Disney World Adds New Rules for DAS Eligibility Call
Walt Disney World has once again made changes to its Disability Access Service website, this time updating rules and clarifying guidelines for the registration process. This covers details of the new policies, while also recapping other recent revisions and what else might be on the horizon.
As quick background, Disney overhauled DAS at Walt Disney World last May. According to the company, the changes were due in large part to abuse, misuse, and proliferation of the program’s use–with issuances of DAS tripling from 2019 to last year. For more about the specifics of the overhauled DAS, see Disability Access Service (DAS) Changes at Walt Disney World FAQ.
The new system has now been in place for over a year, and there have been direct impacts for disabled guests as well as indirect ones for all guests. To the latter point, we’ve written a lot about the impact of the DAS changes on wait times at Walt Disney World. Most recently, in Is Lightning Lane Multi Pass Still “Worth It” at Disney World? Suffice to say, standby lines are shorter and faster moving, with wait times being lower year-over-year as a result of the DAS crackdown.
We’ve also covered the reports from readers and other guests applying for accommodations at Walt Disney World, many of whom have had incredibly negative, invasive, humiliating, and dehumanizing experiences with the new process. We continue to receive reader comments and messages to this effect on a near-daily basis, which comes as no surprise given there are likewise viral social media posts about DAS, none of which are positive, once every few weeks.
Suffice to say, even over a year later the DAS overhaul remains controversial. It’s also a highly sensitive subject that is very personal since it is, quite literally, make or break for some guests trying to experience Walt Disney World. There have been widespread reports of guests who previously had DAS being denied and advised to use alternative accommodations, some of which are new–or are revised and highlighted more prominently.
The latest change is that Walt Disney World has an expanded section on the official DAS website with rules, polices, guidelines–whatever you want to call them–for the video call to reduce guest confusion and clarify how the process works.
As you might be aware, Walt Disney World requires guests to participate in such a video call to determine DAS eligibility. These new rules on the website are a welcome addition; we’ve received countless messages from readers who are confused about how this works, and Walt Disney World was previously (purposefully?) vague with specifics. It didn’t help that the interview process is now materially different than October 2021 through April 2024, and still differs between Disneyland and Walt Disney World.
Anyway, here’s the new/revised/updated/expanded verbiage:
Speak with a Cast Member
When you’re ready to chat with a Cast Member to determine eligibility for DAS, you can engage in a live video chat using the “Request Live Video Chat” button below.
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.
Important things to note:
- Live video chat is available from 7:00 AM to 8:00 PM Eastern Time.
- The recording of this video chat is strictly prohibited.
- The Guest requesting DAS either for themself or for someone else (e.g. a minor child) must be 18 years of age or older to register
- The Guest for whom DAS is being requested must be present during the video chat.
- If you’re not logged in to the Walt Disney World website, you’ll be prompted to log in.
- If you don’t have an account, you’ll need to create one before continuing.
- If you don’t have valid theme park admission, you’ll need to link valid theme park admission for each member of your party.
- Guests using a mobile device or tablet will need to download the Zoom application to connect to the video chat.
- Video chat is screen reader-friendly for Guests with visual disabilities and available with text chat for Guests with hearing disabilities.
- At this time, live chat is offered in English only.
This is now the fourth change to Disability Access Service in 2025.
Prior to this, both Walt Disney World and Disneyland extended the validity period for Disability Access Service upon a guest being accepted into the program to one year or the length of the ticket (whichever is shorter). Prior to this up to 365 day window, DAS was valid for up to 240 days before re-registration.
The big beneficiary of that change was Annual Passholders, and meant that they would not have to re-register for DAS two-thirds of the way through their AP validity window. That made DAS more convenient for locals and other regulars, while also adding a layer of predictability, and it came right as the first wave of DAS Annual Passholders would’ve been up for renewal.
Another major change was the extension of the DAS registration window to 60 days prior to their park visit, which also occurred on both coasts. Previously, the process could begin no sooner than 30 days prior to your visit. That occurred back in early February.
