DAS changes coming WDW May 20/ DL June 18, 2024

[sprem96]

The frontline attraction CMs have supposedly been trained by Inspire Health as well. We actually don't know that they haven't been trained yet because there have been zero reports (that I've seen) of anyone in the park utilizing these new accommodations. As has already been mentioned, how that plays out at each attraction may vary somewhat to posting a definitive process might not be correct.

we won't know what it is like for guests denied DAS and asking attraction CMs for help until 30 days out from now at best, that's a lot more waiting now for a lot of people still because it seems like they are just chopping off everybody off the list

 

[GoingSince1990]

Honestly, one of my first thoughts is that this RTQ procedure could easily be abused by the same tour guide-type folks that exploit everything else. I guess we'll see how it all shakes out but I'm not particularly optimistic and I feel bad for the attraction CMs.

I don't think "easily", I think now it will be vastly harder to abuse. The third-party tour guides had their scams going where they would make sure to get DAS (either for themselves, switching out the accompanying party to be that day's tour group, or by coaching a member of the tour group with the "script" to get DAS, which they had fine-tuned to perfection) and then zip around the park optimizing and stacking DAS times and doing shorter standby line rides while waiting for DAS return times. The new return-to-queue where at least some in the party have to wait in the full standby line mostly ruins that scheme, and Disney making it harder to switch out DAS parties makes it even trickier. Moreover, many third-party tour guides were trespassed and banned a few months ago, probably for exactly this reason; sadly for them, they killed their own businesses with the DAS abuse, as Disney would probably have been fine with them if they had stuck to helping guests purchase and use Genie+, guide their groups through the parks efficiently, and assist with booking ADRs and so on.

 

[Evita_W]

You have a point but I think it's worth keeping in mind that the world itself has changed over the years and the litigations have too. I'm not saying I necessarily agree with it although I dealt with Tort issues on auto insurance where in return for reduction in premium you signed away your rights to sue (I think that was PA, NJ, or MD can't exactly remember) but that increasingly forward thinking about potential lawsuits is a more common and expected thing companies do these days because they've also had to face lawsuits much more than in the 1950s and 1970s (those eras purposefully chosen due to DL and WDW opening dates).

You are right, the world has changed and other theme parks around the world are stepping up their game in assisting those with disabilities while Disney is reducing them.

For example, Efteling park offers videos on their website, showing specifically how accessibility works at most, if not all of their attractions:
https://www.efteling.com/en/park/information/disabled-visitors/discover-the-park#video
Look around and they spell out exactly what you can expect so you know well in advance if it will work for you or not.

NOTE: Tokyo Disneyland does something similar as well, but only on their Japanese language site, but to that end, Tokyo Disneyland is leaps and bounds ahead of the rest of Disney in terms of accessibility, they offer 3D sculptures of every character and 3D models of every attraction for the blind, the list goes on an on of what they do. And while Disney is in the name, we can’t really call them the same as Disney because it is run by another company that licenses the rights. Even Sanrio Puroland has a better accessibility program in place.

Now so far all of my examples have been in other countries ad parks that I have not yet been too, but can tell you based on their websites alone, they are doing a better job than Disney is.

There are also theme parks here in the U.S. that do a better job than Disney does:
Dollywood - https://www.dollywood.com/accessibility/dollywood-theme-park/ and having been there, I can attest to the claim that all of the employees that DH and I dealt with were all well trained in how they could accommodate. They also have a sensory room for those that need it, which is something Disney could easily do and it would help a lot as well.

Please note that I am not referring to even their equivalents of the DAS program here, this is accommodations for other needs and yes, all of these have an equivalent of a DAS, they all have their own quirks, but they are there. That being said, by providing the other types of accommodations, the need for the equivalent of a DAS is greatly reduced for many. And yes, many, if not all of these have paid skip the line options as well and most suggest using them when appropriate as well, but usually in conjunction with their other programs.

So, the problem that Disney is going to face is other theme parks are stepping up their efforts while Disney scales back their efforts and this will result in more problems for Disney long term.

So, yes, the world has changed a lot and it is becoming a lot more welcoming overall to those with Disabilities and if Disney continues to loose that, there will be even more problems.

 

[lanejudy]

we won't know what it is like for guests denied DAS and asking attraction CMs for help until 30 days out from now at best, that's a lot more waiting now for a lot of people still because it seems like they are just chopping off everybody off the list

Not necessarily that long. There was a report here this morning of someone who was in the park yesterday and registered for DAS -- they said there were several others doing so at the same time. So I think we'll have some reports within a week, obviously building from there. Yes those who registered over this past weekend will have a month or so still under the old rules, but most will be under the new rules before then.

