Are they getting overly strict on DAS

[mlggator22]

I also have problems with standing in one place for a long time, and when I'm in a queue that's not steadily moving and not using a mobility device, I use my time in line to do stretches that help with my back and legs. I was told many years ago in no uncertain terms that those symptoms did NOT qualify for DAS. I'm very surprised OP was given one in the past.

It's pretty bad nerve pinching/constricting leading to bad pain. At its worst, it feels like someone is taking a cattle prod to my legs. Electrical shocks that hurt like you can't believe. On the best days, its a dull ache in my lower back. I'm always in some pain.
The stretches that I have to do for it require me to be lying down. I do go to the first aid and stretch it out at least once per visit. If things are bad, I'll go more. But I do need to be in a private setting to do them, because the require me to get on the ground in a position that can look a little suggestive.
The muscle tightness/inflammation in my back from prolonged standing or sitting causes swelling around my nerves which significantly increases the pain. The pain builds throughout the day at Disney. Even using DAS, I still get inflammation around the nerves, but having DAS makes it manageable enough that I can still do a full day.
Since 2018, I have been using DAS at WDW (3 trips), Disneyland (probably 10 times a year - except COVID) and trips to Universal Orlando. This is the first time I have had problems with getting accommodations with my diagnosis and disability.

 

[CeCe0906]

it is based off of needs not DX you will need to explain to the CM why she can not wait in the normal line and why she needs to wait out side of one

She also need to ride the ride in order for your group to board. You will also need to purchase Genie for rides she can't do. The DAS won't eliminate a line wait, you still have to wait in line with the other DAS users, Genie users, ILL buyers or people with ride recovery passes. Could be 10 minutes or I've seen reports of 30 min.
Hope you have a good trip, family Disney trips are special!

 

[gap2368]

She also need to ride the ride in order for your group to board. You will also need to purchase Genie for rides she can't do. The DAS won't eliminate a line wait, you still have to wait in line with the other DAS users, Genie users, ILL buyers or people with ride recovery passes. Could be 10 minutes or I've seen reports of 30 min.
Hope you have a good trip, family Disney trips are special!

I think you replayed to the wrong person. I think you meant to replay to @TCRAIG

 

[rdaky]

It's really difficult. I hate that they were rude to you. I also hate that so many people have abused the system to the point that they have to be so strict. As a local, I know some people abuse DAS, they lie, they pretend. It's like the dog situation. People abuse that too. It always seems like a minority gets out of control on something and ruins it for people who actually need it.

 

[CeCe0906]

I think you replayed to the wrong person. I think you meant to replay to @TCRAIG

Oops, yes thanks. Rider swap is an option also. I know there are some rides you can hold kids on, and a couple you can wheel on with a wheelchair. But I think there are some they require the child to sit on the bench seat next to you.

 

[TCRAIG]

She also need to ride the ride in order for your group to board. You will also need to purchase Genie for rides she can't do. The DAS won't eliminate a line wait, you still have to wait in line with the other DAS users, Genie users, ILL buyers or people with ride recovery passes. Could be 10 minutes or I've seen reports of 30 min.
Hope you have a good trip, family Disney trips are special!

Got all that - thanks

‘I know it could still be a bit of a wait time even with DAS, but hopefully better than the standard queue…anyone have any recent experience with a severely handicapped toddler?’

And that’s also my second challenge - what rides can she actually go on either by staying in her stroller or sitting on laps - as she cannot sit up by herself - even when wedged between adults - however, her therapists are working on it so there’s always hope…

Quote

 

[gap2368]

Got all that - thanks

‘I know it could still be a bit of a wait time even with DAS, but hopefully better than the standard queue…anyone have any recent experience with a severely handicapped toddler?’

And that’s also my second challenge - what rides can she actually go on either by staying in her stroller or sitting on laps - as she cannot sit up by herself - even when wedged between adults - however, her therapists are working on it so there’s always hope…

Quote

I think she can sit on a lap of an adult, on any ride that dose not have a hight requirement. Someone can correct me if I am wrong.

