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

They were able to see my son’s previous DAS. I wonder if they are able to use the symptoms shared at all to compare to the current request. Probably not if they only have that on video and others said videos aren’t saved to protect the medical info.

There are some kids a stroller isn’t going to work. This poster’s child would probably do best in a wagon with high walls to kind of trap her in but make her feel cozy so she likes it. I’m still trying to bring my wagon next trip. I ordered a special needs stroller through a grant but it didn’t get here in time. 🤦‍♀️

they’re strict. Many wagons are turned away. Even, apparently, those for medical needs. I can report back at the end of the month if they allow ours.
There are some kids a stroller isn’t going to work. This poster’s child would probably do best in a wagon with high walls to kind of trap her in but make her feel cozy so she likes it. I’m still trying to bring my wagon next trip. I ordered a special needs stroller through a grant but it didn’t get here in time. 🤦‍♀️
Because stroller wagons are presently prohibited on Disney's website I can't comment on a suggestion to go against Disney's rules by bringing in a prohibited item.
 
I will just say that in some Facebook threads about Universal's process, some people were posting that they had also searched for the license numbers so they could add it to their doctor letter. So, did the doctor write the letter or the person?
Most doctors are honest, but some are not. It wouldn't help with the what I would call 'rent-a-doctors' who would write up whatever the person paid them for.
This is just horrible and makes me so mad. The abusers ruin everything for those who actually need it.


I believe that the company Universal uses probably does some spot checks. With the information they are asking for, they give the illusion of verification, but don't actually verify many.
I have only seen one account of someone who was turned down for the card, but after sending something else, he was accepted. I have seen MANY angry accounts of people who were approved for the Access Card, but totally turned down for any accommodations by Universal.
So, the card is kind of useless

Exactly, the card is only supposed to be to verify you have a disability. Lots of people don't understand that. They say, "Hey, look, I got approved. I'm in", and sadly, they will discover when they arrive, they are not. The initial card doesn't guarantee you anything. It only grants the opportunity to plead your case. Universal looks at each person on a case by case basis, and from what I have seen, they turn most down because purchasing EP does about the same thing DAS is doing now.
 
Because stroller wagons are presently prohibited on Disney's website I can't comment on a suggestion to go against Disney's rules by bringing in a prohibited item.
You’re correct in that it is prohibited in general but exceptions are made if you can present a reason only the wagon would fulfill a certain need.
it would be unfair to assume they have better park days (or people including children in their travel party) and vacations just because they don't have someone that qualified for DAS
Someone without a disability that will present additional challenges for them at a theme park (in addition to those that everyone could possibly run into) has a better chance of having a “problem-less” day or at least one with “resolvable” problems.

Thats not to say they couldn’t have a bad day but that someone entering the park with a disability is already entering with a higher chance of challenges/problems impacting their day. Honestly, those with a disability know there WILL be problems they have to face throughout the day and having accommodations like DAS just avoids SOME problems so that they can at least try to have an enjoyable experience.
 
Is there any chance that they may soften the blow a tiny bit by doing something like allowing G+ for free to the disabled guest as long as the rest of the party purchases it? Or extending return times to 2 hours instead of 1 if you have a disability exception? Or maybe even both

For the first idea they wouldn't have to split up for G+ rides, it would save the guest at least a tiny bit of money, and Disney would retain the line control (and they wouldn't technically be charging for an accomodation)

For the second it would allow disabled guests more flexibility with their needs, without giving them a real advantage as far a squeezing in more rides per day, just more flexibility to ride the rides they already reserved
DAS is used on all rides. We ride more non-genie rides than genie due to their ages and DD’s. This type of setup would encourage people who don’t need it imo.
 
But you can choose a ride with a 4 hour wait (God forbid!) , go ride other stuff with shorter waits all day, then come back and you just saved 3 hours and 45 minutes of line time! That type of time savings is hard to do on any day any other way
There are no 4 hour waits in Disneyland. And our 4 hours is usually a hotel break to decompress from sensory overstimulation.
 