That extension was aimed at making it easier for guests to plan around DAS and potentially cancel or modify their vacations if they do not receive DAS as an accommodation. Going from 30 to 60 days resulted in a negligible increase in DAS applications, but it doesn’t materially change the equation on approvals. It was all about reducing friction for guests who apply and are denied DAS, as it put the earlier-applicants outside of the penalty-free cancellation period.
With the extension of DAS applications to 60 days, guests are able to make an informed decision about their status and cancel if they’re denied and feel visiting Walt Disney World will not be feasible or desirable without the DAS accommodation. Guests who booked vacation packages who apply for DAS sufficiently early will be able to receive full refunds as a matter of policy.
Disney also revised its policy language to remove “only” from the Disability Access Service eligibility criteria to potentially broaden the qualifying guests.
As we pointed out at the time, that likely involved involvement from an army of attorneys, and even then, its motivations and outcomes are open to interpretation and debate. My best guess is that Disney wants to soften the perceived limitations in the policy among prospective applicants.
To make it appear less harsh or stringent, to encourage guests other than those with developmental disabilities to apply for DAS. It could be a way of unofficially expanding the scope of eligibility without making any substantive changes to the policy or overhauling the program yet again.
While we’ll never know for sure what prompted the “only” change or what result it’ll have on the ratio of approvals to denials, our view is that it’s fairly consequential in the quantity of DAS issued despite being only a single word.
The motivation for the “only” change might’ve been the Disability Access Service Class Action Lawsuit Filed Against Disney Parks. The complaint relies heavily on the presence of “only” in Disney’s previous DAS policy, and a demand letter from last December that preceded the lawsuit.
I would also add that there all of the previous changes in 2025 came right around the time of that lawsuit. In the ~5 months since the last change occurred, which was right around the one-year anniversary of the DAS overhaul, Walt Disney World has been pretty quiet as to the Disability Access Service program. This is the first change since then, and it’s comparatively inconsequential.
Previously, we expressed optimism that hopefully Walt Disney World was starting to listen and soften its approach to Disability Access Service in a measured manner. That if there were a big dial on DAS policy intensity, Disney cranked it from the minimum to the maximum last year.
The likely goal of ping-ponging from one extreme to the other was eradicating abuse, making it clear that the company was serious about DAS and would only grant it in the most extreme scenarios–and scammers need not even bother.
Now that word has gotten out that DAS is a serious policy and not just a rubber-stamp formality, it appeared that Disney was taking that big DAS dial and reducing the intensity of the process. Back after those changes in the first few months of the year, we predicted that more changes were in the pipeline as the new-look DAS crosses its 1-year anniversary, with the company searching to find more of a middle ground. That wishful thinking now appears to be wrong.
I’m not sure what prompted the latest change about the video calls, but unlike the others, it appears insignificant.
If I had to guess, this expanded policies were driven in equal parts by a desire to reduce guest confusion and also make it clear that recording of the video chat is strictly prohibited. Honestly, I wouldn’t be the least bit surprised if that ‘strictly prohibited’ verbiage was the important part (given all of the viral social media content), but Disney didn’t want to add that alone, drawing attention to it–or the why of it.
I don’t know, and it doesn’t seem worthwhile to fixate on this since, again, it’s a fairly inconsequential change. The bigger news, if anything, is the non-news and lack of changes in the last ~5 months. Between DAS now being over a year old and the lack of meaningful changes since its anniversary, it would seem Disney has settled into a comfortable policy position with the program.
The news cycle has largely moved on, which is not to say that there isn’t still outrage or heartbroken guests, but that they’re not garnering as much attention or negative coverage. Even the DAS advocacy group that was once active in opposing the changes has largely gone dormant; I’ve received 3 press releases from them in the last 7 months, and none since August. At one point, their updates were near-weekly.
