around it to make it work for me and make the people I meet feel comfortable."

Her good sense of spatial awareness and memory helps her walk confidently on stage or in the office. Her keen sense of hearing amazes her peers. She hears the footsteps of the senior vice-president—who, by the way, she ranks with her mother as one of her biggest champions—from a distant carpeted hallway. She's developed a heightened sense of smell and can match colognes to people.

Outside the Kingdom

On her own time, Amendola is active in community organizations and was honored as a 2004 employee of the year by Careers and the Disabled magazine. She also loves to travel and recently visited London with her mom, where she met a real prince.

"I was looking at one of our royalty magazines, and I noticed that Prince Phillip was hosting a reception for employment opportunities for people with disabilities at St. James Palace," she recalled. "I called the British Consulate here in Orlando and inquired about it — just spur of the moment, and asked if there was any possibility that I could receive an invitation because this ties in with what I do at Walt Disney World and the Able Trust."

She was added to a guest list of about 100 people and was personally presented to Prince Phillip in London last May 23.

And what does a career princess do when she meets the prince and his court? She dazzles them!

"I was able to talk about Walt Disney World and what we have created—an inclusive environment, an inclusive workplace for people with disabilities—and they were fascinated with the work that we have done and how we've accomplished it."

Huge corporations can have trouble passing the spark and energy of the founders through the ranks, but Walt Disney seems to have created a momentum that stands the test of time. They don't "buy into" it, as the phrase goes in today's business jargon. Walt would ask them to believe.

If this story has a fairy godfather, it might be Walt Disney himself for creating the environment that offers such storybook opportunities to so many including those who are, by definition, disabled. "I've had cast members approach me and say that they'd seen me live out my dream as a Disney ambassador, and that I'd inspired them to go out and achieve their dreams," Amendola said. "That is more rewarding than anything!"

She adds, "Everyone's dreams can come true, and here at Walt Disney World, dreams are open to everyone and magical experiences are open to everyone."

With an attitude like that, Princess Jeannie's happily ever after is just beginning.

Sandra Bostwick, MA, OT, is also a music therapist, teacher and adjunct professor at County College of Morris, NJ. She founded an educational consulting and coaching practice and has entertained and lectured in the U.S., Canada and Europe. She enjoys freelance writing and has contributed to the 2008 PassPorter's Walt Disney Resort and Cruise Guide and Open Mouse for WDW. Both are available in bookstores this fall or at PassPorter.com. She has an MA from New York University.