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

[Jdavidm]

I know we always say autism is a spectrum but I would go as far as to say all disabilities are a spectrum and that’s why accommodations should remain needs based vs based on the general concept of what a particular disability entails.

And please don’t ever assume that just because you can wait in a line with a certain disability that others with it must be able to as well.

 

[OurBigTrip]

These were testers. Who knows on what date they did the testing. Also, for some people with medical conditions all the time they spend in the parks might equal half the time that those in good health can. It's impossible for a few testers to know or experience all of the health issues of those that need the DAS. You've seen today that just because Poster A with a certain condition may not need the DAS, another poster will.
Some with neurodivergencies might only be able to handle a few particular rides and this is why their families ride them a few times. This would leave all of the other rides free for those who do not need the DAS.

Sure, ok.

Good enough for a federal judge, but ok.

 

[Disturbia]

Disclaimer: I’m only sharing my experience with my daughter who has autism and not speaking for others or implying anything about why others shouldn’t receive the same accommodations as her.

I don’t think autism will automatically mean that you get DAS . I think you will still have to talk to someone and they will decide what accommodations you will get. A leave the line option might work for some people with autism so that is what they will receive. In the case of my 4 year old daughter who has autism and a global developmental delay with severe speech and communication delays, that would not work. If she can see the ride, she screams and cries and has meltdowns the entire time we are in line, so we would be leaving every line we got in. She is also an eloper so that is an issue too and she becomes easily overwhelmed when trapped in by people. Once she has something in her mind, it takes a very long time for her to calm down, sometimes an hour or more. You can’t reason with her because she doesn’t fully understand what you are telling her. So, getting out of line to calm down and coming back to the line wouldn’t work.

We just went to Silver Dollar City and using their disability access pass makes me feel so awkward because you are the only people going in the exit. The ride attendant has to stop loading people to give you a return time and fill out your paperwork. Then when you return, you are the only people entering through the exit, the ride attendant has to stop and fill out your paper work again while everyone in line is watching you get on the ride first and wondering why. I’ve had people ask me about it too. I get so embarrassed so I don’t use it for her there very much. If a line looks like it is 20 minutes or so, we will wait in the regular line, but i spend the entire 20 minutes trying to keep her calm and corralled. I can tell everyone around us is annoyed and it is mentally and physically exhausting for both of us. DAS is the perfect solution for her because she waits where she can’t see the ride and moves faster through the LL so feels less enclosed. I agree with someone else that they probably listed autism specifically because of the court cases that involved DAS and autism.

Same thing with DD4. We had multiple scares and we will be using AirTags on her shoes next time. We were able to put the kids club magic band on her shoes on the cruise this spring.

The gaps between the poles in lines are also dangerous (DS7 got stuck the fiasco involved police, fire dept, park manager, line redirection). People without disabilities have no idea.

 

[Cassi Baskette]

It’s taken me a minute to actually be able to put into words how i feel about this..i have had a spinal stimulator since 2007. Disney has always been a place that has been a safe space for me because they have always understood that the damage to my spine doesn’t allow me to stand or sit for long periods of time without immense pain. I take medication for the pain and like i mentioned i have a spinal stimulator in my back that is also supposed to help with the pain. The sitting or standing for long periods of time causes so much pain that i suffer from panic attacks, claustrophobia and severe migraines. DAS has allowed me to go on vacations with my family before knowing about DAS i would stay at the room or walk around the park while they were in line. I would trade any ‘perk’ people see DAS as for a day without pain. Until you walk a mile in anyone shoes you should NEVER judge what they go through in a day! Since Disney will no longer be a safe place for me my family will have to find a new Happiest Place on Earth for us. New memories to be made. It’s a sad day for us since we have been DVC members for 20 years and wanted to pass that on to our children.

 

[Kerr84]

Silver Dollar City also is not full of strollers anywhere near the same as WDW. The park itself is hilly with inclines. When we went in summer of 2022 there were virtually no strollers in usage.

SDC is a great park but it's also not the best designed for several groups of people (people in strollers better train for some of those hills!) although experiencing what you did feeling the way you did is obviously not a good thing

On a side note all of us were impressed with the food. Also admittedly we liked the Trailblazer pass doing one day without it and one day with the Unlimited version. I didn't use it very much (def. not getting the full dollar per dollar value) but my traveling party used it a lot. Their system is much like Universals if you get the Unlimited.

