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

[Ash10]

Sincere question as I'm always hoping to learn and understand. Disney states that DAS will be preserved for people with Autism. I unfortunately don't know much about Autism and would like to understand. What makes it so someone with autism or a similar condition (is that the right word) can't wait in the line. Thank you for teaching me.

It varies per individual, much like the other disabilities discussed here. Some can handle the lines equivalent to a same age peer, some can with mild accommodations, others have difficulty with sensory and/or emotional regulation for example, making it much more difficult to calm when triggered (for a lack of better word).

 

[Philsfan77]

I can answer this as a family that used to use FP+... I would still sign him up for DAS but would only use it to turn Virtual Queues into LL so he is not waiting longer than 30 mins. I would manage the rest for my son like I always had before FP+ as it fit our needs before.

Maybe this is the way to go/will be part of the new genie+ rollout if they ever move forward with it. It seems a lot of the DAS issues started when fastpass+ was removed because of situations like yours, not necessarily because of the cost, but because the functionality of it and unexpectedness of it doesn't work well for those with issues being discussed in this thread quite like fastpass+ did.

 

[voxparse]

Happy to share- We don't. My son had a meltdown a few months ago before we were supposed to fly to FL for our Disney cruise because of the line to check luggage... We ended up driving (seriously) .

We don't go to concerts or festivals. I do take him to the movie theater but only with assigned seating and never when busy. We work our travel even within Disney to minimize lines for transportation like buses or the skyliner. Seriously it is exhausting.


ETA- Honestly the idea of him at a concert (noise and crowds) has never occurred to me. I am careful about when I take him into a Target because of lines and we rely heavily on grocery pick up. A concert is a pipe dream. Even going to a movie has been a recent change with his better skill management

I really think you have very little understand how different life is for those with disabilities.

Thank you for sharing. Your airport story is almost exactly what came to mind reading all the posts. I'm sure that had to suck big time. I was genuinely curious if there was some piece I was missing other than "yeah it happens and we just have to not do things".

To your last statement. I know very well what life is like with a disability. Been living it since I was 2.5 years old.

 

[ryang25]

I have read her posts, and even tho I don't remember everything she has said from I recall they are mostly the same. Her stating over and over her experience and why she is excited for the change while also repeating that she knows what works for her might not work for others.

Maybe for her her IBS works similarly to ulcerative colitis, maybe it's just an example she used since it's a more common affliction so those of us who don't know what IBS + similar issues are like. I don't know, and you don't either but so many seem inclined to take her words in the worst way possible. In a thread about disabilities, accommodations, understanding and neurodivergence, the vitriol is very upsetting to read. It's like if people don't agree certain issues need DAS they don't an opinion.

I asked because so many people seem to be upset with her for stating her (apparently unpopular) opinion and figured I was missing something. From your response, it seems like I am not.

I think there is a line between giving an opinion and asserting to someone that an accommodation is reasonable for them. It’s no one’s right on here to tell someone what is reasonable to them unless they fully understand that person’s needs and experiences. She does not.

To be told my disability is like IBS is something that has deeply affected me all my life, and anyone with ulcerative colitis or Crohn’s (IBD) will understand that. IBS can be awful - I am not for one second denying that - but they are simply completely different conditions that need treating differently and have hugely different outcomes and needs.

No one with any of these conditions should be grouped into ‘bathroom issues’. It’s a dangerous generalisation that does not even remotely consider some of the complications of IBD such as your colon rupturing.

 

[Kooks and Bay Bay]

For those of you who cannot do Disney without the DAS in its current form, how do you navigate other scenarios that have similar issues but no available accommodation? Airport, concert, festival, etc. Places that have long lines, large crowds, but no DAS.

I rarely go to concerts/festivals etc.
I also rarely fly anymore since TSA seems to be worse all the time.
I mostly just stay home where I can control my environment.
I wear ear plugs out when I can.
And sometimes I just have to deal with it but its hard to deal with an overload of sensory input for 15 hours a day 5 days in a row.
I think if I lived close I'd probably manage by going for one day here and there.

 

[Genie+]

I’ve read every reply up to page 61; I am able-bodied but just want to learn. I appreciate all of you for sharing your viewpoints and personal stories.

I have a question / thought. I wonder if Disney is implementing the return-to-line feature to get more able-bodied people back into the queue.

Right now, for every DAS pass holder, there could be 5 able-bodied guests who are having a “superior” experience to other able-bodied guests. (I put superior in quotes because i know it’s not the correct word in all cases.)

