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

[Jrb1979]

"If it is determined that any of the statements a Guest made in the process of obtaining DAS are not true, the Guest will be permanently barred from entering Walt Disney World Resort and the Disneyland Resort, and any previously purchased Annual Passes, Magic Key passes, tickets and other park products and services will be forfeited and not refunded."

That there is interesting. I wonder if they will actually do it.

 

[nalababybear]

I'm not going to lie. This is really scary. Narrowing DAS to only those with developmental delays will really impact my family's ability to do WDW and DL. We need DAS due to my youngest being medically complex. If we are stuck in a winding line with no way out and he needs airway clearance, we will hold up the whole line. He can be sensitive to heat. Literally everything takes us twice as long as everyone else due to my kiddo's complex needs. I am hoping there is still some form of access accommodations available to us or I fear our safe place to go will no longer feel that way.

I doubt they will be that stringent especially during a video visit you can explain that heat and.humidity can exacerbate an airway flare that needs immediate attention best addressed in off stage areas and not in a queue.

You still have to thread that needle of time in line and explain that to the cm.

 

[Obi-J Kenobi]

Please don’t cancel until the new system goes live. Hopefully we don’t have all the info yet

I appreciate your comment. It's tough and DAS was something that helped her navigate WDW and DLR. I just informed her that there will be changes and I don't know if she'll qualify. She cried and that hurts to see and hear.

You know, it makes me wonder if Bob Iger or Josh D'Amaro or Jeff Vahle have ever had to wait an hour in a queue with a child that has a medical issue that makes queueing for longer periods of time painful or harsh or physically so impractical that it is near impossible.

 

[razlime]

So if the change starts May 20, that means we'll start getting info about experience from the first interviews starting April 20. I hope we get plenty of feedback then - I'll really appreciate any insights DAS users can share.

 

[PrincessV]

I really want to thank everyone here for this discussion. Without the DIS, I’d never have even know this was in the works. I’m a 30-year local APer who rarely clicks around the WDW site: I know what I need to know already lol!

As are so many of you, I’m concerned and stressed by this news. I went through a traumatic event that resulted in PTSD some years ago. It’s gotten better, but can be set off by being in a loud, confined space in which I can’t see a way out. And I’m short and travel solo - so that makes a lot of indoor queues difficult to impossible. I never considered DAS until I had a pretty bad episode one day and had to exit a queue in a hurry, which was physically difficult and very stressful. A friendly and kind CM happened to be right there when I got out and I apparently looked rough because they asked if I was okay and I added to my embarrassment by telling them what happened. They pointed me to a nearby quiet spot where I could pull myself together and encouraged me to at least speak with a GS CM about DAS. The next day I did, and they could not have been more kind, compassionate, and helpful. They asked about my concerns and I explained that if I feel trapped, I can go from a little panicky to black-out pretty quick: it’s a horrific feeling and will leave me a mess for hours, often the rest of the day. I also admitted that I felt foolish asking for any kind of accommodation, and that I’d been managing my situation thus far by simply not visiting much and avoiding many attractions. Not only was I approved on the spot, they specifically told me, “Guests like you are the reason we have the DAS program: we don’t want you to have to miss out on attractions when there’s a way for you to wait safely and still enjoy your day.”

I guess my point here is that it was WDW that encouraged me to use DAS in the first place. And they were right: it’s made my experience SO much less stressful and more enjoyable - which frankly is good for their bottom line: I’m “worth” more when I can stay in a park all day, vs. needing to leave after two hours. So if this new version of DAS really will only be available for developmental disorders, it feels like I’ve had the rug pulled out from under me. I never abused the system. I never bother with advance selections or wasting online CMs’ time by getting my next 60-day approval in advance, since I mostly do day trips and can just find a blue umbrellas when it’s not busy. I’m one person, occasionally 2-3 people for a couple hours if out of town friends happen to be visiting at the same time.

I’d like to think whoever it is we’ll need to speak with will make the same kinds of assessments the CMs do now. And I can’t see any reason they'd WANT people with panic disorders and the like to be falling apart in lines, where it presents a danger to themselves and to others. But the current lack of clarity is… concerning.