You aren’t joking! I am relatively fit and I am panting pushing her up those hills. We live 1 1/2 hours away so we have season passes and go 3-4 times per year. She mainly rides the kiddie rides so we don’t pay for the trailblazer. We stay around 3 or 4 hours and just ride the small rides.

 

[Grim Grinning Ghostie]

Disclaimer: I’m only sharing my experience with my daughter who has autism and not speaking for others or implying anything about why others shouldn’t receive the same accommodations as her.

I don’t think autism will automatically mean that you get DAS . I think you will still have to talk to someone and they will decide what accommodations you will get. A leave the line option might work for some people with autism so that is what they will receive. In the case of my 4 year old daughter who has autism and a global developmental delay with severe speech and communication delays, that would not work. If she can see the ride, she screams and cries and has meltdowns the entire time we are in line, so we would be leaving every line we got in. She is also an eloper so that is an issue too and she becomes easily overwhelmed when trapped in by people. Once she has something in her mind, it takes a very long time for her to calm down, sometimes an hour or more. You can’t reason with her because she doesn’t fully understand what you are telling her. So, getting out of line to calm down and coming back to the line wouldn’t work.

We just went to Silver Dollar City and using their disability access pass makes me feel so awkward because you are the only people going in the exit. The ride attendant has to stop loading people to give you a return time and fill out your paperwork. Then when you return, you are the only people entering through the exit, the ride attendant has to stop and fill out your paper work again while everyone in line is watching you get on the ride first and wondering why. I’ve had people ask me about it too. I get so embarrassed so I don’t use it for her there very much. If a line looks like it is 20 minutes or so, we will wait in the regular line, but i spend the entire 20 minutes trying to keep her calm and corralled. I can tell everyone around us is annoyed and it is mentally and physically exhausting for both of us. DAS is the perfect solution for her because she waits where she can’t see the ride and moves faster through the LL so feels less enclosed. I agree with someone else that they probably listed autism specifically because of the court cases that involved DAS and autism.

As someone who was that kid (I screamed and cried and wailed and just generally made everyone's lives hell on earth), and whose parents stuck it out and dealt with the nasty looks and the comments so that I could ride even though it must have been miserable and mortifyingly embarrassing, thank you for doing what you do for your daughter.

Those of us with Autism are aware that we are difficult and unpleasant to be around more often than we would like, and the fact that loved ones put in so much effort really speaks to the unbreakable bond between family members.

You're a good person and your daughter is lucky to be so loved.

 

[OurBigTrip]

Bottom line, Disney has to find a way to reduce the number of people utilizing the LL. Cutting from 6 to 4 will help (assuming the chat PMs are empowered to actually stand firm in the face of upset guests who want their entire extended family added), and reducing the number of guests who get a DAS to begin with will help.

Will it be enough? Who knows.

 

[lauritagoddess]

I am completely sure that they’re a king these changes to sell more Genie +. Aside from the fact that they’re not equivalent since it doesn’t cover every ride, and then only allows you one of each ride per day, the biggest difference between it and the DAS is the return time. DAS not having a set return time range is what makes it work for a lot of us with disabilities who don’t know at any particular time if we’re able to wait in a line. It’s possible we may be able to get on line when it’s the return time on the DAS or it may be quite awhile afterwards, and that’s okay because you can get on line any time after that return time.

 

[GoingSince1990]

It’s taken me a minute to actually be able to put into words how i feel about this..i have had a spinal stimulator since 2007. Disney has always been a place that has been a safe space for me because they have always understood that the damage to my spine doesn’t allow me to stand or sit for long periods of time without immense pain. I take medication for the pain and like i mentioned i have a spinal stimulator in my back that is also supposed to help with the pain. The sitting or standing for long periods of time causes so much pain that i suffer from panic attacks, claustrophobia and severe migraines. DAS has allowed me to go on vacations with my family before knowing about DAS i would stay at the room or walk around the park while they were in line. I would trade any ‘perk’ people see DAS as for a day without pain. Until you walk a mile in anyone shoes you should NEVER judge what they go through in a day! Since Disney will no longer be a safe place for me my family will have to find a new Happiest Place on Earth for us. New memories to be made. It’s a sad day for us since we have been DVC members for 20 years and wanted to pass that on to our children.

