Guide to Disability Access Service at Disney World
This post offers info & tips for using the Disability Access Service (DAS) at Walt Disney World for those with special needs to experience attractions, plus new details for the Genie system. This is based on our experience with my dad, who has a service dog. (Updated October 13, 2021.)
This guide to using DAS at Walt Disney World comes in response to reader comments and questions, but I want to make it abundantly clear that this is anecdotal. We have a grand total of four days experience with DAS at Walt Disney World, and are far from experts on it.
Rather than relying solely on this post for DAS and other accessibility tips, I’d recommend reading the resources on DisneyWorld.com, as well as other sites specifically focused on disabilities at Disney. This post is only accurate to the extent of our experience. With that said, here’s a look at our experience with using DAS at Walt Disney World…
October 13, 2021 Update: Let’s start with the process for obtaining the Disability Access Service, and how it works. If a guest needs DAS, there are now 2 ways to obtain the pass (it’s really more a status in My Disney Experience than a pass like the old Guest Assistance Card). As before, registration can be done at Guest Relations locations near each park entrance.
In addition to that, there’s now a new way to register for the DAS program: pre-arrival via live video chat. Before you register, make sure to:
- Add your travel party to your Family & Friends list in My Disney Experience, so they can be included in DAS plans
- Link valid theme park admission for each member of your party
- Ensure that the guest who is requesting to use DAS is present at the time of registration
Eligible guests now have the option to pre-register virtually with a Cast Member via live video chat between 2 to 30 days in advance of a park visit. Video chat is available from 7 am until 11 pm Eastern, and requires logging into your Disney account.
When you’re ready to chat with a Cast Member to register for DAS, you can engage in a live video chat using the “Request Live Video Chat” button on DisneyWorld.com’s DAS page. Make sure the device has a working camera and a microphone. You must review and accept the Terms & Conditions before requesting a live video chat (you literally won’t have the option until accepting the T&Cs).
Once you’ve pre-registered via live video chat, you’re eligible to pre-select up to 2 one-hour return windows for select experiences (subject to availability) using Walt Disney World’s new DAS Advance planning option as early as 30 days prior to a park visit. These selections are in addition to the return times you can request throughout the day of your actual park visit.
More changes and additional features are on the horizon with the rollout of Disney Genie, Genie+ and Lightning Lanes. At this point, we don’t yet know how all of that will work in tandem with DAS. Keep an eye on our Guide to Genie+ at Walt Disney World and Lightning Lane FAQs for more info.
As before, eligibility for Disability Access Service is based upon a guest’s need, not diagnosis. Cast Members will not, and by law cannot, ask for proof of a disability. Rather, they will ask fairly open-ended and vague questions about the type of accommodations a guest needs based on the disability or condition.
These Guest Relations Cast Members who issue the DAS are well-trained on this probably in equal parts because they are the creme-de-la-creme of Walt Disney World Cast Members, and because Disney wants to steer clear of ADA violations.
When the inquiry is complete, the guest with the disability has their picture taken and the Disability Access Service is added to their My Disney Experience account, and it’s accessible via MagicBand or theme park tickets at kiosks outside attractions. All family members who will be experiencing attractions with the guest obtaining the DAS need to be present at Guest Relations to have their MagicBands scanned, too.
After this is done, the DAS status is valid for 60 days across all Walt Disney World parks. Waiting in line was the longest part of this, with the whole process from start to finish taking us less than 5 minutes after that. It was painless.
Once a guest has DAS status, they or one of the other party members who had their MagicBand scanned can head to a Cast Member outside the attraction to obtain a return time. (In our experience, this Cast Member was usually holding an iPad-like device and standing under an umbrella outside the queue.) Since my dad has somewhat-limited mobility, we sometimes sent a “runner” to the attraction to obtain a return time, while he sat elsewhere.