As an able-bodied guest, If I don’t have a DAS pass holder in my party, I am just in the line…waiting. If I do have a DAS pass holder in my party, I might be sitting in the shade, eating an ice cream, taking photos, or riding another ride while I wait.

if you eliminate waiting in long lines, it definitely adds up to a better in-park experience in most cases. That’s a lot of able-bodied people getting the benefits of DAS. The return-to-queue seems like it might eliminate that “perk” and thus cut down on people who try to lie their way into getting a pass.

Thanks again to everyone for sharing; I am learning a lot.

I think this may be part of the plan. Make the lines more tolerable and hopefully that has the added effect of reducing crazy lines that some people need to avoid in the first place.

My sincere hope is Disney succeeds in improving the park experience across the board.

 

[Disturbia]

I’ve read every reply up to page 61; I am able-bodied but just want to learn. I appreciate all of you for sharing your viewpoints and personal stories.

I have a question / thought. I wonder if Disney is implementing the return-to-line feature to get more able-bodied people back into the queue.

Right now, for every DAS pass holder, there could be 5 able-bodied guests who are having a “superior” experience to other able-bodied guests. (I put superior in quotes because i know it’s not the correct word in all cases.)

As an able-bodied guest, If I don’t have a DAS pass holder in my party, I am just in the line…waiting. If I do have a DAS pass holder in my party, I might be sitting in the shade, eating an ice cream, taking photos, or riding another ride while I wait.

if you eliminate waiting in long lines, it definitely adds up to a better in-park experience in most cases. That’s a lot of able-bodied people getting the benefits of DAS. The return-to-queue seems like it might eliminate that “perk” and thus cut down on people who try to lie their way into getting a pass.

Thanks again to everyone for sharing; I am learning a lot.

Haha. If you had a day with kids with disabilities you would never say that we have an advantage or are sitting in the shade eating ice cream.

 

[Jdavidm]

For those of you who cannot do Disney without the DAS in its current form, how do you navigate other scenarios that have similar issues but no available accommodation? Airport, concert, festival, etc. Places that have long lines, large crowds, but no DAS.

A lot of those scenarios actually do offer accommodations, they’re just not always as openly “advertised” as Disney. For example, music festivals are required to have an ADA section now (typically the person who needs it and one guest). Airports have TSA Cares and pre-boarding. Honestly, even if you do enter a situation that doesn’t have a pre-determined accommodation, I’ve never been denied assistance as long as it’s a reasonable request.

Edit To Add: This is in California, I can’t guarantee this is the case everywhere but if you look up music festivals in California for example, they all have the same ADA accommodation listed on their website.

 

[Ash10]

How is she belittling anyone? Genuinely asking cause all I see is she speaking about her experience and those around her and saying multiple times that what works for her might not work for others. It's ok if you disagree with what she is saying and her opinions but from what I can see she isn't belittling anyone.

Those of us here from the beginning have watched the virtue signaling elitist train wreck. She is essentially minimizing anyone else based on her own experience. And not even her own experience, but only what she perceives as truth of another’s disability/concerns despite them explaining to her how (over and over, multiple ways) that is not the case with them. So basically, she is projecting on to others, constantly, and it is like a broken record. Appears to be a personality thing if you connect the dots.

 

[Leigh L]

For those of you who cannot do Disney without the DAS in its current form, how do you navigate other scenarios that have similar issues but no available accommodation? Airport, concert, festival, etc. Places that have long lines, large crowds, but no DAS.

Simple answer? (my adult daughter) doesn't do these things. She does fly but has pre-check, and to avoid chaos, we'll often buy whatever option is to board early if available.

For her, it's not necessarily just the line (edited to remove info scammers might use).

She also can't do coasters and thrill rides, she uses her DAS primarily for dark rides and character meets. At Disney, the DAS helps her tremendously. We didn't know about it until around 2019 (?) and it's been night and day.

 

[starlite_]

Have you read all her posts? She definitively stated that DAS is not the appropriate accommodation for people with Crohn's. She doesn't even have Crohn's. So yeah, people are upset by her saying that and then doubling down when others try to tell her otherwise.

I don't recall specifics, it's been a long thread and my post was based on the one the person I responded to responded to. But even if she said that, that's her opinion based on her experience with a family member. Is she not allowed to think that?? So what if she doubles down? It doesn't change anything for the person that needs accommodations, Becky isn't approving or rejecting DAS applications.

 

[dreamer17555]

Thank you for sharing. Your airport story is almost exactly what came to mind reading all the posts. I'm sure that had to suck big time. I was genuinely curious if there was some piece I was missing other than "yeah it happens and we just have to not do things".