Even as the news cycle has largely moved on, we maintain our position that Disney should find this middle ground. If anything, they should do this precisely because DAS changes don’t garner the same kind of attention, so reform could be accomplished without inducing as much abuse.
The company has an exemplary reputation for guest service and accommodations. Or the company did, prior to last year around this time when the new-look DAS rolled out. Part of these changes are absolutely understandable, there was rampant abuse exacerbated by social media, entitlement, and Disney creating an incentive for DAS scammers by monetizing line-skipping via Lightning Lanes.
There’s no un-ringing that bell and going back to 1990s or 2000s versions of accommodations. The world is a different place. Disney cannot relax its rules too much, or else risk a return to the system being scammed.
There have also been heartbreaking stories of DAS denials, many of which have gone viral for good reason. These have made clear that a more flexible and humane approach offering greater discretion to Cast Members is optimal.
This strongly suggested that Disney went too far with the DAS overhaul; the pendulum swung from one extreme to another, and there has been a lot of collateral damage among disabled guests who needed DAS and have been denied under the overly-stringent system.
Cranking the DAS dial to its maximum setting hasn’t just eradicated the scammers, it has hurt guests who are actually disabled. It’s time to recalibrate from the extremes to the center.
Ultimately, we do not anticipate any major changes to DAS at Walt Disney World or Disneyland. There is not going to be another overhaul to Disability Access Service, absent the aforementioned class action lawsuit or other litigation prevailing.
That happening is highly doubtful–Disney has been sued over every single iteration of these accommodations, and I’ve yet to find any record of them losing on any count. The company has already endured a lengthy PR hit over these changes, there’s zero chance they’ll voluntarily endure that again with another overhaul.
What, if anything, does happen will be a slow trickle of rule relaxations. But with no major changes in the last 5 months, even that is now looking increasingly unlikely.
The most obvious change we’d like to see is a “humanizing” of the interview, not just expanded rules and policies for the mechanics of that process. We’ve heard from many readers who have been denied, and there’s a word that has been used repeatedly to describe the process: interrogation. While we can appreciate how stressful this process is for Cast Members and the verbal abuse they take for disgruntled guests, there’s a better way of handling the process that feels less adversarial.
This wouldn’t be an actual public-facing policy change, as it would be almost impossible for the company to convey. Disney probably isn’t going to write in its FAQ that “the interview is now an interview, instead of a scene from Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance.” The Disney Legal team might be reluctant to approve that verbiage.
Given that this would happen without an official policy change, it’s possible that it’s already occurred! I somehow doubt that, though, given recent reader complaints. It also doesn’t seem like strictly prohibiting recording of the video chat is a rule that would’ve just been implemented if those calls were getting better. That’s just a hunch, though.
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YOUR THOUGHTS
Thoughts on the latest change to DAS rules at Walt Disney World? Would you like to see Disney further adjust the big DAS dial, reducing the intensity setting? Hopeful that further changes will be made that result in increased approvals for those who truly need DAS while keeping abuse low? Agree or disagree with our assessment of the changes or policy as a whole? Please try to stay on topic–we’ve noticed some of these DAS comments sections get heated and personal. Discuss the policy itself, not others’ use (or lack thereof) of it.
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I have empathy for others, but as has been said several times above I can’t know what they go through. But I *do* understand why something had to be done. We went to DL for the first time (we live closer to WDW) a few years ago and got in line for Pirates. Pirates didn’t have fastpass/lightning lane at all that day. Yet, there was a steady stream of people–hundreds and hundreds of people, mostly able-bodied teenagers–going through the fastpass line. I found out later that was the DAS line. It easily doubled the line length for the rest of us.
They caused this. The ultimate blame lies with them.