You’re correct in that it is prohibited in general but exceptions are made if you can present a reason only the wagon would fulfill a certain need.
It's against Board rules to discuss circumventing Disney's rules thus why I said that. I can't speak to an exception Disney would make and as a Mod mentioned it would typically need to demonstrate high medical equipment needs but it's on the prohibited list so talking about bringing one when you know that isn't something I'm personally delving into.

Someone without a disability that will present additional challenges for them at a theme park (in addition to those that everyone could possibly run into) has a better chance of having a “problem-less” day or at least one with “resolvable” problems.
Those aren't absolutes and would be assumptions.

People watching, as fun as it is, you can see how much the public can have issues at Disney. And while I'm making my own assumption here when you see what looks like a traveling party having a the "problem day" there's a higher chance of those being guests who are just struggling with the park going experience but shouldn't and couldn't be assumed to be a person who qualifies for DAS (prior way).

As to resolveable if you're meaning resolved by Disney those with those challenges you described have a path set up by Disney. If you're meaning resolvable for those without a disability I would disagree with you unless you're meaning the situation was resolved by leaving the park, not going to that paid event or paid ADR, not using that paid Genie+ or ILL, cutting the vacation shorts,etc which happens to many guests (same as those with DAS).
 


HIPAA doesn’t apply in any way, shape, or form in the Disney accommodation process.

You said four days of pre-selects - how many days will you be there?
We'll be there 10 days. It's a 5-5 split, though that didn't matter in the past. 5/5-15.

I agree about HIPPA as it stands now. I said fine line, because if the "potty pass" is going to be for people with IBS or something similar then everyone will pretty easily be able to deduce what issue I have. This is not something I share with people (except you fine people now), and I can envision holding a card up walking back through the long line saying "I have a pass" so, hopefully, someone doesn't try to clothesline me for skipping the line. Should be great fun...
 
and I can envision holding a card up walking back through the long line saying "I have a pass" so, hopefully, someone doesn't try to clothesline me for skipping the line.
I do feel a great deal of sympathy for just thinking of how that will go. I'm not against the bathroom pass but implementing it with thinking what others may think seeing a guest come back up through the line does get dicey on my mind. But I can also see how if someone left the line but went back through the LL or exit it would also be very attractive to unscrupulous persons trying to take advantage of it.
 
Curious if the days you were offered preselects were before May 20th?
Our trip starts the 23, and I’m hoping to have the call 30 days prior if there still doing them. I don’t care about the preselects but am trying to wrap my head around the dates they’re switching over everything.
Our dates are 5/5-15, 5/5 split stay. We've gotten all days in the past, only the first 7 (last July) and now the four. We rarely use them, so I didn't even ask about it. Only one of the times we got actually works for what we have planned. I almost didn't sign up for any, but I was already 2.5 hours invested.
 
I do feel a great deal of sympathy for just thinking of how that will go. I'm not against the bathroom pass but implementing it with thinking what others may think seeing a guest come back up through the line does get dicey on my mind. But I can also see how if someone left the line but went back through the LL or exit it would also be very attractive to unscrupulous persons trying to take advantage of it.
At least we'll be there before any real changes. We're skipping 2025, so hopefully things will be ironed out before we come back. Or at least we'll have an idea how things are going and can plan accordingly. Just thinking about my little hypothetical really gets my blood pressure up. I would not be happy about that at all.
 
At least we'll be there before any real changes. We're skipping 2025, so hopefully things will be ironed out before we come back. Or at least we'll have an idea how things are going and can plan accordingly. Just thinking about my little hypothetical really gets my blood pressure up. I would not be happy about that at all.
How do you feel about rider switch as an option so you won’t even be in the line?




Requesting accommodations allowed by the ADA isn’t circumventing rules. Or there would currently be 0️⃣ wagons in the park.
It's against Board rules to discuss circumventing Disney's rules thus why I said that. I can't speak to an exception Disney would make and as a Mod mentioned it would typically need to demonstrate high medical equipment needs but it's on the prohibited list so talking about bringing one when you know that isn't something I'm personally delving into.


Those aren't absolutes and would be assumptions.

People watching, as fun as it is, you can see how much the public can have issues at Disney. And while I'm making my own assumption here when you see what looks like a traveling party having a the "problem day" there's a higher chance of those being guests who are just struggling with the park going experience but shouldn't and couldn't be assumed to be a person who qualifies for DAS (prior way).

