new DAS,yeah!!!!

[disneyseniors]

great info on the new DAS cards. I'm so glad they are working for most people. I think Disney had to do something with the old cards because of the abuse of the system as it was. I got so tired of people taking advantage of the cards, EVC's, wheelchairs that I seriously thought about not doing Disney anymore. Can't count how many times we saw people on carts, etc, who took advantage of entering the buses first, then got to the park and got out of their carts, walked around, let kids ride on it, then got back on when approaching a ride. The abuse of this system was getting horrible. It's a shame that you can't help people with disabilities without some people taking advantage of the system just so they can get to the first of the line,and get one a bus first! There are so many people that this system really helped. It got so bad that (as I was told by a Disney insider who knows the system) that some people with money were hiring handicapped people in wheelchairs just so they didn't have to wait to get on the buses or in line like the rest of us. What a shame. I am so glad that Disney has launched this fair system of the DAS. I have heard that the number of wheelchair, cart rentals is way down in the parks, from someone who has been there recently. I hope those people can't figure out a way to ruin this new system! Disney is not required to offer these services, but they do it to help people with disabilities. I have an "unseen" disease. To look at me you would not know that I have a problem. So far, I have not used the DAS, but may need to in the future and it is nice to know that this service is offered by Disney. Thanks for letting me get on my soap box.

 

[Kellykins1218]

great info on the new DAS cards. I'm so glad they are working for most people. I think Disney had to do something with the old cards because of the abuse of the system as it was. I got so tired of people taking advantage of the cards, EVC's, wheelchairs that I seriously thought about not doing Disney anymore. Can't count how many times we saw people on carts, etc, who took advantage of entering the buses first, then got to the park and got out of their carts, walked around, let kids ride on it, then got back on when approaching a ride. The abuse of this system was getting horrible. It's a shame that you can't help people with disabilities without some people taking advantage of the system just so they can get to the first of the line,and get one a bus first! There are so many people that this system really helped. It got so bad that (as I was told by a Disney insider who knows the system) that some people with money were hiring handicapped people in wheelchairs just so they didn't have to wait to get on the buses or in line like the rest of us. What a shame. I am so glad that Disney has launched this fair system of the DAS. I have heard that the number of wheelchair, cart rentals is way down in the parks, from someone who has been there recently. I hope those people can't figure out a way to ruin this new system! Disney is not required to offer these services, but they do it to help people with disabilities. I have an "unseen" disease. To look at me you would not know that I have a problem. So far, I have not used the DAS, but may need to in the future and it is nice to know that this service is offered by Disney. Thanks for letting me get on my soap box.

Wheelchair and ECV use hasn't changed because the lines were accessible before the change. Mobility issues didn't require a GAC and don't require the DAS.
Not everyone who uses a scooter or a wheelchair needs to use it all of the time. Maybe they also have an "unseen disease" that affects their stamina. You have no idea why they are using an ECV.

 

[anonymousegirl]

You may have seen people using the wheelchairs/ECVs on a temporary basis, but you cannot know they were cheating the system.
Plenty of people need help with getting between lands, rides, whatever, but may not need the mobility device for every minute.
My niece has heart issues. She normally does not need a wheelchair, but at WDW she needs one to keep her from being overly fatigued and straining her heart. The heat is already bad enough. So she uses one if we will be at the parks 1) in summer, 2) more than 3 hours, and 3) always for EPCOT.

 

[sonofanarchy]

Is there a new DAS card I haven't heard about?

 

[RubySlippers]

great info on the new DAS cards

Link? Is there a new DAS card?

 

[lanejudy]

Is there a new DAS card I haven't heard about?

Link? Is there a new DAS card?

I believe OP simply means the DAS program that started in fall 2013 as opposed to the previous GAC card which is no longer in use.

Information about the DAS program can be found in the Disability Access Service "sticky" threads near the top of this forum. There is one for WDW in Florida and another specific to DL & DCA in California.

 

[bidnow5]

It bothers me so much when people judge others that you know nothing about I use a scooter but can get up a few years ago my wife and I took turns using the scooter it does not mean we were abusing the system we can both walk some. Please don't judge others

 

[Coonhound]

When I post on this forum I always recommend that people who have stamina or mobility DO get wheelchairs for the very purpose of having a place to sit when they need to and then they can just push it the rest of the time. MOST people with stamina and mobility issues do not need to sit down ALL the time, in fact they do worse if they have to remain seated permanently- they do better if they can walk a little, sit a little, walk a little, etc. So I hope the people I've recommended this to are not the people you're assuming don't really need their wheelchairs.