 

[StarGirl11]

"If it is determined that any of the statements a Guest made in the process of obtaining DAS are not true, the Guest will be permanently barred from entering Walt Disney World Resort and the Disneyland Resort, and any previously purchased Annual Passes, Magic Key passes, tickets and other park products and services will be forfeited and not refunded."

That there is interesting. I wonder if they will actually do it.

There is no way that isn’t a result of the 3rd party groups. And the people who have been bragging about faking their disability.

Will that stop these people? No

But that has to be why it’s there. To try and stop that group

 

[Smugpugmug]

"If it is determined that any of the statements a Guest made in the process of obtaining DAS are not true, the Guest will be permanently barred from entering Walt Disney World Resort and the Disneyland Resort, and any previously purchased Annual Passes, Magic Key passes, tickets and other park products and services will be forfeited and not refunded."

That there is interesting. I wonder if they will actually do it.

There are TikToks of people telling their audience how to cheat DAS. Does this mean those people would get banned? Some of the people making these videos have a following, albeit smaller than the more popular vloggers.

 

[Karin1984]

There is not enough information yet.
We do not know how much room there is for the Inspire health care person to stretch the definition of 'developmental disorder'.

Neurodevelopmental disorders are neurologically based conditions that can interfere with the acquisition, retention, or application of specific skills or sets of information. They may involve dysfunction in attention, memory, perception, language, problem-solving, or social interaction.

Within this definition, you can include PTSD and anxiety among them. It all depends on their criteria. We do not have enough information to say they will exclude mental health conditions like this.

We also do not know if there will be other conditions, like those who cannot sit and stand for a long time, or other people who are inbetween definitions.

We will have to wait and see what happens.

It is possible that it will get easier to explain certain issues as you are speaking to someone with a knowledge of health care. They might be able to understand better what kind of complications arise with your condition.

 

[StarGirl11]

There are TikToks of people telling their audience how to cheat DAS. Does this mean those people would get banned? Some of the people making these videos have a following, albeit smaller than the more popular vloggers.

There was a big time user whose name I’m forgetting right now who just got trespassed I think for going somewhere they weren’t supposed to. So yeah I would think so. Hell they weren’t the first Disney influencer banned.

It’s going to come down whether these people wise up and shut up or not

 

[Grim Grinning Ghostie]

There is already a post in another thread here of the "all these people can't have ADHD and they are just screen addicted and faking to take advantage" variety and I am desperately trying not to let it ruin my day.

People are so ignorant. ADHD extends so far beyond "lol I'm so quirky I can't pay attention at work cos I'm too busy scrolling Tiktok ." It was ruining my life before I was diagnosed & began taking medication for it.

I've had people mock me or disbelieve me as well because adults are "supposed to grow out of Autism," or because you can't be Autistic unless you're actively having a meltdown, flapping your hands, or chewing on your shirt. I'm not melting down *because* I have the agency granted by adulthood and can, for the most part, avoid situations that I know will likely result in extreme overstimulation.

That being said, I don't want people knowing my diagnosis at all, which this new system will render imppssible and will lead to judgment from others as to whether or not I look Autistic enough to deserve the pass (take away the accommodations I need and I promise you'll stop questioning my diagnosis).

I likewise don't want to deal with the misdirected anger of guests whose own ability to acquire a DAS pass was revoked. I can't even make eye contact without it hurting my brain, I definitely won't deal well with the comments and may have to avoid the parks for a while to avoid any potential meltdowns because of it.

Not to mention how unfair it is for those who ABSOLUTELY NEED THE PASS and cannot do the parks without it who just happen to not have a developmental disability. We aren't the only people on earth who can't handle long lines.

 

[Stacey25]

Ok. So. I don't really like putting this out there but for the purpose of this post I will. My husband is a combat retired veteran of 20 years with PTSD now 100% disabled by the VA. He would much rather go on less stressful vacations but because his family loves it he goes with us. We first got him a DAS 2 years ago (and last year) and it made a world of difference in terms of aggravating his condition because he was able to wait in a less quieter/crowded spot until it was his time to ride. If they eliminate combat PTSD as a reason for the DAS well, I don't know how he'll handle it.