I’m very sorry to hear of your condition. I suspect that a Disney CM would suggest that it could be addressed by renting a wheelchair or scooter, which you could periodically step out of and stand for a while during the wait in line, so you would not have to sit or stand for long periods of time. Would this be a workable solution?

 

[Becky Mouse]

I am hoping that a lot of people are wrong in thinking they will automatically not qualify because their condition isn’t a developmental issue. I hope Disney will listen to everyone’s personal situation and make a decision on accommodations. I think the wording is more to discourage the abusers or at least I hope so!

I think we need a lot more information about what other accommodations are possible and there will always be reasons why they won’t work for some and hopefully Disney will make exceptions when needed.

I think something to keep in mind is that it's no longer going to be "qualifies for DAS or doesn't qualify for DAS." It's now going to be, "What accommodation does this person with this condition need?" Someone who is hard of hearing may need a listening device. Someone who has mobility issues may need a scooter. Someone who has IBS may need to be able to leave a line and return to it later. For most conditions, it won't be DAS that is the accommodation given.

Think of it this way: Disney used to let people in wheel chairs basically skip the lines. Wheel chair users got to enter through the exit and load onto the ride because their wheel chairs couldn't fit through the lines. Disney changed almost all of the lines to accommodate both wheel chairs and scooters, so now people with wheel chairs and scooters join the regular queues (with a few exceptions). At first, people were really angry at this. They have a disability, and they wanted the accommodations they always got: to be able to go to the loading area from the exit. Disney had to say (and prove) that they are providing the necessary accommodations to these guests by allowing them to have or rent wheel chairs or scooters, and that was the accommodations they needed. Basically, someone with a mobility issue doesn't need to skip a line! Now, we all accept this, and it makes sense. It wasn't well accepted at first when Disney made that change.

Now, Disney is changing what accommodations they offer to people with other disabilities, too. They are going to offer accommodations for what is needed based on a disability, not just giving people DAS as a blanket accommodation. Some people are going to be upset by this, but, in the end, what matters is that their disability or medical condition is being accommodated.... not that they get DAS specifically.

 

[Disneychick75]

Sure, ok.

Good enough for a federal judge, but ok.

So are you saying that testers can experience every attraction in the way that everyone with a disability experiences them?

My whole family are lawyers and judges from local to Federal and a SC justice is a good friend with my cousin - they're neighbors. None walk on water and none are infallible.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

You aren’t joking! I am relatively fit and I am panting pushing her up those hills. We live 1 1/2 hours away so we have season passes and go 3-4 times per year. She mainly rides the kiddie rides so we don’t pay for the trailblazer. We stay around 3 or 4 hours and just ride the small rides.

We're a bit over 3 hours away from there!

I do like how the park has more to offer than just rides so at least if you have people who aren't doing rides as much there's things to do. The crafts and shows mix it up. Their kiddie rides are cute. We may have done some of them ourselves

For our trip in 2022 we walked all around and back again and boy we were out of breath ourselves on parts of it Walk 25-30K steps at Disney and I got sore feet but walk a day at SDC and I'm getting a whole different workout

 

[Ash10]

I love the Express Pass at Universal. We decide to buy that when we go even though I qualify for their AAP and have submitted documentation and had it approved. Like many others here said, it's that limited time frame of Genie that doesn't work for me.

Now for my unpopular opinion... Lightning Lanes too long? Raise the price of Genie+ then too otherwise like others have said we're just going to see the same issue as the prior DAS users (and abusers) may go to that instead. And we'll still have too many folks in the LL. It's too affordable (compared to other theme park skip the line programs) so too many people buy it.

Or go back to the old FP system, which was free, and accommodated many.

 

[mistysue]

I have said and shared this view with Disney before, but they need a way to cut down on what the DAS gives some people. Can't handle long lines in the sun? That should be a set of X rides where you can use the DAS. If your issue is sunlight, you don't need a pass for pirates or Dumbo or after 10PM, but Slinky dog at noon could be a massive problem. Low light an issue? Certain rides where you can use the pass- you might need it for Nemo but not for the safari, etc. A lot of people can tell you exactly what rides they have a problem getting to.

Some portion of the current issue is that they don't give you a pass and say "here is where you can use it" - they give everyone this golden pass that works on everything. The system gets so out of control so quickly that then people need to use it more because it's being used so much the regular lines become unmanageable when they wouldn't be if only people who needed the pass for that specific line had access to it.