As to resolveable if you're meaning resolved by Disney those with those challenges you described have a path set up by Disney. If you're meaning resolvable for those without a disability I would disagree with you unless you're meaning the situation was resolved by leaving the park, not going to that paid event or paid ADR, not using that paid Genie+ or ILL, cutting the vacation shorts,etc which happens to many guests (same as those with DAS
 
I posted earlier that through DAS, applicants could receive a special and exclusive identifier that a doctor would use. The doc would have to put his state license number on the document. All of the doc's license numbers are on computers and could be checked. I just looked and found the search site for my state in 1 minute. Promise that if someone tried to scam this kind of document, the scammers would end up arrested, go to trial, and end up in prison. Doctors don't play and neither would Disney.
The problem with requiring documentation isn't just the potential for scammers. There are plenty of doctors out there willing to write a letter for whatever you want them to write. People have shared stories for years of how their doctor offered to write them a letter so they can be guaranteed a DAS (despite the fact that Disney has never looked at documentation) for things that the patient themself says does not prevent them from waiting in line. Some are trying to be helpful but don't really understand how everything works at Disney, others simply don't care and will write whatever you want to get you out of the office or keep you happy. Still others will do it and charge for the service to write whatever you ask them to.

Beyond that, what should even be in this documentation? Just acknowledgement that you do have x disability? Proof that you have x disability does not mean that you actually require accomodations. Disney actually won a lawsuit against them by someone who was denied DAS for anxiety. In court, it was verified by the person's doctor that they did have anxiety, however the court determined that it did not rise to a level of impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities, in order for ADA to apply. Basically, just because they were diagnosed with anxiety doesn't mean they were entitled to accomodations under the ADA. Proving that you have a disability diagnosis does not prove that you need accomodations.

If the documentation required the doctor to state your limitations, unfortunately that can sometimes become speculative. For some things, a doctor can definitively say that yes, this patient has had their colon removed and as a result, has xyz issues. Or for some autistic patients, it might be obvious that they are having difficulty waiting in the waiting room, have a meltdown when the nurse draws their blood, etc so the doctor is able to observe the behaviors that would likely cause issues at Disney. For other disabilities, it's more of what you as a patient tell them as they are not there with you in every day life. They don't see how often someone goes to the bathroom or has panic attacks, etc. They are going off of your word, same as Disney, so that really isn't any different than you telling the CM in the Disney DAS chat. Sure the doctor can say that you have IBD or anxiety, but again, that doesn't prove severity or a need for accomodations.

Documentation is also hard to verify. It's been stated on here already the issues with Universal's outside system. It would require a ton of extra manpower to authenticate each and every letter and doctors are not always the easiest to get a hold of. Are they then going to deny people because they can't reach the doctor to verify the letter?

I get my care at the VA and they are ridiculously difficult to get a hold of, partially because they do not give direct lines for doctors. They also, in my experience do not like to write letters for any reason for patients. It took me months trying to get a letter for court concerning a medical issue related to mold in a rental home. The resulting "letter" was basically worthless. It said that I had been seen on x dates for [mentions a single vague symptom]. Didn't mention that the "visits" were actually hospitalizations, the other symptoms, the diagnosis of Toxic Mold Exposure, or the fact that continued or prolonged exposure was even more dangerous due to a confirmed severe allergy to the mold in question. The contact info consisted of the doctor's name, the affiliated hospital, and the hospital's address and main telephone line (automated service known for dropping calls, 6+ hour wait times, and bouncing you around between numerous departments). Getting a letter from my doctor would be dang near impossible, probably worthless with the info they're willing to put, and would be incredibly difficult to verify. Not to mention, my PCPs change on almost a yearly basis (common in the VA) so the likelihood that the doctor who wrote the letter will still be working there when someone calls to verify is also a crapshoot.

Overall, there are too many pitfalls for documentation to really be beneficial.
 
It's against Board rules to discuss circumventing Disney's rules thus why I said that. I can't speak to an exception Disney would make and as a Mod mentioned it would typically need to demonstrate high medical equipment needs but it's on the prohibited list so talking about bringing one when you know that isn't something I'm personally delving into.


Those aren't absolutes and would be assumptions.