 

[piccolopat]

That makes your motivation clear. It is not that your primary interest is in providing appropriate services to the disabled. It is your belief that this impedes your access to the LL and you resent it…. because you paid and they didn’t… believe that Disney can address their needs without impinging on your experience. So it is self interest… which is fine when it’s you. But not when it’s someone else who is articulating self interest. When others offer alternative experiences you are conveniently dismissive… as though yours is the only one that is valid. Because it’s really you and your experience.
And you project that… my relative sat on a bench and was happy as we used our Genie + to have a swell time going from attraction to attraction. That is not the experience of the most DAS families… again and again people have posted the struggle…how few rides they can do, leaving the park. You have none of that anxiety before or during your trip.

I’m genuinely concerned how this will affect families… most of whom “pay” for their disabilities every single day… and with the worry and emotional toll it takes. I’m praying that this place can remain a refuge of happiness and escape from the day to day challenges… for the children and the child in all of us.

See I read this differently. I thought the PP's desire was to get thru ILL and Genie+ quickly so they could rejoin their disabled family member as soon as possible. This is so that person who can't or won't ride isn't alone for longer than necessary.

 

[nalababybear]

Apologies if this has already been mentioned - I can’t remember now if I’ve seen it or not…

A DAS-holding friend needed to ask a DAS question while in the parks and Guest Services told them to use the chat and they’d be asked if they were in the park or not to prioritize wait time - that is exactly what happened and they got right through to a DAS CM. Good news for anyone needing to get through while in the parks!

Glad to see this. Chat via app for DAS support in park!

 

[Angel Ariel]

That's a situation of knowing the rules of your environment. WDW allows 10-yr-olds (7-yr-olds, actually) to be alone in a queue. Any parent is welcome to be more protective and refuse to leave a child that age alone, but that doesn't mean WDW has to change the accommodation to meet the preference.

I wouldn't leave my 11 y/o either. She's the DAS user, and it is absolutely a safety issue for her to be left alone for any reason due to her disabilities.

 

[Grim Grinning Ghostie]

Report from my adult friend who is also autistic:
Denied DAS
Told to practice waiting in lines
Told to work on coping skills
Told panic attacks and anxiety needs to be managed
Told their autism wasn’t “as severe”

That last one makes me very mad as, myself also an autistic person, someone talking to you for a few minutes has no idea how “severe” your autism is..not that’s even a thing anyways. It’s based on levels of support.

I’m glad my trip just ended and we are not renewing our APs and this whole thing has caused me such worry about my own DAS eligibility status. Now with my friend being denied, I have little hope they’d approve me either. Sounds like they are being very exclusive in approving disabled people. In my opinion when they say qualifying developmental disorders, the unsaid part is small children. I think there aren’t many adults they’re going to approve. Which makes me very sad as I love WDW. But now I don’t think I could handle going back without the DAS as an accommodation. Return to line would not work for me as it’s just me and my husband which I need as caregiver. I’ll keep reading reports and hope this changes and Disney reverses course.

Wow, who knew that the cure to being Autistic & ADHD and was to just...manage? We could have just coping skillsed our way out of a neurological disorder this entire time? If only someone had told us sooner!

I wonder if cancer patients know that all they have to do to get better is to have their immune system kill the cancer cells? It's just that easy to fix these things, after all.

What an insulting response. You can't learn coping skills that will prevent meltdowns. It's a wiring issue, not a self-control issue. You think Autistic adults haven't already spent their entire lives trying to be less Autistic? Other people in line don't deserve to be subjected to my wrath because I'm overstimulated to the point of meltdown, all so that Disney can make an extra $15 off me per visit.

Like you, rider switch won't work for me, as I most often go with my husband - who is also Autistic and, being 6'4", can cause unintentional harm to the people around him when he melts down or needs to escape a place quickly. Neither of us can hold that in the queue, but I imagine Disney's response will be to tell me to cry about it into the stack of money they just made off all their extra Genie+ sales.

Ah, well. Glad my next visit isn't until October. I'm sorry to everyone this is affecting, who can't change their plans now and has to just hope for the best that they can manage. I hope you are still able to enjoy your vacations and that you get the answers you need.