 

[jo-jo]

I have heard they are getting extremely strict at WDW (not so much DLR though that is a different entity all together). It’s a shame because my mom has to rent a scooter, and I am going through a lot of health issues and hopefully will find out what’s wrong before we go but I am genuinely afraid because I don’t look disabled either. It’s horrible.
And again I get why they are getting strict, especially since people have allegedly abused it in the past, but it does suck for all of us who genuinely need it.

Now I’m a little worried. DH has gotten DAS twice. He had an issue two years ago and changes happen. But if he gets turned down, G+ won’t help that much. Our list of rides have gotten so small, we do the same ones over a few times. Very few boat rides, no rollercoasters, nothing with tight spaces like mission space.


Just to add....... the reason our list of rides have gotten so small has nothing to do with the need for DAS. Joint pain is just to much to be a pretzel getting in and out of rides.

 

[GoingSince1990]

We generally get a DAS pass for my DD. They have always asked questions and I now let my DD take charge of answering the questions. That kind of seals the deal for us. The problem that we found this last time at DLR was we waited outside the queue for our return time and then ended up waiting up to 1/2 hour longer in the “lightning lane.” This basically made the DAS pass ineffective for DD. If we were going to wait 1/2 hour anyway, there were many times we just scheduled a Genie+ time. My DD did pretty well with us giving her space in the line and having her noise cancelling ear buds at the ready. She did need more down time though.

 

[nekonekoneko]

6 flags, and some other parks, use a third party to evaluate what accommodations are appropriate for the guests condition.

You need to upload the following

• Contact information and statement from medical provider, government entity, or educational support professional related to accommodations requested

https://accessibilitycard.org/

They use a third party, and ask for a doctor's note, because they (in my experience, Six Flags) is giving a service which is better than normal, akin to the old GAC pass that Disney used to offer. The reason Disney and Uni don't ask for a note, anymore, is because they're making people still wait the approximate amount of time it would've been to go through the standby line.

Six Flags would immediately push their disability holders right through their The Flash Pass line.. so they are offering an unequal service, so they can ask for proof of disability.

 

[BroadwayHermione5]

Now I’m a little worried. DH has gotten DAS twice. He had an issue two years ago and changes happen. But if he gets turned down, G+ won’t help that much. Our list of rides have gotten so small, we do the same ones over a few times. Very few boat rides, no rollercoasters, nothing with tight spaces like mission space.

It’s so chaotic. And truth be told I find it horrible there are humans who abuse it that cause it to get to this level. Especially when so many of us need it!

 

[Betty Rohrer]

Got all that - thanks

‘I know it could still be a bit of a wait time even with DAS, but hopefully better than the standard queue…anyone have any recent experience with a severely handicapped toddler?’

And that’s also my second challenge - what rides can she actually go on either by staying in her stroller or sitting on laps - as she cannot sit up by herself - even when wedged between adults - however, her therapists are working on it so there’s always hope…

Quote

one ride I would worry about is Toy Story Mania even being on a lap the ride is very jerky but there is no height requirement

 

[Brett Wyman]

Are they getting overly strict on DAS

Hopefully, as it was clear that people picked up on how to abuse it after the Genie+ rollout.

 

[Lewisc]

They use a thief party, and ask for a doctor's note, because they (in my experience, Six Flags) is giving a service which is better than normal, akin to the old GAC pass that Disney used to offer. The reason Disney and Uni don't ask for a note, anymore, is because they're making people still wait the approximate amount of time it would've been to go through the standby line.

Six Flags would immediately push their disability holders right through their The Flash Pass line.. so they are offering an unequal service, so they can ask for proof of disability.