The return time is determined by adding the current wait time for the attraction to the current time and subtracting 10 minutes (to account for transit to/from the attraction). For example, if it’s noon and Frozen Ever After has a 90 minute wait, the DAS return time would be 1:20 p.m. DAS is not a front of line pass or some sort of “Golden Ticket.”
While any party member can obtain the return time, the guest with the disability must be present for the other party members to board the attraction at that return time.
Note that you can use DAS in tandem with FastPass+ (or Genie+ and Lightning Lanes going forward), but we did not. Part of that is because it felt a bit like double-dipping (my dad’s a military man with a love of rules and order), and part was because that would’ve been too much for us to do in terms of walking with my dad and his service dog.
Usually, the DAS return line was simply the FastPass+ return line. On some older attractions (particularly those in Magic Kingdom) the DAS line was different, or branched off from the FastPass+ line. In all newer attractions, the DAS process went smoothly; it was easy to use and felt genuinely accommodating.
That’s the process in a nutshell, but I’m sure that leaves plenty of questions unanswered. Disney has an official Disability Access Service FAQ that addresses additional questions (and I’m happy to answer other questions–within the scope of my knowledge–in the comments to this post).
On older attractions where retrofits were made to make reasonable accommodations under the ADA (enacted in 1990–Magic Kingdom opened in 1971, Epcot in 1982, the Studios in 1989, and Animal Kingdom in 1998), it was far less smooth and pleasant. This was particularly true in Magic Kingdom where there are several attractions built in the 1970s.
The retrofit would not have been a problem in and of itself. It was exacerbated by Cast Members who were (typically) performing double-duty managing FastPass+ lines and also trying to accommodate DAS guests. While I cannot say we had any negative or rude encounters directly, we did witness some attitudes that seemed less than “accommodating.”
I’m not sure whether there’s some causation or if it’s just correlation (again, we only did this for 4 days, so this is totally anecdotal), but these unpleasant encounters were almost exclusively on older attractions with more convoluted DAS procedures. These procedures no doubt stress out Cast Members, too.
This is not to give Cast Members a pass for being anything less than accommodating. It is what it is. I was a bit surprised that Disney does not have dedicated DAS Cast Members at each attraction, trained in the same manner as Guest Relations Cast Members.
Not only would this be a more guest-friendly approach, but it would behoove Disney to do so from a legal liability perspective. Again, there’s a narrow set of questions Cast Members can ask without running afoul of the ADA. (I’ll just leave it at that…)
With that said, our experience was resoundingly positive, particularly outside of Magic Kingdom. Cast Members were largely very friendly and eager to help, and this was particularly true at Epcot and at Toy Story Mania in Disney’s Hollywood Studios. The Cast Members at Toy Story Mania were, far and away, the best we encountered over the course of the trip. (And this was multiple Cast Members, so it was not a one-off.)
What follows is more specific to our experience with my dad using a service dog at Walt Disney World, and not necessarily representative of what anyone else using DAS will encounter. I figure it’s nonetheless (potentially) helpful to read others’ anecdotes…
In terms of using the pass, there were some limitations we would have faced by virtue of the service dog. For example, Big Thunder Mountain, Expedition Everest, and other intense attractions would’ve been off the table because of the service dog. My dad can’t do those anyway, so it was a moot point.
The service dog was allowed on boat rides, such as Gran Fiesta Tour and Frozen Ever After, but we should not have done the latter. When describing the attraction to my parents, I forgot to mention the backwards drop, which freaked his service dog out. Oops. (In my defense, they had been on Maelstrom countless times.)
Outside of DAS, our experience using a service dog at Walt Disney World was pretty positive. I know my dad would’ve preferred to stay at Shades of Green, but the Fort Wilderness Cabins were an excellent (and far better) option with the service dog. I’d highly recommend Fort Wilderness to anyone with a service dog.
The one caveat here is that you definitely want to specify that you have a service dog when completing online check-in and also additionally request being close to a bus stop. We were placed in one of the accessible cabins, but a bit farther from the bus stop than ideal. Fort Wilderness is a huge resort that can mean a good deal of walking and changing buses. However, it’s far more inviting to a service dog than a hotel.