 

[Inn0c3nc3]

I jokingly call Genie+ another type of ADHD Tax for me, but it's kind of gallows humor to cope. I would be absolutely screwed if I wasn't so good at avoiding lines. I have had to leave LL queues that got backed up because panic started setting in being surrounded by people in close quarters, or I get overstimulated and it's just too much for me to handle. It's not something I talk about. But I am squarely someone who would benefit from DAS, but have convinced myself other people need it more than me because I'm a pro at navigating the parks, and I get enough pushback and judgement the rare time I ask for minor accommodations at work. Heck I broke down crying in my manager's office last week over the latter because it was the first time anyone actually believed me. If I had a dime for every time I got "but you look normal". But all of that is why I just never ask for DAS. Even though I had an incident on my last trip and my therapist said I was really in need of accommodations.

That last paragraph is right on, but people don't seem to realize that or care.

I felt this way at first. I have ADHD and have had anxiety for years, but it progressed in 2017 and I wound up getting diagnosed with panic disorder, then agoraphobia- it wasn't long after we had become DVC members. I remember searching for info about how to manage panic attacks in the parks and someone said to apply for DAS. I thought I didn't need it. then we had a disastrous trip where we just skipped whole park days because I couldn't function with the crowds. leading up to the next trip the following year (which was still happening, because we had joined DVC and despite all this, Disney is still my "happy place") I was literally laying awake at night stressing about it. how I was going to manage. I wanted to, I needed the mental break of the fun that Disney used to be. I wrote a long rambling email to the disability services explaining my issues, asking if I qualified, etc. I got a phone call the next day and spent an hour talking to a man named Aaron at Disney who assured me I should use DAS and Disney wanted me to enjoy my trip. the relief I felt was unreal. in reality, I think we only used it once or twice that trip, because going to an attraction and drawing attention to myself to get a return time was still a lot; but having it available was relieving and helped.

now, we also get genie+. we do after hours when available because the crowds are so low (for anyone who wants to ride rides and has an issue managing crowds, you can easily skip a park day if you can go to after hours). we do dessert parties just so I can enjoy the fireworks (we don't watch them unless we book a dessert party) with some breathing room/peace. even WITH DAS and these things that we PAY for, our daytime park time has become minimal. I've learned to manage my own issues, accommodating myself with paying for extra things and with medication and knowing quiet corners I can go to get a break when it's too much, but it's still too much sometimes. DAS being digital in tandem with genie+ made our 2022 trip better, but this year's trip I still struggled a lot. we've been paying the "ADHD tax" with dessert parties and after hours for years, genie+ is just another one. but this year, after waiting for food, I had a full blown panic attack hyperventilating and sobbing while people looked at me like I was insane. we missed HEA because there wasn't dessert party availability on the one MK day we had or the day we had after hours there.

I don't know if you meant for the tone of your comment to be that some people need to just tough it out, but it kind of comes across that way.

 

[PurpleKomodo]

Popping back in because the more I think about this, the more I am bothered. I am really hoping we are all proven wrong when they roll this out. Here are a couple more thoughts that have occurred to me. First, the number of people thing. I have read several comments that this is the only good part of the update. I'm going to challenge that. We are a family of 5, so, with the rule of 6, we were able to include a caregiver (grandmother or paid staff depending on the trip) no problem. But, even with the rule of 6 people, we were not able to include other family we often travel with because our immediate family is already at the max. We struggle with this at a local to us theme park too. But, Disney was supposed to be a park where families could have fun together. So it really stinks to have to split up from family because of DAS party size limits. Now, I have to worry about our caregiver being able to be included. When the rule was 6, immediate family was defined as living in your home by the way.

My other things is about Genie+ because my initial thought was, well, our trips just got more expensive because we will be forced to buy Genie+. But, then reading some comments here helped me see how G+ won't serve our needs primarily because of the 1 hour return window. DAS being an "anytime after..." return window is huge for us. Sometimes trips to the bathroom or needing to take breaks take much longer than we could ever anticipate and I think we would miss many windows.

I just keep really hoping it isn't as grim as it sounds.

 

[TwoMisfits]

I hope... immediate family to me seem like parents with more kids... not grandparents.

I agree. Immediate family will be parents + kids. They won't be adding on other family levels, according to their wording.