If DAS wasn't better then normal guests wouldn't be scamming the system. Waiting inside a QS restaurant instead of spending the same time lined up in the sun isn't the same experience. It wouldn't take much, maybe nothing, to tweak DAS to be better then normal

I'll speculate...CM aren't trained to evaluate medical documentation. Privacy issues.

i don't think Disney wants to spend the money to be evaluating medical documentation.

 

[ttintagel]

I think Disney has more of a reputation for accommodating disabilities than any other park, even Universal. I wouldn't be at all surprised to learn that they get a far greater number of requests, and that systems used by other parks might just not scale up to the degree Disney would need.

There's also just plain no way to know how many people receiving the DAS are "abusing" or "scamming." It could be a number so low as to be statistically insignificant. I have to say, it has not been easy for me to obtain by any stretch of the imagination (Imaaaginaaation!), so I just can't believe that the number of people going to the lengths they'd need to in order to get it under false pretenses is as large as Internet message boards make it out to be.

 

[RoseGold]

And then the only way to calm her down is either her mother or my husband has to hold her…so the plan was to use DAS to either find a seat and hold her or keep moving with the stroller until the DAS ride time comes up. I know it could still be a bit of a wait time even with DAS, but hopefully better than the standard queue…

Assuming you aren't going super-peak. The rides with longer LL/DAS queues are the more popular thrill rides, or the newest, which happen to be thrill rides right now. You won't have a problem with the kind of rides a toddler would want, like Nemo or Figment or Dumbo or the carousel. Even Remy, which is well-organized, should be walk on or pretty close to it.

There are a couple exceptions, like Peter Pan, which is just small and old, so it can get congested. And HS is just so small and the rides go down a lot, so it can have some surprising line patterns, even in the tame rides, like the Alien Saucers.

 

[RoseGold]

And that’s also my second challenge - what rides can she actually go on either by staying in her stroller or sitting on laps - as she cannot sit up by herself - even when wedged between adults - however, her therapists are working on it so there’s always hope…

This is a very short list. Anything with a lap belt requires the kid to sit up. That eliminates most tame rides, all shooting rides, Nemo, Dumbo, Little Mermaid, Pooh.

You could do Figment, Living with the Land, Small World and Remy (if they take a stroller as a wheelchair?), Tres Caballeros. Kilimanjaro has a wheelchair car. You could hold her on the carousel. I think Pirates and Navi would actually meet this criteria because it doesn't have a lap belt. Tales with Belle should also work, at least it would have before Covid when I last saw it.

You could also hold her on your lap at the shows, like Nemo or Lion King.

 

[TCRAIG]

Assuming you aren't going super-peak. The rides with longer LL/DAS queues are the more popular thrill rides, or the newest, which happen to be thrill rides right now. You won't have a problem with the kind of rides a toddler would want, like Nemo or Figment or Dumbo or the carousel. Even Remy, which is well-organized, should be walk on or pretty close to it.

There are a couple exceptions, like Peter Pan, which is just small and old, so it can get congested. And HS is just so small and the rides go down a lot, so it can have some surprising line patterns, even in the tame rides, like the Alien Saucers.

Yeah - I don’t see us riding many rides at all - especially at HS and AK…which is fine since my husband and I don’t ride any coasters or spinning rides or any of the new stuff - as an example AK, we’d use DAS for Na’vi and Safari - while waiting for our return time, we’ll hold or walk around with the little one while my daughter, her husband and older girl can ride the bigger rides - then when they’re done - we’ll all ride our ‘DAS’ ride…

 

[DisneyOma]

If DAS wasn't better then normal guests wouldn't be scamming the system. Waiting inside a QS restaurant instead of spending the same time lined up in the sun isn't the same experience. It wouldn't take much, maybe nothing, to tweak DAS to be better then normal

I'll speculate...CM aren't trained to evaluate medical documentation. Privacy issues.

i don't think Disney wants to spend the money to be evaluating medical documentation.

Except you can't wait inside a QS restaurant at a table until you purchase food; that's what we witnessed last summer.