Table service restaurants were a bit hit or miss. There were a couple of times when we were seated in the middle of a crowded restaurant when tables along the perimeter, away from other guests were available. Usually, requesting to be moved worked fine, but I was surprised we wouldn’t have been seated in these spots to begin with.
I want to give Disney the benefit of the doubt on this one. Perhaps staff at these restaurants do not want guests with service animals to feel ostracized? My parents’ take is that they’d prefer to have a bit of space away from others in the restaurant, and they also understand that a restaurant is a restaurant, and other patrons may not want to be around an animal. It’s quite possible others with service animals have different perspectives, though.
Beyond that, it felt like Cast Members went above and beyond more often. Even those who were not assisting with the DAS process were particularly helpful and friendly. In large part this was probably because my dad has a visible disability and a service dog wearing a vest, so I’m not sure it’s something every guest with disabilities will experience. It was nice, though.
There are a lot of misconceptions about the Disability Access Service at Walt Disney World. The biggest is that it’s a front of line pass. Again, it’s not. There is the potential for abuse, but the system is imperfect out of legal necessity. (I’ll reiterate for the third time that this is by virtue of the ADA.)
However, since the controversy a few years ago about the Guest Assistance Card, there’s a lot more scrutiny concerning guests using DAS and this lingering belief among some other guests that they are being ‘disadvantaged’ by the system. This manifests itself in the form of disdain towards other guests using DAS. We did not experience these attitudes firsthand (my dad’s disability is plainly visible), but I’ve witnessed it both over the course of our visits and in reading online discussions.
My advice here would be to, respectfully, mind your own business. There are myriad invisible disabilities from which other guests could suffer, and the judgmental gaze of guests ‘scanning’ a person using DAS to ‘make sure’ they really have a disability and are not gaming the system is…I don’t even know. I can only imagine how it’d make me feel if I were on the receiving end of those judgmental stares.
Unless you’ve recently been nominated to the post of World Police, don’t give it any thought. Even if people are still gaming the new system (if there’s a system to be gamed, it will be gamed), what does fixating on it accomplish? There is absolutely zero upside.
Not only is the weight of your eyes invariably falling on someone with an invisible disability (an unpleasantness they likely feel all too frequently) but you’re upsetting yourself with something that’s entirely outside of your control. Life is too short for that, and it’s far better to be happy at Walt Disney World.
Overall, I would say our experience with Disability Access Service at Walt Disney World was mostly positive. I’ve struck a few cautionary notes here, and that’s mostly so those first-timers with disabilities go in with realistic expectations. Walt Disney World has a deserved reputation as being incredibly accommodating, and going above and beyond. This does not mean your visit will be without hiccups, though.
Anything with humans is an imperfect system with the potential for inconsistency, and that’s true with DAS and Walt Disney World. There’s also the balancing act Disney has to perform between using DAS to reasonably accommodate guests in need, while also discouraging widespread abuse, and maintain normal attraction operations. It’s a very tough needle to thread, and to Walt Disney World’s credit, I think that by and large, the system is pretty good from that perspective. But again, we only had 4 days of experience, and my opinion of the system is entirely predicated upon that limited exposure.
Planning a Walt Disney World trip? Learn about hotels on our Walt Disney World Hotels Reviews page. For where to eat, read our Walt Disney World Restaurant Reviews. To save money on tickets or determine which type to buy, read our Tips for Saving Money on Walt Disney World Tickets post. Our What to Pack for Disney Trips post takes a unique look at clever items to take. For what to do and when to do it, our Walt Disney World Ride Guides will help. For comprehensive advice, the best place to start is our Walt Disney World Trip Planning Guide for everything you need to know!
Your Thoughts
If you have experience with using the Disability Access Service at Walt Disney World, what do you think of the experience? Anything we didn’t cover here? Other things to know? Strengths of DAS? Weaknesses? Any other Disability Access Service tips of your own to add? If you have not yet used DAS but are considering it, do you have any questions that we did not answer here? Please feel free to share your personal anecdotes about DAS and other thoughts in the comments below!
