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

[StarLime]

Does anyone know if they’ve been approving anyone with a non-developmental disability, without saying what? Is it too early to know that? A Facebook group I’m in said it’s only developmental disabilities that are being approved on a case by case basis.

 

[Disneychick75]

Just cancelled our June trip, found that my Father In Law’s disability will no longer be included in DAS. He suffers from a rare blood order that requires injections within 60mins of symptoms appearing.

The CM said he as well as one other person could leave the queue to administer the injection and then return. I asked how the process works and they said they didn’t have any details. With this trip 3 weeks away I can’t risk having to spend half of our day away from our party while they wait in the standby queue.

Thankfully we’ve been to Disney quite a bit in the last few years and there’s nothing new on the horizon that’ll cause me FOMO.

Sorry you had to cancel your trip.

 

[Angel Ariel]

I agree that taken at face value, if spoken out or listed exactly like it is here, that's outrageous. However, I suspect it was more nuanced that than.

If the caller states one diagnosis, denied, then gives another diagnosis, denied, then lists another reason... it's not hard to fathom that the CMs have been trained specifically to watch for someone "fishing" for the acceptable reason(s), thinking that if they pile enough diagnoses/needs into the request that the CM will eventually relent and issue the DAS. I've often suggested that people make a short bullet list of their primary concerns with a brief explanation so the individual doesn't get flustered and end up with a lot of back-and-forth.

I'm not saying the young man in that post was fishing or faking. But it's quite possible the way he phrased his request put the CM on the denial track, especially if listing diagnoses and not actual needs.

There is nothing in that poster's post that indicates any of this, and shouldn't we be cautious about making such assumptions?

 

[regprincipal]

• We will be making efforts to preserve the Disability Access Service (DAS) for those it’s intended to accommodate — only those guests who, due to a developmental disability like autism or similar, are unable to wait in a conventional queue for an extended period of time. To help with this, we are also extending DAS enrollment for eligible guests from 60 days to 120 days and adjusting DAS party size to include no more than four, except for immediate family members.

My apologies if this has been addressed before. My biggest problem with all of this is the statement in bold. There are old Plan Disney posts that encourage those with MEDICAL conditions to apply for DAS. I understand it's Disney's program and they can change the rules but I find it insulting to say that it was ever only intended for developmental disabilities.

 

[gottalovepluto]

Thinking about this.... it's too bad you can't get a written transcrip of the video portion of the registration - we can at least print off the chat portions, but it seems to me if I remember correctly, that any kind of reproduction of the video portion is against their T&C.

This way, it's the requestor's word against the CM, and you don't even know if they name that shows on the screen is real, so it's pretty impossible to report any concrete proof of what was said.

Disney knows exactly which CM the screen name will link back too so no need to worry about that. As for if they believe you? Who knows, but if they see multiple reports of something they didn't intend to have happening they'll put two and two together.

The more I think on it the more I feel these people really shouldn't be giving out advice. Deny people, say they don't meet the qualifications, tell them to talk to CMs at the attractions about the return to line/exit whatever option and move on. Like what if someone takes these people seriously and something goes wrong practicing lines/managing anxiety/etc?

 

[lanejudy]

Does anyone know if they’ve been approving anyone with a non-developmental disability, without saying what? Is it too early to know that? A Facebook group I’m in said it’s only developmental disabilities that are being approved on a case by case basis.

Yes. I have definitely heard of non-developmental disabilities being approved for DAS yesterday.

 

[Chuckdlc]

Thinking about this.... it's too bad you can't get a written transcript of the video portion of the registration - we can at least print off the chat portions, but it seems to me if I remember correctly, that any kind of reproduction of the video portion is against their T&C.

This way, it's the requestor's word against the CM, and you don't even know if they name that shows on the screen is real, so it's pretty impossible to report any concrete proof of what was said.

So here's the thing. Say the terms and condition said, we can also punch you in the face when you get here at WDW. Do we actually think that would be enforceable? It's an exaggerated example but I can tell you that NJ is a one party consent state meaning that anyone has the right to record any conversation that they are a part of without the other party's knowledge or consent.

Play this out: You record a conversation/video chat which is highly damaging/borderline discriminatory and you post it on social media and forward it to the media. Who do we think is in bigger trouble at the end of it? You for recording it or Disney for both the public relations nightmare and the potential to have allegedly discriminated? Disney would throw that person under the bus and say that was not consistent with their opinions or policies, publicly apologize and promise to retrain everyone.

As I alluded to yesterday, I still do not believe a court will uphold a waiver which is deemed mandatory in order to simply request an accommodation. Too much of a chilling effect.

 

[lanejudy]

There is nothing in that poster's post that indicates any of this, and shouldn't we be cautious about making such assumptions?

The poster who originally shared that heard it second or third hand. So no, I have no problem thinking something may have gotten lost along the way.

I also can see my own DD in the position of the young man in the original story, she doesn't react well and might have "heard" something different than intended by the CM. Easily gotten flustered, listed diagnoses but couldn't give examples, etc.