 

[theMoreDisneytheBetter]

I think that joining family members at the merge point is likely MUCH harder to abuse than return to queue. Unless Disney puts safeguards in place I can already envision a way to do it that’s almost better than old DAS (which I won’t detail here for obvious reasons). But fakers and cheats are certainly working on how to get around the new system as well.

 

[Disneychick75]

A cast member seriously told an adult all of these things about a condition they've lived with all their life? That's some massive condescension.
Wonder if Inspire Health trained the cast member who told prettypatches friend ⬇︎⬇︎⬇? If so, the Inspire Health trainers need training.

"Denied DAS
Told to practice waiting in lines
Told to work on coping skills
Told panic attacks and anxiety needs to be managed
Told their autism wasn’t “as severe”

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

You are right, the world has changed and other theme parks around the world are stepping up their game in assisting those with disabilities while Disney is reducing them.

All I spoke to was the litigation aspect. I was not making the conversation about what other parks in someone's opinion has done for those with disabilities. Lawsuits are a common occurrence these days and with Disney having just had the class action suit against DL with Magic Keys I'm not at all surprised to see restrictive language with respects to class action suit abilities.

To your point about other parks the U.S. is likely the most accessible place out there for those with disabilities, that alone needs to be taken into context as it will mean the incident rate at which these companies are interacting with guests of the disability community will likely be higher than other places.

I am fresh off a 2 week trip in Europe (I got back Sunday) and I saw exactly 2 people in wheelchairs between England (1 city), Belgium (2 cities), Luxembourg (1 city), Germany (5 cities) , Denmark (1 city) and Sweden (2 cities). Many of the attractions we went to had discounted tickets for those with disabilities but at least mobility-wise it was virtually non-existent to see people with that and proof would have been required and proof for residents of those places is not a doctor's note. We could hardly find any sidewalks to even speak of much less non-cobblestoned areas, in some places bicycles were heavily favored such as in Copenhagen. I could see how Efteling park and I spoke about Tokyo many pages ago can have a process but take into consideration its location where disabilities are government business as well as dealt with on a society level different and it changes the conversations.

We flew back on Play Airlines which is a low cost Icelandic airline. Preboard did occur in Iceland (and Copenhagen though I saw no one with a wheelchair) but not at all like it is here, those with a preboard need or with children boarded with those with priority boarding like us who paid for a carry on. There was a family directly in front of us with a wheelchair in usage until the very end of the jet bridge and there was no buffer at all to the rest of the people trying to board the flight.

For perspective reasons some of this may be taken for granted how the U.S. is compared to many parts of the world. Regardless my comment was about class action lawsuit joining. When DL and WDW opened it was not the same culture with respects to lawsuits as it is now. DL wasn't even really designed for mobility needs whatsoever so maybe that "magical" aspect might be also in the eyes of the beholder.

 

[lanejudy]

I wouldn't leave my 11 y/o either. She's the DAS user, and it is absolutely a safety issue for her to be left alone for any reason due to her disabilities.

If the child is the DAS-holder that's a completely different situation than the one to which I responded.

I replied about an adult with a disability who might be told to let a 10-yr-old hold their place in the queue. That is within WDW's rules, whether some parents would allow it or not. Therefore if I were that adult, I would not expect any exception (DAS or accommodation rules) to be made for me if I preferred to take my 10-yr-old out of the queue with me when I had a need to leave the queue.

 

[Angel Ariel]

Report from my adult friend who is also autistic:
Denied DAS
Told to practice waiting in lines
Told to work on coping skills
Told panic attacks and anxiety needs to be managed
Told their autism wasn’t “as severe”

That last one makes me very mad as, myself also an autistic person, someone talking to you for a few minutes has no idea how “severe” your autism is..not that’s even a thing anyways. It’s based on levels of support.

I’m glad my trip just ended and we are not renewing our APs and this whole thing has caused me such worry about my own DAS eligibility status. Now with my friend being denied, I have little hope they’d approve me either. Sounds like they are being very exclusive in approving disabled people. In my opinion when they say qualifying developmental disorders, the unsaid part is small children. I think there aren’t many adults they’re going to approve. Which makes me very sad as I love WDW. But now I don’t think I could handle going back without the DAS as an accommodation. Return to line would not work for me as it’s just me and my husband which I need as caregiver. I’ll keep reading reports and hope this changes and Disney reverses course.

There is a huge amount of bias in the bolded - assumptions that the individual hasn't practiced waiting in lines throughout their life, that they haven't worked on coping skills for years, etc. That is really disappointing to read from Disney.