I am so happy you included something about people with non-visible disabilities. My mother has MS and while she looks “fine”, she still has a disibility and can experience trouble walking, extreme fatigue, etc. We were fortunate enough to not have to take advantage of the services available for those with limited mobility, but this is great information if we ever need it.
I am happy to hear that your family’s experience using these services was a positive one. Hopefully, they can make further accommodations for service dogs. It might also be wise for the cast members at Frozen and any other rides with unexpected drops to advise ridegoers with service dogs about these drops to avoid scaring the animal.
Have read your blog for years, longer than I have had my annual pass. I have not used the new DAS,preferred old one, since 2015 due to cast member in city hall@MK. Along with PTSD,GAD, I also have had foot surgeries, knee replacement, fibromyalgia. But the worst for me standing too long is my scoliosis, DDD,and resulting issue on nerve damage that can result in loss of bladder, bowel control. I just do less now at WDW That being said last trip with my daughter who has an injury that required her to use my walker, I became mama bear to protect her from idiots who wanted to run over people at last minute to see Wishes in final week. There was nowhere for anyone to go due to crowds. How much longer I will be able to go on my own, not sure since I was knocked down this last trip. I hope to make it to the 50th
Great Review! We used DAS for the first time in March. I should have been using it for the past 4 years but my stubbornness – especially since you cannot physically see my handicap – made me not want to give it a try. I was so thankful my husband made me finally give it a try. It truly came in handy a couple of times when there was no way I was going to physically be able to stand in line. Once, in my stubbornness, got in a line. After about 10 minutes, I was in awful pain and in tears! I gave up – got out of line and went to a Cast Member. It took this experience on our 3rd day to finally use the service. It allowed me to sit when needed instead of standing for long period of times, adding to my pain. That was the first of two battles my husband has won. Now to see how long I continue to be stubborn not to rent a scooter!
I am very thankful for DAS. I never used the previous form of this service so I have no comparison but the DAS worked great whenever I needed the assistance.
I’m glad to hear that I am not the only stubborn one out there! I have MD which makes it very difficult to walk or climb stairs or inclines (that incline from the United Kingdom to France in Epcot felt like I was climbing Mt Everest! 🙁 ). My wife and I went to WDW 3 weeks ago to celebrate our anniversary and she begged me to get a scoter or wheelchair but my stubbornness would not let me do it. Partially because I was embarrassed to use one. I’m 51 and like you, you would not notice my disability by looking at me. I thought about using the DAS system but decided to give it a go first before giving it a try. I was able to make it through the week but we needed to keep it slow and missed out on some things that we probably could have done had I not been so stubborn. Not sure I will be able to avoid it on the next trip but I am sure that I will try!
I used the DAP on our family trip to Disney last June and we will go again next October. Our son has Down syndrome and we brought him there for his 3rd birthday. He has major sensory issues with crowds so we felt the pass was perfect, he loved the rides and the characters and we minimized the issues in the lines with the return times.
At the same time, we witnessed people using the pass (no questions asked, right?) and then cutting the line in the fast pass area to the front of the line. For those of us that need it(I.e. special needs families) it is the only thing that makes Disney possible. The cast members are almost too nice.
I think Disney found a wonderful balance with the return time aspect of the pass.
First let me say I really enjoy your articles and I am commenting based on my experience. Please, no nasty responses. This is not negative toward anyone with disabilities. No matter what that might be.
While I do think everyone should be able to enjoy WDW, I just do not think dogs belong there ( regardless if it’s a therapy, seeing eye, etc. and I don’t think dogs belong at NASCAR, casinos or anywhere that is loud and crowded). I have seen service dogs with the person (in a wheel chair and not) getting pushed , almost stepped on, actually getting stepped on and just squeezed by the masses and the owner doesn’t seem to care. Unfortunately, the owner is like everyone else, trying to rush from ride to ride; park to park…..I mean WDW is a busy, loud place ALL DAY LONG! And please, I know the dogs are trained for crowds and loud noises, but this type of crowd and noise for days on end!?