People watching, as fun as it is, you can see how much the public can have issues at Disney. And while I'm making my own assumption here when you see what looks like a traveling party having a the "problem day" there's a higher chance of those being guests who are just struggling with the park going experience but shouldn't and couldn't be assumed to be a person who qualifies for DAS (prior way).

As to resolveable if you're meaning resolved by Disney those with those challenges you described have a path set up by Disney. If you're meaning resolvable for those without a disability I would disagree with you unless you're meaning the situation was resolved by leaving the park, not going to that paid event or paid ADR, not using that paid Genie+ or ILL, cutting the vacation shorts,etc which happens to many guests (same as those with DAS).
I’m not trying to argue that non-disabled guests don’t face challenges and problems at the parks as well. Theme parks have their own unique challenges for everyone. My only point is that disabled guests begin their day with a unique set of challenges that a non-disabled guest doesn’t need to worry about in addition to problems they both could run into. Having accommodations doesn’t get rid of all challenges unique to a disabled guest.

Regardless, I’m not really looking to argue about this because you have the right to your opinion on it. I’m just asking that you consider that while all guests can have a bad day at the park, disabled guests have a lot of additional ways a day could go wrong .

I hope everyone can have the best possible day at Disney, no matter what problems come up.

As for the wagon, you make valid points but I don’t think there’s any issue with stating that exemptions exist if you’re willing to take the risk of being denied. Just as long as we avoid giving suggestions of what to say to get an exemption. Correct me if I’m wrong though, mods. I’m not as active on here as some.

ETA: I realize these topics are getting a bit off topic for this thread though, I apologize. I’ll stop responding now.
 
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The only thing they state that they offer the video calls only in English, no other languages. But to my knowledge, and what I can currently find on the website, it doesn't exclude other countries.

I'm quite sure that on my previous call I talked about being from the Netherlands and travelling from abroad.
It was no issue.

If anyone in this thread can tell me where it says that DAS video calls are not allowed for international guests and that they have to use in person, please let me know where I can find this information, as at this moment, I do not believe it ;-)
I asked Disney in 2023 an got this answer:

Dear ………,

Thank you for contacting the Walt Disney World® Resort!

We are thrilled to be welcoming international Guests back to Walt Disney World® Resort. We apologize for any confusion. However, at this time, we do not offer pre-registration for the Disability Access Service (DAS) on our international website. You are welcome to register for DAS in person with a Cast Member at Guest Relations on the day of your visit.

We do not recommend using a VPN. The reason the service is not offered is due to laws put in place by countries that are not the USA that limit the kind of personal information that can be shared online.
 
Yes, I feel like most people who use RS for small children, use it only a few times a day. Most aren't riding every single ride without their children. Having to be separated for 1 or 2 rides a day is one thing, spending 99% of your day apart in separate lines is completely different. Why not just vacation solo at that point?
I understand the anxiety of not knowing how it's going to work, but it could be that the RS allows you to go in the LL and meet up with the rest of your party as they are about to board so that you can then ride together. The way it works now, the only thing preventing those with RS from getting in the LL immediately after the rest of their party enters standby is that they have a child too short to enter the queue so they have to wait until the rest of their party is back to ride. With these new changes, you might be able to time it so the rest of your party in standby gets to the boarding area around the same time as you do through LL, perhaps with you or them waiting to the side for a couple mins for the others to arrive.

Yes, you would still be separated for those lines, but realistically, it's not that huge of a part of your day. If the above scenario I described is possible, you'd still get to ride everything with your entire party (if not you'd still get to ride with one other person), and you still be permitted one other person to wait with you presumably. Plus, there are oftentimes shorter lines that many people with disabilities would be able to wait in with their entire party without needing to use rider swap. Plus, the time spent with the entire party walking around the parks, dining, having snacks, watching shows, meeting characters, animal trails at AK, parades, fireworks, looking around shops. There's still loads of time that can be spent with the whole family. Being separated while queueing is a relatively small amount of time in the grand scheme of things.
We'll be there 10 days. It's a 5-5 split, though that didn't matter in the past. 5/5-15.