I get it but those people who were going through that line waited as long or longer than you did before they were able to get in that line. It didn’t make you wait longer because if that process didn’t exist they would have been in your line anyway. That makes your line longer and then add mobility devices and other accommodations to it and now you have 1 huge line that’s barely moving. That’s why people need to understand that if you have DAS you are given a time to come back to the attraction. That might be 30 min or an hour or whatever the wait time is currently for someone entering the regular standby line. When you return, you’ve waited your hour and now you go through the faster lane. Why would you wait an hour and then wait another hour in standby? That would not make sense
In my opinion, to say that Tom has “zero empathy” for those requesting DAS accommodations, is an unfair and gross mischaracterization of Tom’s position on the topic of DAS. If anything, I believe Tom to be *overly* empathetic on the subject. If Tom was as he’s been characterized, he would just thrown up his hands, and say something along the lines of, “Scammers are why you can’t have nice things.” But he doesn’t, he continues to advocate for a middle ground—a middle ground that I don’t believe exists, or even can exist.
Here’s what Tom is too empathetic to say: after reading all of the comments to this post, how could WDW ever reasonably hope to come up with a one-size-fits-all accommodation that could possibly satisfy all of the conditions enumerated in just these comments; all while simultaneously being un-gameable by scammers? “I can’t stand too long”; “I can’t sit too long”; “Florida sunlight hurts my eyes”; “Noise is too loud”; “I can’t be more than x minutes away from a toilet”; “I have a brain aneurysm”; “I pass out when I stand in lines”; “It’s too hot in Florida”; “Being in crowds gives me anxiety”; “I’ve had a stroke”; “I have cancer”; “I have no concept of time”; “Being told ‘no’ triggers me”;… The simple answer is: they couldn’t. No one could. Even Alexander couldn’t undo the DAS Gordian Knot. So, WDW established a narrow range of conditions that they can reasonably accommodate, while also preventing the unscrupulous among us from gaming the system. Unfortunately, this means that far more conditions go unaccommodated than accommodated.
Truth be told, if given the power to decide where to draw the DAS accommodation line, every single person complaining about the DAS policy in these comments would exclude others who believe that they are equally deserving of accommodation. Looking at the comments to just this one post, how could it be anything else?
Here, try for yourself. Here is a list of every disease, disorder, disability, chronic condition, need, etc. mentioned in the 51 comments to this thread as justification for DAS accommodation:
– No concept of time
– ASD
– ADHD
– Down Syndrome
– Behavioral disorders
– Self-injurious behavior
– Anxiety disorder
– Cognitive disabilities
– PTSD
– Emotional dysregulation
– CAPD
– Language processing disorder
– Non-neurodivergent MS
– Stroke
– Brain aneurysm
– Cancer
– Hypertension
– CVI
– Diabetes
– Syncope
– Thermoregulation
– Ostomy
– IBS/Bathroom proximity
– Neuropathy
– Graves Disease
– Long COVID
– Can’t stand for extended periods
– Can’t sit for extended periods
– Mobility limitations
– Depression
– Sunlight sensitivity (vision)
– Balance issues
– Direct sunlight heat intolerance
– Allergic to wind (okay, this wasn’t in the comments to this post, but I have heard it seriously claimed before)
WDW appears to draw the DAS accommodation/no accommodation line somewhere within the ASD spectrum. Where would you draw that line if you were in charge of setting DAS policy? I can guarantee one thing: no matter where you draw the line, you’ll leave some commenters on the “no accommodation” side of the line who believe that their situation is every bit as deserving of accommodation as yours.
Frankly, even if WDW went so far as to implement a separate DAS lane to accommodate every single condition listed above, the resulting DAS line would be nothing other than a second Standby line.
That’s the truth that Tom won’t tell you because he is empathetic.
Chat GPT isn’t very good at getting the actual point and neither are you if you didn’t use it to write this post. The posts that were lacking empathy were from a long time ago before Disney made the changes and they were not empathetic to those who truly need the service and don’t want to be embarrassed by the process.
Regardless of what anyone thinks they know, unless you have lived in their shoes we can’t judge.
You missed the point. Disney is supposed to be magical. Some save their entire life to be able to go just once. It should be enjoyable not embarrassing or miserable. Some families who need the DAS live with all those negative things on the daily and Disney is a chance for a little escape away from reality. Why do you think so many Make a Wish trips are to Disney? Families choose their trip location so why do you think they choose this one???