It makes me physically sick when I see some owners having fits and yelling or dragging the dog to get them to go! It’s like the dog is just a tool to help them and not an actual living, breathing animal. And don’t get me started on summer time and the heat! The people who need service dogs always seem to be with a group of people. Why could the group not help them and let the dog have a break?!
Thank you.
Or like, maybe the person legitimately cannot function without their animal. So.
If you have to preface your comment with “please, no nasty responses” perhaps you realize that there’s something in your comment that’s insensitive or has the potential to offend?
I have literally never seen what you’re describing, but for the sake of argument, I’ll assume that it does happen. Because anecdotally, everything happens. Likewise, parents treating their kids poorly happens, as do kids getting bumped around in crowds and lines, but that does not cause me to say “all kids should be left at home and not taken to Walt Disney World” as a result.
I can’t say I’m really plugged into the service dog community, but everyone I know who has one has a strong emotional bond with their dog. It’s hard to describe, but it’s certainly not a device to them, nor is it just an animal (or even “just” a pet). It’s a companion with whom they spend almost every waking moment. As with everything, there are no doubt exceptions to this.
While I understand the need for service animals and the many things they are able to do for their human companions, I have wondered if it has gone too far now? I am severely allergic (to the point of difficulty breathing and seeing) to cats and dogs (among other animals). It applies more to enclosed areas like planes or places I am eating or drinking, but I have been thinking lately about where the line was between someone else’s disability, and them causing one for me. I think the ability to now have “companion” animals instead of only “service” animals might have exacerbated this issue for me.
THANK YOU!! “My advice here would be to, respectfully, mind your own business. There are myriad invisible disabilities from which other guests could suffer, and the judgmental gaze of guests ‘scanning’ a person using DAS to ‘make sure’ they really have a disability and are not gaming the system is…I don’t even know. I can only imagine how it’d make me feel if I were on the receiving end of those judgmental stares.”
My husband’s little sister has a multitude of physical and mental disabilities, she is nonverbal, uses sounds, sign language and a language processor on her iPad to talk, she has had her spine fused from severe scoliosis, she has club feet and needs to use orthotics, she cannot walk long distances and so we always rent a special needs stroller for her. City Strollers are AMAZING! They rent special needs strollers for the same price as regular strollers, we rent the Liberty Advanced Mobility stroller that has a weight capacity of 200 lbs. They deliver it to our hotel, and we register her stroller as a wheelchair. You leave it at your hotel and the company picks it up when you check out. Special needs strollers are thousands of dollars, most people will not want to risk flying with it, so City Strollers (for Disneyland) is an awesome alternative.
We also apply for the Guest Disability pass. She is a teenager, but is very tiny and not very mobile. My husband’s family has always been too afraid to go on family vacations especially to theme parks, mostly because they spent a lot of time in the hospital when she was younger. But I did a lot of research on the pass and how we could make it an enjoyable trip for everyone. We are still too afraid to take her to WDW because she couldn’t handle the walking, traveling between parks and the humidity (she has breathing issues).
Your overview seems to be right on for what we have experienced at Disneyland. Older rides have terrible accommodations, and because of my sister in law’s numerous back surgeries, she cannot go on any of the big thrill rides, the only ride she can go on that the Guest Disability pass is good for is Radiator Springs Racers. That process was seamless and very handicap/wheelchair accessible.
