Young Autistic Woman Reunites With Missing Disney Lanyard

In late March, Disneyland staffer Emily Gibby took to social media to find the owner of a missing lanyard her coworker had found in the park in Anaheim, California.

The badge attached to the lanyard has a note which reads, “Hello! I am autistic, and I don’t talk much, but I would like to trade for Mickey pins!” Gibby posted a photo of the lanyard on her Facebook page, adding that she and her co-workers decorated it with even more pins and a medallion.

After thousands shared Gibby’s post, the lanyard was finally returned to its owner, a young woman named Susan. Disney also sent her a few goodies, including a Mickey Mouse doll, according to a comment her mother Deb Baldwin left on The Mighty’s original report.

Many individuals with autism have sensory issues and may grow very attached to certain objects, or parts of objects, according to The National Autistic Society.

“I have always known that people with autism have daily struggles that some of us will never realize, but recently I have learned that something as small as losing a possession could drastically change their day, week, or even their month,” Gibby wrote in a post on April 2. “Losing a small item could lead to large behavioral changes and meltdowns that can not be solved by just ‘buying a new one.’”

Upon finding the lanyard’s owner, Gibby thanked her Facebook friends for helping solve the mystery.

“I’m so happy to see so many people care about someone they have never met!” she wrote. “The world is still full of great people!”