Maybe do some research on how the DAS system works also. It’s not another standby lane. People wait just as long if not longer they just wait outside the ride. Who cares where they wait if it makes their day a little easier and brighter?!
Have a magical day! ❤️
This is the only DAS-related post from a long time ago, covering our experience using the service with my disabled father: https://www.disneytouristblog.com/disability-access-service-tips-disney-world-tips/
Most sensible comment on the subject!
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As much as I enjoy the Disney parks (I’m an annual passholder) I agree with the comments that the DAS process is degrading and humiliating. My husband has a mobility disability which stems from a genetic condition, has high blood pressure, Graves Disease, diabetes, depression and anxiety. He uses an electric wheelchair and is temperature-sensitive. He was declined in the DAS process. My cousin’s son has autism. Even though that is one of the disabilities that they approve, it still was a long and tedious process. For a company that professes to be guest-focused, this is one area that desperately needs improvement.
DAS definitely needs something to change. in 2024 we were part of a large group (in Disneyworld) that included 2 kids with down syndrome and autism. The interview to determine eligibility was beyond humiliating. I still remember the cast member saying, “a diagnosis isn’t enough”, then making us explain why these very clearly disabled kids needed DAS. We did get it, but it was unusable because they limited rides using DAS to 4. We were a group of 10, and the 2 kids were not permitted to use their passes on the same ride at the same time! We’re vacation club members, and this was a huge disappointment.
beyond humiliation is an understatement, I was in guest services 1hr 30 mins before I was connected, I was shaking and in tears asking for a second opinion the person on screen said I would have to start the process again or buy lightning passes and grinned and disconnected, the staff with me at guest services said im very sorry for what u had to go through, im so shocked, I had no idea, its very cruel but please don’t quote me on that.
we used DAS end of May this year. We have had it in the past. I feel that Disney excluded many disabilities people experience because the act of “waiting” is not a burden to some disabled people. This indeed is difficult. I know my Dad is extremely limited in the heat, I know others that truly cannot manage standing for 45 minutes.
If I were to guess, the DAS is being applied to those guests that due to their cognitive disability, would errupt into chaos or have a physical meltdown.
Proving the necessity of avoiding a public meltdown seems difficult.
I also think it depends on the cast member you randomly get because some are likely to be more receptive to a need than others.
My suggestion is appeal to that Cast member in such a way that they can bond with you over the 15 minutes you have.
I think we all know Disney’s motive is just to force people to buy more lightening lanes to make up for their losses on their woke movies and TV shows. It’s all about the Benjamins.
You are right. After they deny you they tell you about their lightening lane. I have a disability pass with universal and that is where we will vacation.
My family used to enjoy visiting Disney World. Having a husband with a permanent disability (and Dad with a disability with regard to our two kids), the accommodation he used to receive is what made Disney even possible as a family. As soon as Disney changed the old fast pass system to the “pay to play” LL system, THEY broke it. This whole thing was Disney’s own greedy doing. We officially gave up visiting Disney in 2024, and we hope that MANY families like ours have done the same, and that ultimately it has affected/will continue to affect their revenue. They don’t value us as guests, and we know it.
Universal does DAS right. Provide medical documentation to a 3rd party for verification and then interview with team member for accomodation. Very similar to how education handles it. It is good for a year and renewal is a simple process. My daughter has PTSD and was a cast member at Disney World. She has gotten very good over the years of self-advocating in higher education, the work force, and settings like this. But the new Disney process was demoralizing and triggering (she was denied). Her last 2 trips back to Florida to visit her friends over fall break (who still work for the Company) have been spent primarily in the Universal parks due to the changes at Disney. I completely understand the old system was abused. But Universal’s system puts the verification of a disability into the hands of a licensed physician (not some gate keeping interrogator cast member). And for clarification you can’t buy some letter off the Internet or even rely on a statement from a counselor or social worker. Your documentation must come from licensed medical provider and is subject to verification. Shame on Disney for shaming people for their documented disabilities.