 

[SueM in MN]

I’ve never used DAS as I make do with my ECV and a bit of parking/walking…however…we’re hoping to bring our daughter, her husband, and our 2 little GrandGirls in 2024…and now I’m nervous…because the little one will need DAS…and I’m not sure what we’d do if she’s denied. She has severe cerebral palsy and is microcephalic - which means quadriplegic and non-verbal. We plan on bringing her special stroller and having it designated as a wheelchair so that will help - BUT - if she’s not moving or being held, she has a real tendency to scream bloody murder!! And then the only way to calm her down is either her mother or my husband has to hold her…so the plan was to use DAS to either find a seat and hold her or keep moving with the stroller until the DAS ride time comes up. I know it could still be a bit of a wait time even with DAS, but hopefully better than the standard queue…anyone have any recent experience with a severely handicapped toddler?

As others have written, it’s based on needs not diagnosis.
only mention needs that are related to waiting in line - for example, microcephaly and non- verbal don‘t relate to waiting in line.
using a stroller as a wheelchair is separate from DAS. Some children have only stroller as wheelchair. Some have that along with DAS.

I know that - the question is - will the possibility of her screaming like crazy suffice?

one of her parents/guardians will need to do the DAS registration. The question they need to be ready to discuss is:
What are your concerns with waiting in the traditional (regular) lines? What about the lines causes issue for her?

I think she can sit on a lap of an adult, on any ride that dose not have a hight requirement. Someone can correct me if I am wrong.

This is a very short list. Anything with a lap belt requires the kid to sit up. That eliminates most tame rides, all shooting rides, Nemo, Dumbo, Little Mermaid, Pooh.

You could do Figment, Living with the Land, Small World and Remy (if they take a stroller as a wheelchair?), Tres Caballeros. Kilimanjaro has a wheelchair car. You could hold her on the carousel. I think Pirates and Navi would actually meet this criteria because it doesn't have a lap belt. Tales with Belle should also work, at least it would have before Covid when I last saw it.

You could also hold her on your lap at the shows, like Nemo or Lion King.

Yeah - I don’t see us riding many rides at all - especially at HS and AK…which is fine since my husband and I don’t ride any coasters or spinning rides or any of the new stuff - as an example AK, we’d use DAS for Na’vi and Safari - while waiting for our return time, we’ll hold or walk around with the little one while my daughter, her husband and older girl can ride the bigger rides - then when they’re done - we’ll all ride our ‘DAS’ ride…

For attractions without a height requirement and restraint, someone should be able to hold her on their lap. You could ask on the Family Board to see which ones parents hold children on. My youngest daughter has CP; when she was a toddler, we either held her on our laps for many rides or she sat between my husband and me, with one of us supporting her with an arm around her since she could not sit unsupported.

With using a stroller as a wheelchair, it will be able to be brought all the boarding area. If the boarding area and unload area are in different spots, CMs will move it from the loading area to the unload area. ALL shows have accessible spots that she would be able to use, but in some, she may sit too low in her stroller and might need to be held.

For attractions that have a wheelchair accessible vehicle, whether or not she will be able to use it will depend on the specific attraction/setup and her specific special needs stroller
MK attractions with wheelchair vehicles:
Magic Carpet - should fit, but she will be sitting in the rear spot of the carpet with other members of your party seated in front of her.
Jungle Cruise - should not be an issue, but be aware that she will get on using a lift and will be on a lift platform in the middle of the boat with the rest of your party out of reach
Small World - not an issue; the boat has a central ramp with seats on each side
Carrousel - it has several benches which guests can sit on. A bench space can also be folded up to make a mobility device space
Winnie the Pooh - should not be an issue. There is one spot for a mobility device with space for one companion to sit beside it. The ’hunny pots’ have bouncing and ’floating’ motion. The motions can be turned on or off for the wheelchair accessible one
Journey of the Little Mermaid - special needs stroller may sit too low to use the wheelchair car.
Buzz Lightyear - special needs stroller may sit too low