This leaves me little comfort that the needs that come from DD's rare disorder will be understood. we will of course try when it's time for our next trip. But this is really problematic language and response on Disney's part.

 

[Gearbm95]

Just cancelled our June trip, found that my Father In Law’s disability will no longer be included in DAS. He suffers from a rare blood order that requires injections within 60mins of symptoms appearing.

The CM said he as well as one other person could leave the queue to administer the injection and then return. I asked how the process works and they said they didn’t have any details. With this trip 3 weeks away I can’t risk having to spend half of our day away from our party while they wait in the standby queue.

Thankfully we’ve been to Disney quite a bit in the last few years and there’s nothing new on the horizon that’ll cause me FOMO.

 

[PrincessV]

Report from my adult friend who is also autistic:
Denied DAS
Told to practice waiting in lines
Told to work on coping skills
Told panic attacks and anxiety needs to be managed
Told their autism wasn’t “as severe”

That last one makes me very mad as, myself also an autistic person, someone talking to you for a few minutes has no idea how “severe” your autism is..not that’s even a thing anyways. It’s based on levels of support.

I’m glad my trip just ended and we are not renewing our APs and this whole thing has caused me such worry about my own DAS eligibility status. Now with my friend being denied, I have little hope they’d approve me either. Sounds like they are being very exclusive in approving disabled people. In my opinion when they say qualifying developmental disorders, the unsaid part is small children. I think there aren’t many adults they’re going to approve. Which makes me very sad as I love WDW. But now I don’t think I could handle going back without the DAS as an accommodation. Return to line would not work for me as it’s just me and my husband which I need as caregiver. I’ll keep reading reports and hope this changes and Disney reverses course.

I’m appalled by the response your friend received. As the parent of a young adult on the ASD spectrum who spent most of his life having his needs ignored and downplayed by “professionals,” I’m furious that anyone in any position would say what was said, let alone the person who’s supposed to have received training for exactly this kind of conversation. It is not their place to provide medical recommendations.

 

[SarahC97]

I feel like ever since they announced changes many people in this thread have tried to be optimistic about it and hopeful about other accommodations offered. But now it sounds just as bad as we feared it would be, honestly. Of course, we'll just have to see how it plays out in real life but wowza -- I'm a little surprised at how restrictive it's turning out to be.

 

[Angel Ariel]

It is not their place to provide medical recommendations.

Amen. Those sentences go past a cast member talking about accommodations Disney offers and instead move into the space of suggesting what an individual should do for their disability. Disney has the right to do the former (talk about the accommodations they offer) - the latter they do not.

 

[jlundeen]

A cast member seriously told an adult all of these things about a condition they've lived with all their life? That's some massive condescension.
Wonder if Inspire Health trained the cast member who told prettypatches friend ⬇︎⬇︎⬇? If so, the Inspire Health trainers need training.

"Denied DAS
Told to practice waiting in lines
Told to work on coping skills
Told panic attacks and anxiety needs to be managed
Told their autism wasn’t “as severe”

Thinking about this.... it's too bad you can't get a written transcript of the video portion of the registration - we can at least print off the chat portions, but it seems to me if I remember correctly, that any kind of reproduction of the video portion is against their T&C.

This way, it's the requestor's word against the CM, and you don't even know if the name that shows on the screen is real, so it's pretty impossible to report any concrete proof of what was said.

 

[rk3668]

NM. Oops

 

[lanejudy]

A cast member seriously told an adult all of these things about a condition they've lived with all their life? That's some massive condescension.
Wonder if Inspire Health trained the cast member who told prettypatches friend ⬇︎⬇︎⬇? If so, the Inspire Health trainers need training.

"Denied DAS
Told to practice waiting in lines
Told to work on coping skills
Told panic attacks and anxiety needs to be managed
Told their autism wasn’t “as severe”

I agree that taken at face value, if spoken out or listed exactly like it is here, that's outrageous. However, I suspect it was more nuanced that than.

If the caller states one diagnosis, denied, then gives another diagnosis, denied, then lists another reason... it's not hard to fathom that the CMs have been trained specifically to watch for someone "fishing" for the acceptable reason(s), thinking that if they pile enough diagnoses/needs into the request that the CM will eventually relent and issue the DAS. I've often suggested that people make a short bullet list of their primary concerns with a brief explanation so the individual doesn't get flustered and end up with a lot of back-and-forth.

I'm not saying the young man in that post was fishing or faking. But it's quite possible the way he phrased his request put the CM on the denial track, especially if listing diagnoses and not actual needs.