 

[Nikkimouse44]

I agree. Immediate family will be parents + kids. They won't be adding on other family levels, according to their wording.

So then how does that work when you have multiple children and the parents leave to takes a younger one somewhere and the grandparents stay with a child who has a DAS? Or if two children qualify for DAS and they are wanting to ride different things and the family splits up and grandparents take the younger one to the little rides - or hops to another park?

 

[Inn0c3nc3]

I hear you. It actually took an aunt taking me aside during a halloween party and directly telling me "You qualify for DAS, you should go and apply for it as GS." to get me to do it, and even then I had someone with me because I was terrified and worried I wouldn't be believed or be belittled. You do deserve accommodations. They aren't "benefits," they aren't "the easy way," even though I know other people + workplaces like to act like it. Like okay, it would be a benefit for you, person who isn't dealing with all this, but it's just a path forward for some of us. A way to actually be able to navigate something and be close to the same level as others.

I'm so sorry about the incident on your last trip. I really hope for future trips, if you do want to seek accommodations, you feel empowered to do so, in spite of what these changes may bring.

I remember when I tried to do a Halloween party and it was so crowded that I couldn't function. I think I had expected it to look more like after hours. I cried and kept apologizing to my husband because it was new for me to be that overwhelmed by crowds and I felt bad that we had "wasted" money on the party tickets.

 

[raven0855]

Really frustrated they're labeling DAS as developmental disabilities only. My Dad has back issues where he'll get severe pain if he's sitting or standing in place for too long but is fine if he can move. So a a wheelchair/scooter could be actively harmful, not helpful. And a return to line pass is no good because we don't want him getting to the point where he's in pain in the first place.

We've done DAS for years and it's been so helpful for him to be able to enjoy the parks. IDK what we'll do now.

This exactly! I didn't get DAS for many years, I figured I wouldn't qualify. I would choose one park to go to with my family because after that day, my back would be locked up and I would have to hang back at the hotel for the next couple of days. I figured it was just what it was. Then someone recommended I apply for DAS hesitantly I did and was approved. Our next trip was amazing I was able to go to 4 parks, 4 days in a row. While I am sad to think that I am going to miss days with my family but I do believe that Disney will do the right thing. This is the initial statement and I hope with some time and "medical professionals" they will broaden the scope.

 

[StarGirl11]

Honestly part of me is worried with the working with inspire thing is how it’s going to go down when those of us who have diagnoses that most people have never heard of (med professionals included) have to bring it up.

I have a feeling I’m going to start carrying around a copy of the nih article just in case

 

[OurBigTrip]

There is no way that isn’t a result of the 3rd party groups. And the people who have been bragging about faking their disability.

Will that stop these people? No

But that has to be why it’s there. To try and stop that group

That may be part of it, but not all of it.

No one should be surprised by this - it’s been evident for a long time that people who could wait in the standby line have been getting a DAS instead. Some of that could be because they don’t want to pay for Genie+, it could be that they like the pre-selects, so they faked it.

Those are the abusers.

But there are also misusers…people who have a disability and could wait in the regular line, but get the DAS “just in case”, or because they can ride other attractions while they await their DAS return time, so they can do more stuff in a shorter time and get out of the parks.

The DAS has gone from being a tool that makes Disney possible for some disabilities to being used by many to make Disney easier, which was never the intent, IMO.

My sister gets a DAS for Chron’s, but only uses it if she’s having a flare. She never felt she should have that level of accommodation, but there was no other choice. She’s very happy to be able to leave the line and come back rather than take up spots in the LL for people who truly can’t do Disney without the DAS.

 

[CmdrThor]

I can gurantee, in typical Disney fashion, that their "return to line" pass will be a disaster.

Universal Studios partners with IBCCES for this task, and IBCCES has no issues with non-developmental disabilities such as IBS. Their service has been a life-saver for me.

I'll be taking my money down the road for my next vacation.

Universal doesn't have IBCCES make the decision of whether you qualify for the Attraction Assistance Pass though, the IBCCES process is only meant to validate the guest has the accessibility need they say they have. For example you can get an IBCCES card because you use a wheelchair, but that doesn't qualify you for the Attraction Assistance Pass since the queues are wheelchair accessible.