I had the DAS Pass a few years and without knowing the new rule a few months back, I was obvious denied the DAS Pass again. I did plead with the cast member and she stuck with her decision. Before hanging up, she atlctually laughed at me. she didn’t hang up quick eneough. Of course, I emailed customer service about the situation, I received their standard sorry but not sorry email. My husband and I still went because we wanted to enjoy our grandson’s first visit. Of course, my worst nightmare while waiting in a long line did happen. My ileostomy bag filled up too much and the bag slipped off. There was no bathroom close by the ride. Now I am walking around the park with a smelly mess. As for buying Lightning passes or the Genie. We were on a budget and could not afford much more. Plus, needing to worry which ride is available with whatever package you choose. I don’t mind the video conference, but there has to be more, maybe a notorized doctor note proving the disability. There has to be something that can help with the scammers.
My husband also has a ileostomy. Same thing happened to him. Poop all over him and bathroom as he tried to clean it. How humiliating. They just don’t understand one minute your fine and the next minute total blow out.
My daughter is in a wheelchair, I have a toddler with a neurological issue that I also have. Can you imagine my husband standing in line all alone while me, the toddler, and daughter in a wheelchair wait outside for him to call us from a checkpoint to then have a cast member escort us passed everyone to the checkpoint to get on the ride? Embarrassing! Real magical right?
Don’t comment on something and have zero empathy for people if you have no experience living their life. They already dosing get to live like you so let them have a couple of days to feel a little less stress. Disney should be magical remember? If it feels like a hectic trip to the grocery store then why spend all the time and money on going?
I hope that all the haters never need any grace or empathy. Smh
Lastly, I find it so interesting that your tone has changed in the matter as if you feel some sort of way for those families whose trips have been ruined by the changes. Initially you were adamant that something had to be done because it wasn’t fair and so they did it and now you’re acting like you’re surprised.
Is it about the views or the people?
Bottom line is that you can’t begin to imagine what each person is going through. They don’t ask for the issues that were dealt. Have some grace and be grateful that you are blessed and don’t need a DAS pass and be happy for those who get one so they can finally have a little fun and make memories while they can.
From our commentary to the original announcement of the DAS overhaul: https://www.disneytouristblog.com/disney-overhauls-disability-access-service-reduce-abuse-misuse-das/
“Two things can be true at the same time. First, that reasonable disability accommodations are very necessary for many Walt Disney World guests to have an enjoyable experience, including those with invisible disabilities. Second, DAS abuse or misuse is widespread and needs addressing.
Above all else, I would implore you to err on the side of courtesy–both in life and in the sure to be contentious issue of DAS reform. There are myriad invisible disabilities from which other guests could suffer, and the rude words or judgmental gaze of guests ‘scanning’ a person using DAS to ‘make sure’ they really have a disability are awful.
We’ve heard from countless readers over the years who are lifelong fans of Disney because the parks made a disabled family member feel like a VIP or at least normal for a little while, and accommodated them like nowhere else on earth. These stories tug at the heartstrings. We’ve also heard from countless individuals who have a serious disability and couldn’t experience the parks like everyone else but for DAS, and other guests made them feel ostracized. Those stories are heartbreaking.
Hearing all of these stories, I will happily wait in line an extra 5 minutes or whatever if it means those guests are able to have positive experiences at the parks. A nice bit of extra time to reflect, count my blessings and all that. Because the bottom line is that anyone using DAS out of necessity would trade places with you in a second and stand in long lines if it meant not being disabled.
To the second point that DAS abuse is widespread and needs addressing, we’ve been hearing ‘rumors’ of this for a while. Not really so much rumors–more unsubstantiated reports from those within the company. This has been an open secret, and a long time coming. Lightning Lane breakdowns of DAS vs. paid Genie+ guests are downright shocking to me. Now Walt Disney World is tacitly admitting that there’s an issue and that it needs to be fixed.”