I agree about HIPPA as it stands now. I said fine line, because if the "potty pass" is going to be for people with IBS or something similar then everyone will pretty easily be able to deduce what issue I have. This is not something I share with people (except you fine people now), and I can envision holding a card up walking back through the long line saying "I have a pass" so, hopefully, someone doesn't try to clothesline me for skipping the line. Should be great fun...
From the way it sounds, it's not going to be specifically a "potty pass" but rather a leave the line pass available for anyone who needs to leave the line for any reason. It could be someone with IBD having a bathroom emergency, it could be a non-disabled person having a bathroom emergency. Or it could be someone who needs to test their glucose/administer insulin and isn't comfortable doing it in line. Or someone having a low that needs treated and they don't have any snacks/drinks. Or someone feeling nauseous suddenly and needing take a break. So I don't think anyone is going to just assume that someone has IBD or Chrons. I really doubt the CMs are going to ask why you need to leave, nor are they going to require you to register for this in advance. Disabilities or not, there are numerous reasons why someone might need to leave a line, and this has always been accommodated in the past, with no need to explain your reason. I've left lines numerous times and for the most part never gave a reason (though to be fair it has always been for legitimate bathroom, dizziness, anxiety, or hypoglycemia reasons). I just notify a CM and they take me out back ways so I don't have to backtrack through the line.

While there's no way to know for sure yet, I imagine returning to the line will also work similarly to the way it has before. As long as you tell a CM you are leaving the line, they put a LL pass on your acct and you enter through there after you take care of your issue. I've never had to try to fight my way back through the standby line.

I've heard stories of people who have tried getting back through to their party in the standby line and how difficult that is. I don't know if that's because they didn't tell a CM they were leaving and therefore didn't get a LL pass or if some CMs just told them to re-enter standby to find their party and didn't offer a pass. To me, this leave the line pass sounds like a continuation of the accommodations that has already been in place, just advertised so more people are aware it exists and therefore don't try to push through the lines to get out and back in and to clarify any confusion amongst CMs that may not have always handled the matter consistently.

If all of this works similarly to the way it has, then there would be no need for anyone, CMs included, to know why you are leaving the line and since you're returning through LL, no one would know you even left, let alone the reason why.
 
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How do you feel about rider switch as an option so you won’t even be in the line?




Requesting accommodations allowed by the ADA isn’t circumventing rules. Or there would currently be 0️⃣ wagons in the park.
I feel like separating families to make abuse less palatable for some people is shortsighted and completely disregards what the WDW experience is supposed to be about. I work a lot of hours. When we go to WDW, we have 10-14 days where we can just be together and enjoy our time. Nobody has to worry about work and we all generally want to do the same things. The way I understood rider swap to work, a person would stay with a child or somebody else unable to ride while another person rode. Then they would swap with the second person not waiting. This was to care for a non-rider and the other people wanted to ride bad enough to separate. We never used it, but I believe this is the general idea. In my case, we all intend to ride but are separated because I might not make it through an hour+ long cue. So, about half our park time we're not together. Great memories there, I'll tell you. What happens when it's just me and my wife? I don't know. Plus it will take the DAS person longer to ride than the regular standby guest (full standby + however long it takes other riders to get back to the ride entrance+ however long the LL is.) Doesn't sound fun to me
 
I understand the anxiety of not knowing how it's going to work, but it could be that the RS allows you to go in the LL and meet up with the rest of your party as they are about to board so that you can then ride together. The way it works now, the only thing preventing those with RS from getting in the LL immediately after the rest of their party enters standby is that they have a child too short to enter the queue so they have to wait until the rest of their party is back to ride. With these new changes, you might be able to time it so the rest of your party in standby gets to the boarding area around the same time as you do through LL, perhaps with you or them waiting to the side for a couple mins for the others to arrive.

Yes, you would still be separated for those lines, but realistically, it's not that huge of a part of your day. If the above scenario I described is possible, you'd still get to ride everything with your entire party (if not you'd still get to ride with one other person), and you still be permitted one other person to wait with you presumably. Plus, there are oftentimes shorter lines that many people with disabilities would be able to wait in with their entire party without needing to use rider swap. Plus, the time spent with the entire party walking around the parks, dining, having snacks, watching shows, meeting characters, animal trails at AK, parades, fireworks, looking around shops. There's still loads of time that can be spent with the whole family. Being separated while queueing is a relatively small amount of time in the grand scheme of things.