 

[Cassi Baskette]

I’m very sorry to hear of your condition. I suspect that a Disney CM would suggest that it could be addressed by renting a wheelchair or scooter, which you could periodically step out of and stand for a while during the wait in line, so you would not have to sit or stand for long periods of time. Would this be a workable I’ve actually had

 

[HyperspaceMountainPilot]

https://casetext.com/case/al-v-walt-disney-parks-resorts-us-inc-1

I am not a disability lawyer but I am a litigator and I think this A.L. ruling (along with the cited 9th circuit case that Disneyland won) shows the writing on the wall— both rulings are clear that Disney is not obligated to provide an accommodation that “fundamentally alters the theme park experience” for the majority of park guests. Disney now has the evidence (usage data) to establish that DAS is currently fundamentally altering the experience for all guests (and several people on this thread have given examples of how the current system has made it impossible for them to enjoy attractions even with the DAS accommodations) because of how many DAS users (and our guests) are relying on the very generous system. I’m expecting that many conditions/accommodations will be stripped out of the DAS system based on how prevalent (or fakeable) they are in American society (e.g. how it would cripple the entire park queue process if every American with ADHD or generalized anxiety disorder could bring 4 people through DAS), and I say that based on this ruling:

I truly hope Disney does make it possible for all of us who find medium to long queues unbearable to continue to be able to enjoy popular attractions, and, even though it might exclude me and my family, I especially hope the families with children with severe health conditions (of all kinds) get prioritized, even if it means everybody else fares a little worse.

 

[Kerr84]

As someone who was that kid (I screamed and cried and wailed and just generally made everyone's lives hell on earth), and whose parents stuck it out and dealt with the nasty looks and the comments so that I could ride even though it must have been miserable and mortifyingly embarrassing, thank you for doing what you do for your daughter.

Those of us with Autism are aware that we are difficult and unpleasant to be around more often than we would like, and the fact that loved ones put in so much effort really speaks to the unbreakable bond between family members.

You're a good person and your daughter is lucky to be so loved.

Awe, thank you! I 100% need to hear this! She is so sweet most of the time and I try to do so much research to be able to help her and understand her. She’s in multiple therapies and I really hope one day she won’t need DAS, but she just loves Disney! She watches ride videos and gets so excited to meet characters even when she doesn’t know who they are. It truly is her happy place so I am so thankful for DAS.

I am still hopeful that a lot of people saying they won’t qualify anymore still will.

 

[OurBigTrip]

So are you saying that testers can experience every attraction in the way that everyone with a disability experiences them?

My whole family are lawyers and judges from local to Federal and a SC justice is a good friend with my cousin - they're neighbors. None walk on water and none are infallible.

I have said and shared this view with Disney before, but they need a way to cut down on what the DAS gives some people. Can't handle long lines in the sun? That should be a set of X rides where you can use the DAS. If your issue is sunlight, you don't need a pass for pirates or Dumbo or after 10PM, but Slinky dog at noon could be a massive problem. Low light an issue? Certain rides where you can use the pass- you might need it for Nemo but not for the safari, etc. A lot of people can tell you exactly what rides they have a problem getting to.

Some portion of the current issue is that they don't give you a pass and say "here is where you can use it" - they give everyone this golden pass that works on everything. The system gets so out of control so quickly that then people need to use it more because it's being used so much the regular lines become unmanageable when they wouldn't be if only people who needed the pass for that specific line had access to it.

Good idea! Another thing that would be helpful ( and the right thing to do) is don’t use if you don’t need to. No way to police that of course, but if your condition allows you to wait 45 minutes in line then wait in 45 minute standby instead of using the DAS.

 

[Disneychick75]

I’m very sorry to hear of your condition. I suspect that a Disney CM would suggest that it could be addressed by renting a wheelchair or scooter, which you could periodically step out of and stand for a while during the wait in line, so you would not have to sit or stand for long periods of time. Would this be a workable solution?

deleted

 

[Cassi Baskette]

I’ve actually had that discussion with a CM before and since i am completely mobile the scooter isn’t a viable option. I try to walk two miles a day at home and do daily exercises to strengthen my core. To look at me you would never know the pain that i am in. I’m gen x. We suck it up. Someone rear ended me 20 years ago and i have not had a day without pain since. Trust me i have tried everything possible to make the best out of what i have. If it isn’t possible to do DAS our Disney days will be coming to an end. We do purchase G+. My next option would to pony up for the private tour. That’s a discussion that we have had also.