To your last statement. I know very well what life is like with a disability. Been living it since I was 2.5 years old.

I apologize. I think most people living with a disability are aware that sometimes this is just the reality that certain experiences don't work so I was confused by your question since you know what it is like.

Right now Disney is one of the few places that does work for my son. I am sure many others are in the same boat as I am in where when you finally find something that works for your family after being unable to do so much, you don't want it to change.

 

[voxparse]

A lot of those scenarios actually do offer accommodations, they’re just not always as openly “advertised” as Disney. For example, music festivals are required to have an ADA section now (typically the person who needs it and one guest). Airports have TSA Cares and pre-boarding. Honestly, even if you do enter a situation that doesn’t have a pre-determined accommodation, I’ve never been denied assistance as long as it’s a reasonable request.

Agreed, I should have been more clear. I'm familiar with the accommodations targeted to wheelchairs and such (being a user myself). That said, I wasn't sure if there were accommodations for say someone who can't be in the security line at the airport or if they just have to deal with it and/or not use airports.

Your last point is 100% my experience as well. Even at Disney.

 

[voxparse]

I apologize. I think most people living with a disability are aware that sometimes this is just the reality that certain experiences don't work so I was confused by your question since you know what it is like.

Right now Disney is one of the few places that does work for my son. I am sure many others are in the same boat as I am in where when you finally find something that works for your family after being unable to do so much, you don't want it to change.

No worries. While I'm disabled, I've only got a couple of the collectable cards and there are a lot that I'm not super familiar with such as ASD and similar. I certainly know what is like dealing with physical barriers to accessibility but inexperienced in the emotional/psychological barriers arena, hence the question.

Funny enough, my DAS usage has been predicated on the need to exit lines to deal with severe hypoglycemia (T1D for the win) so I suspect exit the line passes would work well for me depending how they are implemented as the wheelchair exiting the line might get complex. I'll see how it shakes out and adapt accordingly.

 

[Disturbia]

We don't.

Exactly right. We did try watching a movie on the cruise and left in 15 mins.

Airport. It’s sometimes a nightmare. We do pre board and are still scrambling (getting our headphones, activities, comfort toys etc) while the flight is being loaded. She opened the tray table two or three times (couldn’t stop her fast enough) and a very rude guy screamed ‘Can you please stop doing that!! It’s driving my wife crazy’. We don’t even bother explaining and just apologized and held her arms (gets painful btw) for the remaining flight.

We did pay the ridiculous cost for CLEAR ME to skip the security line at the aiport

 

[Gentry2004]

correct, my original question was aimed at people like you specifically...if they went back to this fastpass+ system (with pre-selects and the same functionality), would you be inclined to use that system since you know it works, or would you still opt for DAS.

Absolutely. I actually think old FP+ worked BETTER than the current DAS. But they will never ever go back to that.

 

[ryang25]

Maybe for her her IBS works similarly to ulcerative colitis

The fact is they are not the same condition though. The medical fact is they are entirely different. IBD has physical manifestations inside the colon (ulcerations, inflammation, bowel thickening, mucosa abnormality, dysplasia). IBS does not. This is not my opinion - it is fact. There have been lawsuits over the misdiagnosis of these conditions as the physical manifestations of IBD can be life threatening.

What I am stating now is fact and not opinion. I don’t expect you to understand these differences between the conditions, but anyone who does not should not be asserting what is reasonable for me.

I am in no way saying that IBD should equal DAS and IBS should not. I’ve always said any accommodations should be on an individual level and determined by health experts.

 

[SueM in MN]

I don't want to close this thread.
BUT.
If bashing of other posters and piling on continues, I will close it. Everyone is nervous and upset about DAS changing into something unknown.
If you don't like what someone is posting, use ignore. Arguing with someone (or arguing about someone) just makes everyone miserable

 

[LSUmiss]

And that's why it is a symptom and issue based decision on the type of accommodation, not a diagnosis based.one

Right but it will not stop abuse. Ppl know what they need to say. So it doesn’t stop abuse & just makes it more cumbersome for those who really need it.

 

[ryang25]

I don't want to close this thread.
BUT.
If bashing of other posters and piling on continues, I will close it. Everyone is nervous and upset about DAS changing into something unknown.
If you don't like what someone is posting, use ignore. Arguing with someone (or arguing about someone) just makes everyone miserable

Would it not be sensible to enforce a rule where no one here is allowed to assert what they think is a reasonable accommodation for someone? I think that crosses lines and people who have battled with their disabilities all their lives are naturally going to be incredibly upset and angry about that - especially when their conditions are already so poorly understood in society.