From the way it sounds, it's not going to be specifically a "potty pass" but rather a leave the line pass available for anyone who needs to leave the line for any reason. It could be someone with IBD having a bathroom emergency, it could be a non-disabled person having a bathroom emergency. Or it could be someone who needs to test their glucose/administer insulin and isn't comfortable doing it in line. Or someone having a low that needs treated and they don't have any snacks/drinks. Or someone feeling nauseous suddenly and needing take a break. So I don't think anyone is going to just assume that someone has IBD or Chrons. I really doubt the CMs are going to ask why you need to leave, nor are they going to require you to register for this in advance. Disabilities or not, there are numerous reasons why someone might need to leave a line, and this has always been accommodated in the past, with no need to explain your reason. I've left lines numerous times and for the most part never gave a reason (though to be fair it has always been for legitimate bathroom, dizziness, anxiety, or hypoglycemia reasons). I just notify a CM and they take me out back ways so I don't have to backtrack through the line.

While there's no way to know for sure yet, I imagine returning to the line will also work similarly to the way it has before. As long as you tell a CM you are leaving the line, they put a LL pass on your acct and you enter through there after you take care of your issue. I've never had to try to fight my way back through the standby line.

I've heard stories of people who have tried getting back through to their party in the standby line and how difficult that is. I don't know if that's because they didn't tell a CM they were leaving and therefore didn't get a LL pass or if some CMs just told them to re-enter standby to find their party and didn't offer a pass. To me, this leave the line pass sounds like a continuation of the accommodations that has already been in place, just advertised so more people are aware it exists and therefore don't try to push through the lines to get out and back in and to clarify any confusion amongst CMs that may not have always handled the matter consistently.

If all of this works similarly to the way it has, then there would be no need for anyone, CMs included, to know why you are leaving the line and since you're returning through LL, no one would know you even left, let alone the reason why.
I’ve never had a CM give me a LL pass when I’ve left the standby queue. I’ve just been told I can rejoin and the. I end up getting death glares from everybody as I try to make it back to my party. So are people then exiting the standby queue for whatever their reason is and clogging the LL waiting for their party? I’m really curious about this now (not that it would help in my current situation where I can’t leave my mother alone in the queue).
 
I’ve never had a CM give me a LL pass when I’ve left the standby queue. I’ve just been told I can rejoin and the. I end up getting death glares from everybody as I try to make it back to my party. So are people then exiting the standby queue for whatever their reason is and clogging the LL waiting for their party? I’m really curious about this now (not that it would help in my current situation where I can’t leave my mother alone in the queue).
For what it's worth, I've never backtracked to the entrance when I've left a queue. I've always been a substantial way in and flagged down a CM mid-queue (twice it was literally in the boarding area when I had to leave), so it was always obvious that I wasn't just trying to skip the standby line since I had already waited through most or all of it. I can see if people are backtracking to the entrance and asking the CM there that they might tell you to just re-enter the standby line since they have no idea where you were in line/how long you've been waiting.

I don't know if they previously allowed (or will in the future) those returning to the LL to wait near boarding for their party or not. That's not something I ever really thought about doing. I just rode by myself (or with my kid if they were the one that had a bathroom emergency) and met up with the rest of the family after the ride.

I can definitely see how this could be abused by people waiting in the standby line for 2 mins, then leaving and getting a return to queue into the LL to avoid an hour long line. They may decide that you have to be so far up in the line to get a return pass but if you're only 5 mins in you can just get in the back of the line, or you go through LL and wait for your party in standby to meet you at boarding before you can ride (not sure how they would handle single riders), or give a wait period before you can enter the LL to compensate for the amount of time that you would have otherwise been still waiting in line.
 
In my case, we all intend to ride but are separated because I might not make it through an hour+ long cue.
It sounds like you would enter the queue with your family. You only use the Rider Swap if situation arises that you do need to leave the line. So you may make it all the way through that queue and ride together. Unless you are having a difficult day dealing with your needs, in which case you really weren’t spending that time with the family anyway. Or do I misunderstand what you do when not in the queue?
 

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