So no, I have no problem accepting any report with a grain of salt. Unless it's a positive outcome, people tend to focus on the negative, which gets more negative as it's repeated.

 

[Jellybean9]

Ohh my..... wow and now I wonder when will my son age out.... when will they say nope he is old enough now he should have learned by now how to deal with it... he is 7 now... they really need to be more upfront with this...

I don’t think autistic adults are automatically excluded. As you well know, there is a spectrum. Everyone to an extent falls on that spectrum. Disney rightfully should only extend enhanced access to those on the extreme of the spectrum.

 

[Angel Ariel]

The poster who originally shared that heard it second or third hand. So no, I have no problem thinking something may have gotten lost along the way.

I also can see my own DD in the position of the young man in the original story, she doesn't react well and might have "heard" something different than intended by the CM. Easily gotten flustered, listed diagnoses but couldn't give examples, etc.

So no, I have no problem accepting any report with a grain of salt. Unless it's a positive outcome, people tend to focus on the negative, which gets more negative as it's repeated.

I appreciate where you're coming from, while disagreeing on certain aspects. I was never communicating take it as gospel truth. But there's a lot of space between taking it as gospel truth, taking it with a grain of salt, and writing out alternative ways it happened.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

• We will be making efforts to preserve the Disability Access Service (DAS) for those it’s intended to accommodate — only those guests who, due to a developmental disability like autism or similar, are unable to wait in a conventional queue for an extended period of time. To help with this, we are also extending DAS enrollment for eligible guests from 60 days to 120 days and adjusting DAS party size to include no more than four, except for immediate family members.

My apologies if this has been addressed before. My biggest problem with all of this is the statement in bold. There are old Plan Disney posts that encourage those with MEDICAL conditions to apply for DAS. I understand it's Disney's program and they can change the rules but I find it insulting to say that it was ever only intended for developmental disabilities.

View attachment 861762View attachment 861763

I believe the initial application of DAS was more focused on what they are saying now regarding developmental, sometime later was when other situations were folded in, a lot of posters have spoken to this.

In January of 2023 you would have seen that there were people with that condition being granted DAS (even if the condition isn't supposed to be the determining factor), that doesn't mean it was intended for that. Generically speaking they (meaning Disney) can accurately say their product was intended for specific guests even whilst it also being the case they had expanded the application of it.

To be fair I think people might miss that if you want Disney to try to be the place you can go, the destination that people can experience something other places don't provide as well if enough people are requesting to be given something due to their personal situation a company may opt to expand what they are offering, I mean a lot of people eventually just up and expected FP to be provided for a number of situations they encountered as an example. However, like all things that may end up eventually being too much and tweaking occurs.

 

[voxparse]

Friendly reminder that people on the internet lie A LOT. I personally am not taking anything reported as definitive proof of anything. I'll see how my process goes and adapt to the new reality just like I have for over 40 years of being disabled. Things change, you just have to figure out the new system. There are much bigger problems in life than adapting to a new accommodation setup.

 

[lanejudy]

NJ is a one party consent state meaning that anyone has the right to record any conversation that they are a part of without the other party's knowledge or consent.

You might want to check on that. My understanding is that since the other party (Disney) has already denied consent to record, you no longer have the right to record without informing the other party -- at which point they have the right to end the call. The 2 key parts of this are italicized.

If you hadn't accepted their T&C, or the T&C did not mention anything about recording, then in a 1-party consent state you could record it without mention.

 

[Chuckdlc]

That feels very much like a 'you're not autistic, just suck it up' response, which is tantamount to telling someone with cancer that if they just think positive thoughts, they'll go into remission. Man, I hate hearing this. It makes me really sad. On the other hand, I guess my wife and son can become neurotypical if they just wish upon a star... isn't Disney magical?!

I had a very similar response in my mind. I've often said with regard to my own disease "I would not wish this hell on anyone." Then you see this type of thing and have a different thought - Maybe everyone should live with this hell for one day and then be offered the opportunity to have it "cured" on the condition that they never be insensitive to someone's disability ever again.

 

[jennab]

Does anyone know if they’ve been approving anyone with a non-developmental disability, without saying what? Is it too early to know that? A Facebook group I’m in said it’s only developmental disabilities that are being approved on a case by case basis.

To be fair, I’m not sure what all encompasses “developmental disability”, but I’ve seen reports of service members receiving DAS for service related disabilities (possibly PTSD or other).

 

[prettypatchesmsu]

I agree that taken at face value, if spoken out or listed exactly like it is here, that's outrageous. However, I suspect it was more nuanced that than.

If the caller states one diagnosis, denied, then gives another diagnosis, denied, then lists another reason... it's not hard to fathom that the CMs have been trained specifically to watch for someone "fishing" for the acceptable reason(s), thinking that if they pile enough diagnoses/needs into the request that the CM will eventually relent and issue the DAS. I've often suggested that people make a short bullet list of their primary concerns with a brief explanation so the individual doesn't get flustered and end up with a lot of back-and-forth.