The first time we applied for the pass, it was a breeze, and the pass was wonderful. The second time the cast member argued with me that it was unnecessary and if we have the stroller labeled as a wheelchair we should be able to wheel it up through every line, she kept saying explain to me why you need it, just because you have had it before doesn’t mean she NEEDS it. I was getting upset, trying to remain calm, and explain her physical and mental disabilities, and how the pass is useful, but I also stated because of her back, she can’t go on thrill rides, so we aren’t trying to “cheat” to get more fast passes. My sister in law was getting really stressed out waiting while we were in City Hall and started making very loud noises (she’s nonverbal, so it didn’t make sense to other people around us), and they immediately apologized and gave us the pass. I don’t know if the cast member was having a bad day, or what. I don’t know about the stories that people have been “renting” special needs children to take them to Disneyland to get the front of the line pass. I work in Special Ed in the school, and my experience with my husband’s little sister, and I don’t know of any special needs parents that would let their medically fragile child go to an amusement park with another random family. It is hard work to go with someone with special needs. People take for granted being able bodied, when walking is a challenge, when things are not wheelchair accessible, dietary restrictions. My sister in law has always been on a liquid diet, she had a g-tube for a long time, but transitioned finally to shakes, so we would make shakes for the whole day, and pack them in coolers and get a locker. Going to Disneyland is a huge challenge with a variety of obstacles, and the pass tries to make the experience a little easier.
We have had other children or adults tease her in the park, or make extremely rude comments. But, the cast members have always been extra kind and really helpful, especially the newer rides where they have a designated guest with disability access pass entrance.
I loved what you said about invisible disabilities, we have so many problems with her very visible disabilities, I can’t imagine how much worse it would be if people were judging us thinking we didn’t need it. Good advice to mind your own business.
Thank you for the write up! I would add a special note to those who do utilize the DAS with a scooter about the length of standing time despite the DAS. My mother is in her 50s, a small woman with a spinal disorder. She utilizes a scooter as she cannot walk/stand long distances. She looks healthy and people can be judgemental not knowing that she wishes she could walk. Some rides pose problems like Peter Pans Flight and Winne the Pooh as the lines to walk to the front can still be long. They will offer a wheelchair but if you have no one with you able to “push” you are out of luck as the cast members do not help. So just a note that some rides may pose physical problems while standing in line and to be sure to research those so you can hit them as less peak times.
Great article. Our son has autism and the DAS system has allowed us to continue going to Disney 2 or 3 times a year, when we first went to disneyland we didn’t know about the system and we were only able to see attractions at magic mornings and via fastpass so it took 6 days to see most of Disneyland and CA. Disney World seemed impossible, but with the DAS we were able to see several attractions per day and just sort of hang out and migrate slowly from snacks to rides without any meltdowns.
It works out great because Disney is concentrated therapy, really amazing to see a kid that doesn’t say hi to anyone talking to cast members. Thanks Disney!
I love your blog and read it frequently, but this is the first time I’ve felt compelled to leave a response. I really appreciated this post, especially this part:
“Not only is the weight of your eyes invariably falling on someone with an invisible disability (an unpleasantness they likely feel all too frequently) but you’re upsetting yourself with something that’s entirely outside of your control. Life is too short for that, and it’s far better to be happy at Walt Disney World.”
I am fortunate that I do not have any disabilities but I travel with my older family members who do, and this post moved me. In my opinion, I’d rather have 5 people abuse the system than one person who needs it go without. Thank you so much for this post!
This is a great article – I am going to Disney in August and while I will not need a DAS I am going to have to use a scooter. I am already worrying about it becuase I can recall hearing people ‘judging’ others using scooters last time I was there (when I didn’t need it) and while I know that shouldn’t bother me – it does.
I can use the scooter in rides that have room in the queue for it, or I will wait while the rest of my grouge goes through the line and meet up with them to get on the ride. I don’t want or need ‘special’ treatment other than to not stand for more than a half hour and I don’t want to take anything away from anyone or in any way abuse what Disney has in place for people with true disabilities.
I have had 4 surgeries on my neck and will probalby need another one, and one on my back in a few years. I can be on my feet for about 30 minutes before the pain starts. I am overweight enough because of my multiple surgeries (last one less than a year ago) and lack of mobility that I anticipate the ‘using it because I am lazy’ attitude. Since you won’t be able to tell by looking at me – unless you looked really closely at the scars on my neck – I know all I can do is try and ingore it if I get it. It is unfortunate that without very clear physical evidence so many people assume the worst.
