So, if you are stating that, "ADA rules prevent requiring proof of a disability to qualify for basic use of a business." Then why do the Cast Members even ask why you need a DAS pass? The questions they need answers to could be answered in a doctor's note is all I am saying, without the naming of the disability.
Cast Members don't ask
why you
need a DAS.
They ask how having it will help you
There *is* a difference, and it is important.
If you can't explain how having the DAS benefits you, then the CM will not issue it.
If you try to tell the CM why you need a DAS (ie. "Because (fill in the blank person) has X condition") they will most likely reply by asking you *how* having the DAS will benefit you.
The sole purpose of the DAS is to allow you/your family member to wait the same amount of time outside the queue as if you had joined the queue for a ride or attraction, and shuffled through with everyone else. Disney graciously gives a 10 minute "grace" period (so your time to wait is the same as anyone else, less 10 minutes) but they don't have to do that; it's just a lovely, thoughtful thing they do because they know that some people take longer to move through the queue and/or board the ride.
It is NOT intended to be a special type of FP+ (although people do sometimes kind of use it as one)
It is NOT intended to be a FOTL (from of the line) pass. Those are only granted to Wish Kids, and folks with enough money to rent a Plaid for the day.
It is NOT intended to get anyone any sort of special treatment, other than the ability to wait your turn outside of the regular queue. It gives you, at most, a 10 minute advantage. Personally, I would rather use FP+ and skip the DAS entirely, since most of my needs are met by using a mobility device.
It is ONLY meant to allow you/your person to wait outside the regular line. If you have a mobility issue (can't stand, can't walk) that can be addressed with a mobility device, you will be directed to rent an
ECV or wheelchair for that person, and you have the option to rent daily from Disney or from an outside Orlando vendor that will deliver it to you.
There are a *lot* of reasons why people can't wait in the regular queue. Please note: We are not going to discuss them here, because there are folks who might try to use one of those reasons to get a DAS that they don't really need. That's also one reason why "scripts" (where you tell someone exactly what to say to get a DAS) aren't allowed here either. No one here will give anyone else the magic words to say.
Bringing back the old days of doctors' notes, discussion of diagnoses and/or symptoms and/or disabilities is not going to happen because the DAS works better, whether you personally happen to like it or not. It's nothing personal - I get why some people think that bringing back all of those requirements would "fix" the situation, but it won't. It will, in fact, take us right back to the tail-end bad-old-days of the GAC when unethical people would "rent" disabled people in wheelchairs to get FOTL access for a day.
The number of doctors out there who still think that Disney theme parks will take a note to "make it easier for you" is startling. I have been making sure for years that all of my doctors know that those notes no longer work, and I make sure they have a good working knowledge of the DAS system as well. Several of our families doctors are HUGE Disney fans, and almost all of them visit a couple of times a year with their families. I have been known to encourage them to stop in at Guest Relations and learn about the DAS on their next trip so that they hear first hand what they need to know to tell their patients when they ask for the "Disney Doctor's Note".
The main thing to remember is that Disney *is* giving you an accommodation with the DAS. It may not be what you want, but it is what is offered. Disney doesn't have to give you what you want - they only have to make the accommodation of the DAS available to all who can describe *how* it will help them to be able to wait outside the line. If it is not right for you/your family member, then you don't have to use it; just use other methods of trip planning to make your days in the Parks work better.