I'm not saying the young man in that post was fishing or faking. But it's quite possible the way he phrased his request put the CM on the denial track, especially if listing diagnoses and not actual needs.

When talking to my friend about this, they said they were explaining their needs and issues to the CM. Not just that they were autistic. Of course the answer they got wasn’t as short as I posted out but those were basically the words used by the cm when discussing the issues as a conversation. For example without giving too much detail (although how it’d help cheaters at this point I don’t know): explaining specific sensory issues etc with waiting in lines was met with the response to practice more with waiting in lines. Suggestions of using headphones and fidgets, which they already do and explained issues with how those don’t completely work for their needs etc, was met with the need to work more on their coping skills.

The deeper this went on the harder this was on my friend to communicate their needs as they were basically writing off their concerns with suggestions. My friend was getting upset, flustered etc. I understand this as I’ve met this problem in real life with medical professionals. This type of writing off issues can be difficult to handle and I don’t think there truthfully was more my friend could have done.

I guess the only thing is the suggestion of trying without and failing and going back again with specific examples of what happens. I’m doubtful it’ll work. My friend is pretty put off by this experience and I don’t blame them for wanting to avoid another interaction like this.

 

[jennab]

• We will be making efforts to preserve the Disability Access Service (DAS) for those it’s intended to accommodate — only those guests who, due to a developmental disability like autism or similar, are unable to wait in a conventional queue for an extended period of time. To help with this, we are also extending DAS enrollment for eligible guests from 60 days to 120 days and adjusting DAS party size to include no more than four, except for immediate family members.

My apologies if this has been addressed before. My biggest problem with all of this is the statement in bold. There are old Plan Disney posts that encourage those with MEDICAL conditions to apply for DAS. I understand it's Disney's program and they can change the rules but I find it insulting to say that it was ever only intended for developmental disabilities.

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This was their suggestion under the old DAS rules, which no longer apply. Of course there will be older posts still other there as at the time it did apply.

 

[Princesca]

The deeper this went on the harder this was on my friend to communicate their needs as they were basically writing off their concerns with suggestions. My friend was getting upset, flustered etc. I understand this as I’ve met this problem in real life with medical professionals. This type of writing off issues can be difficult to handle and I don’t think there truthfully was more my friend could have done.

I'm so sorry your friend had this experience. It feels like gaslighting, and it's so invalidating.

 

[nalababybear]

I don’t think autistic adults are automatically excluded. As you well know, there is a spectrum. Everyone to an extent falls on that spectrum. Disney rightfully should only extend enhanced access to those on the extreme of the spectrum.

I think that's what's happening as Disney pivots from a catch all DAS program to one that's being very selective in nature and offer other accommodations that's workable for most folk.

Disney certainly trying to monetize LL/G+ at the same time and get that too. Having 20+min lines there is not workable either for those stakeholders and I would be upset buying an upcharge product to have to wait another 20+Min.

Our adult son with ASD is conserved. Can't hold a conversation more than two cycles; yet has learned to wait in a queue with full supportive measures for up to 20min (30min on a high reward good day). -- does he qualify for DAS? Up to Disney, really. Accommodations like DAS really do make more rides possible IF LL is also manageable. @disneyland - many of the LL lanes routinely pass his tolerance so we bail on that ride, get another, or just wait it out chilling and have a good people day watching.

DAS is transitioning. We'll have to do so with it. If it's too drastic, enough folk will complain, or file legal cases of ADA to bring Disney back something reaching accommodations.

Will we qualify for DAS the next go around this summer? Who knows right now.

 

[BingoJoe]

When talking to my friend about this, they said they were explaining their needs and issues to the CM. Not just that they were autistic. Of course the answer they got wasn’t as short as I posted out but those were basically the words used by the cm when discussing the issues as a conversation. For example without giving too much detail (although how it’d help cheaters at this point I don’t know): explaining specific sensory issues etc with waiting in lines was met with the response to practice more with waiting in lines. Suggestions of using headphones and fidgets, which they already do and explained issues with how those don’t completely work for their needs etc, was met with the need to work more on their coping skills.

The deeper this went on the harder this was on my friend to communicate their needs as they were basically writing off their concerns with suggestions. My friend was getting upset, flustered etc. I understand this as I’ve met this problem in real life with medical professionals. This type of writing off issues can be difficult to handle and I don’t think there truthfully was more my friend could have done.

I guess the only thing is the suggestion of trying without and failing and going back again with specific examples of what happens. I’m doubtful it’ll work. My friend is pretty put off by this experience and I don’t blame them for wanting to avoid another interaction like this.

I suppose a good test CMs could use would be does a person's autism make it harder for them to wait in line than the average 3/4 year old, an age group this is expected to wait in the standby lines with no special accommodation.

I suspect that although they have listed autism as a reason for DAS they are working to a level of autism that is more severe than a definition like that.

It is definitely going to be hard to adjust to the new accommodations for people who are used to the old ones, that's for sure.