I am sorry you are going through this. I feel like you must have misread something in Tom’s post. I have read every article he has written on the subject, and he has always shown empathy and stated that although some changes were needed, they have gone too far and ended up hurting the ones that need it most.
I don’t even understand why DAS passes exist. Buy the lightning lane like everyone else does. We have people with disabilities in our family. Why should we get a free ride? Buy the lightning lane like everyone else does. I have major problems. My wife has major problems. Why should we get lightning lane for free when everyone else has to pay for it? Pay for the lightning lane like everyone else. I don’t understand this thought process.
The difference is that those who really do have behavior issues often can’t show up for the lightning Lane times that is designated because they are having a meltdown, and trying to rebook to a later time is often impossible
DAS takes the pressure off that. You can only book one ride at a time and you designate the arrival time. But you can arrive anytime after that arrival time. if you have a friend or family member that goes off the rails because of their brain injury, it is so comforting to know that you can take the time to help them reframe and relax before even attempting to get on the lightning Lane line.
While there’s still work to be done, extending the application window is a huge win. So many folks in the Disney forums I’m in (so obviously, anecdotal) felt frustrated that not only did they have to go through the long DAS call just to be rejected, but they then had to have a second long call will Customer Service to try and cancel their vacation and get a refund. Many people simply can’t do the parks without any accomodations for their disability. They shouldn’t be forced to spend thousands of dollars on a vacation they won’t even be able to enjoy.
Even though I have had DAS three years in a row, I knew I would be denied this year as my disability did not qualify under the new language. But, being told that I could have a member of my family stand in line, take a photo of when she reached the front of the line, text the photo to me, and then I could show it to a cast member who would escort me to the front of the line…what? What a ludicrous solution! And, how does that process affect those guests in line behind my family members? It is just a paltry excuse for legitimized “cutting in line.” And being told to rent an ECV is equally insulting. As a senior citizen, I can’t help but sympathize with fellow elderly who have the money and time to enjoy Disney, but are denied some basic assistance and courtesy that was extended to us in the past. This will probably be my last visit, not that it will affect Disney. As a former cast member, I’m saddened to feel so negative and to be treated so shabbily.
I’m actually going to call bull on that one. I think the reason it’s used is that it makes it easy to say that anyone who has a certain level of abstract language doesn’t qualify. In reality, however, a child who has literally no concept of time (doesn’t differentiate standing there for 5 minutes vs. 50, say) might be happily in the moment during lines, while a child who gets that they have a long wait ahead might get triggered by the idea and engage in something like self injurious behavior or trying to climb over turnstiles. It’s much more about capacity to wait than understanding of time.
Sorry this was meant to be a reply to Karen on the previous page.
A year ago I reapplied for DAS (having used it for the previous 10 or so years) and it was nothing short of horrendous. I went into meltdown mid-video call and it took me over a week to recover and the “medical experts” kept trying to continue a normal conversation with me when I was clearly incapable of doing so (while denying me of course). After an extensive call with the executive team I was advised to reapply if the suggested accommodations failed. Something that had not previously been presented as a further option to me. At every line when I asked for a return time (the advised non-DAS accommodation) I was initially offered a wheelchair as a solution (I’m autistic). I then found myself having to declare my condition at each ride in order for them to understand why a wheelchair was not a solution. After 3 days of this I repeated the call. It took over an hour and I spoke to 2 “medical professionals” while in public, outside city hall where anyone walking past could hear the conversation (location suggested by CMs at city hall).
Fast forward to last week…just the initial CM, very friendly, no interrogation, approval and general tips offered. Took maybe 30 minutes.
Also since the crackdown last year it’s always been in the rules that you’re not allowed to record the call so that’s not actually new.
Sorry this was meant to be a reply to Karen on the previous page.
And the above was meant to be a reply to my own post. Experiencing user error caused technical difficulties today!