Hang in there! For every judgmental person there are lots of us that don’t! Try to remember that when you feel the weight of people looking at you. Some of them might be total jerks, some might be wishing they were sitting for a moment, and some might not even be thinking anything they just have that “look”- I honestly think this happens a lot! We think someone is giving us the stink eye or something when they’re really so lost in their own thoughts they don’t even know they’re doing it! You do what you need to do to enjoy your trip!
Thank you for sharing your experience with the DAS! Although I have never used it, I hadn’t really read any feedback about how the process works and this was very informative.
It’s interesting how so many of you are trying to justify why you ‘qualify’ for DSA. So while you are waiting to use your return ticket, are you waiting in line at other rides and then coming back to the return ticket ride or are you resting elsewhere in the park waiting for your time to return? I’m sorry but if it’s the former than you are misusing the purpose of the program.
This seems a little judgmental. The pass, at least that I have experienced in Disneyland, is like an extra fast pass, but you can use it for ANY ride. I know they have fast pass+ for ANY ride in WDW, but not for Disneyland. And most of them you go through a different entrance that is in most cases wheelchair accessible, so no stairs, no tight corners, etc. You can’t get another one until that pass has been used, and they always give you the wait time. So if you ask to go on Radiator Springs Racers and the line is 2 hours long, then you come back to the ride in two hours, just like you would if you stood in line the whole time. Some people can’t navigate the tight areas of the line, or stand for that long, or there’s stairs, etc. Then you do whatever until that time passes, get food, take a break, take a walk, go shopping.
We have always gone with a special needs child, and there’s a whole new set of challenges. Including mood swings, tantrums, health concerns, etc. And we have also learned that not everything that we would like to do is the same that our guest with special needs is able to do. So we often get a rider switch pass, while one person waits with the child that can’t ride, and then vice versa. Also, we have to go at a slower pace. Some people can’t handle ride after ride, or being out at the parks all day. When you have someone who needs the DAS, it is for a reason.
Great post, thank you. I appreciate your comments about invisible disabilities too, the online Disney community can often seem to be swamped by people judging the needs and capabilities of others in the parks with no grounds to do so. I am happy to see Disney strive to accommodate all guests as best they can, and hopefully respond well to user feedback in areas where service is not as great as it could be (especially if it is as easy a fix as a CM’s approach or attitude.)
A thought occurred to me in reading your story… how do those with service dogs deal with the hot ground in Florida? I’m sure those with service dogs are very cognizant of their dog’s paws, but I have had days at Disney so hot that my Ked tennis shoes literally stuck to the asphalt waiting for the parking lot tram. Something to condsider as a pet parent- FL can get hot hot in summer. Sorry- as the Mom of a fur kid, I’m always thinking about things like that…
As an owner of a service dog, my husbands, we do take this into consideration. Which is why we travel to Disney in the winter. In the summer even home in Michigan we always feel the concrete or asphalt before letting her walk on it on hot days. Just as any responsible pet owner would.
I acquired a DAS last year after having an ACL replacement surgery and visiting Disney only 6 weeks later. At the time I was in a full leg brace and unable to stand for more than 20 minutes at a time without swelling but was able to walk without difficulties. In the conversation to get the DAS the amazing cast member let me know I also qualify for the DAS with multiple invisible disabilities (ADHD & Sensory Integration Disorder) as long lines & loud noises are extremely difficult for me. I no longer need the DAS for my knee, but I have still renewed it on several trips since. It has been AMAZINGLY helpful when the lines are long! We use it in conjunction with fast passes to keep me from having sensory overload situations. The cast members are almost always very nice and extremely accommodating. I can not say the same about other guests unfortunately. I have been asked multiple times by guests “what’s wrong with me to get a disability pass?” People are so awful! I should also say that we travel frequently and often visit other theme parks. I can say Disney is by far the most accommodating and easiest to use. The worst has been Universal Studios. They refused to issue one even when I was still in the full leg brace. After asking to speak to a manager they finally issued one, but it is a very cumbersome system and makes someone with a disability feel like a burden rather than a welcomed guest. I strongly recommend using Disney’s DAS to anyone who needs it.
