I wonder why Disney didn't just go the same route as Universal to get rid of the fakers. Then this would be more fairly applied.
Instead, they just bunched people into groups and made blanket proclamations about who would get DAS and who wouldn't, regardless of need.
I feel like, and this is just me, its not about need as much as it is about reducing G+/LL use by DAS so they are not ticking off the paying G+/LL customers.
If it were about getting rid of the fakers, then moving more towards what Universal does would have made more sense.
Nothing Disney has publicized points to just giving DAS to people in certain categories regardless of need. They will still be going thru the video chat process to determine needs.
I have 2 extended family members who are autistic. One works in a demanding and very technical, independent professional job. The other is quite independent, but works in a more supported position. They are both autistic, but wouldn't have the same needs or accommodations.
The process Universal is using still has a lot of room for faking.
People can fake the letters themselves.
There are doctors who would write letters claiming the person is disabled. According to ads on TV are already "doctors standing by on our 800 number. Answer a few questions and our doctor will write you a prescription for the little blue pill."
I would not be surprised to find out there is an underground network doing the same thing for disability letters.
Some people are very careful to get a letter from their doctor or school that lists the issues and concerns about travel to a theme park, but many of the items that are accepted don't say anything about need for accommodation - handicapped parking permit, National Park Access Pass, letter that only says "my patient is disabled"
Because the third party used by Universal and Sea World is just rubber stamping those documents. They are not verifying.
That is certainly how it appears. People have posted submitting their papers on a Friday evening, gotten temporary approval in a few hours and permanent approval by the next morning. So, really sounds like not a very robust system. I've only read one account of someone not being approved - he wrote they wanted a more up to date letter. He got it and was approved
The group is a marketing group, not a medical group. They started out doing certification for ABA (Applied Behavior Analysis) practitioners for Autism programs. They branched out into certifying businesses, parks and other public accommodations as Certified Autism Specialty Centers. Along with that, they have their Access Card, which is the service Universal is using.
Some of the things I read last Fall pointed toward them being "not ready for prime time"
- requiring people to submit an email address as part of the contact information for the doctor. Email is not HIPAA compliant, so I saw lots of posts on social media where people made up an email (not on Disboards)
- People who contacted them and Universal and were told they would need to apply and be approved for a card for a blind person to use their white cane, a blind person to use their guide dog, a deaf person to use ASL interpreter, a person who can't walk to use their wheelchair - it's against the law to require proof for any of those.