I think the DSA program is great for those who truly are unable to handle the long wait times. Unfortunately, there will be many people who take advantage of it for the wrong reasons and this is going to create unfair skepticism against those who do need it. That’s just the way it is and it won’t change. You can blame those who abuse the program.
Great to hear your experience. I agree with your suggestion about needing designated DAS positions. The older “legacy” Magic Kingdom attractions run on smaller teams, and thus each CM has to take on multiple tasks. I’ve also watched the number of people assigned per an attraction go down in recent years. — In 2008 FoLK had two people tasked to serving DAS needs outside the theater, and in 2010 it was down to one person due to staffing cuts.
From my time as a Cast Member my advice to others in need of assistance or accommodations: it is helpful to tell the individual CM at an attraction, ect., what challenges you are looking to address, such as “We are traveling with a service dog” or “I need limited steps.” They don’t need to know why, and can’t ask, but they CMs are trained to focus on the solution for the situation. We also know specific things to warn you about based upon the need: such as “Since you has a service dog let me point out where the pyrotechnics will be shot from and your exit route if the dog is uncomfortable.”
In this show there might be X seat designated for service animals, or on that attraction Y entrance to be used for a no-steps access. This might be because performers are trained to mind that space, or a tool won’t interfere with special effects in that spot. We could accommodate a manual wheelchair in one area, but had different directions for motorized wheelchairs.
Also, keep in mind that internal management decisions and staff training change frequently. In my location the accommodation for a particular need was updated every few months based upon continual updates and feedback from departments like maintenance and designers. This meant that someone who came every year might not experience the exact same accommodation for the same need each trip (or month to month).
Please be patience with CMs. I remember one time where a newly trained CP placed a family in one spot for an accommodation, however it was in error because it interfered with the sight lines for monitoring a special effect. We re-trained the CP, but when the family returned later in the day we couldn’t follow their request to be placed in the same spot since the first time was in (our) error.
To this day I always say I had the best ADA training my from Disney days, and it gave me a real passion to bring accommodations and accessibility to my other jobs.
Thank you for so much insight from a Cast Member perspective. I think this will really help others understand some of the how and why behind changes, and also give some appreciation for the challenges CMs face!
Tom, I can’t thank you enough for writing this! After a car accident that nearly took my husband’s life (he stopped breathing, traumatic internal injuries, etc.) he was diagnosed with PTSD. He also struggles with chronic pain and other issues caused by his injuries that are internal and only has a one inch scar to “prove it” to anyone who is “making sure” he isn’t trying to gain a system. It is great to know that Disney will help accommodate his needs without making him feel uncomfortable with asking about his injuries as they aren’t visible. I’m familiar with the ADA as part of my career but I didn’t even think of what that meant in terms of Disney! And we just returned from WDW last week! I appreciate the information and included links so I can research this further for future trips. Your honesty and insight is greatly appreciated!
What a wonderful, eye opening article. Thankfully, I have not needed a DAS and I hope that I have not judged anyone using one, though I might have been misconstrued as doing so by wondering why someone was in a faster line-I think I’ve always assumed it was fast pass. But now I’ll know and I’ll be happy to notice someone trying to do something not as easily as we all take for granted – spending a magical day making memories together as best we can in the only way we can.
Thank you for your comments on invisible disabilities. My mother had MS, which is often invisible and we experienced many “looks” from “concerned citizens” over the years. We always had a great experience at Disney back in the day. Of course, back then (the eighties) it was essentially a front of the line pass. It was one of the upsides (to me as a kid) of a terrible disease.