 

[ttintagel]

Where dd you get your data on abuse of the GAC? Show your work and your numbers, please.

 

[OurBigTrip]

Where dd you get your data on abuse of the GAC? Show your work and your numbers, please.

While there was some abuse, it's pretty clear that the problem was overuse rather than abuse.

 

[ttintagel]

While there was some abuse, it's pretty clear that the problem was overuse rather than abuse.

"It's pretty clear" by what metric?

 

[aaarcher86]

"It's pretty clear" by what metric?

It's pretty easy to use deductive reasoning and common sense on this.

Between CM statements, statistics for people with disabilities, and the different things that were given a GAC that shouldn't have been (pregnancy), that the sheer amount of people using the GAC in a given day and going directly into the FP line was overwhelming.

Autism alone is now 1/68 I believe. In 2011 the average daily MK attendance was 47,000 http://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads/mk-daily-attendance.861191/ and I'm sure it's only gone up. That'd be 691 individual people potentially getting the GAC. Add in their families (x4 average family size) and you've got 2,764 people going right into the FP line with JUST autism. That's not including all of the other disabilities and qualifying ailments.

Again, these are obviously just estimates. Not everyone with autism needed the GAC or asks for it, but it's really easy to use the numbers and understand why the sheer amount of people using the GAC was overwhelming the system.

 

[OurBigTrip]

"It's pretty clear" by what metric?

By Disney's metric.

The Guest Relations team was summoned to the Racers ride entrance all summer as they tried to mitigate the problem by forcing GAC holders to return only after the length of the Standby line had lapsed, issuing them a “return time” much like a Fastpass. This process at least prevented those with GACs from just going around and around through the Fastpass line as much as they wanted, as a 45 minute Fastpass/GAC wait time is at least shorter than the two to three hour long Standby wait. The irony of a 45 minute line for people who freely acknowledge they can’t wait in line is not lost on any of the Cast Members from Guest Relations or Radiator Springs Racers.

When word of this GAC phenomenon reached DCA executives and George Kalogridis, after they demanded to know why so few Fastpasses were being given out each morning, the answer took the TDA executives by surprise. Any front-line Attractions or Guest Relations Cast Member has known the GAC program was highly abused and nearly worthless for years, but most executives had no exposure to the problem and had no idea so many GACs were being issued, often for months at a time. Some quick studies were commissioned by the Guest Relations team this summer, and it was determined that upwards of 5,000 people per day, almost all of whom were tracked as Annual Passholders, were going through the Fastpass line at Radiator Springs Racers with a GAC. At an attraction like Racers that was carrying an average of 20,000 riders per day, 5,000 of them boarding the ride with a GAC is a huge impact. After all, a GAC is valid for the disabled person, and up to five of their friends or family, so while there were often 1,500 or more valid GACs in the park at any one time that meant there were thousands more people joining the GAC card holder at an attraction.

The news that thousands and thousands of APs per day this summer had what amounted to an open Fastpass or backdoor access to any attraction at the Resort set off alarm bells in TDA, but not because of the assumption that many of the maladies were fake or overblown by the GAC holder just to get the perk of shorter lines. The TDA executives were most disturbed by the huge numbers of GACs because that would ruin their attempt to install and overlay the upcoming NextGen Fastpass or XPass concepts we’ve been telling you about for a couple of years. The entire NextGen queue project, just about to be rolled out formally later this fall in Walt Disney World, is built on fine tuned statistical models that have no leeway for huge numbers of people also trying to access the Fastpass lines at shows and attractions. With the average GAC-holding Annual Passholder essentially having an open Fastpass for any attraction at any time for their entire family, the NextGen concept would be undermined right from the start in Anaheim. Unless, of course, TDA blew up the existing GAC program and started over with something far more restrictive before NextGen arrives.

I'm not sure if we're permitted to post links, but I'll can send it to you via PM, if you like.

 

[jakeybake]

I agree that it is important not to judge others disabilities based on how they look.

My beautiful, athletic, full of energy 12 year old daughter was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes in January of 2013. We have been to WDW every year since 1991 and didn't even know what a DAS was until our trip last year when we were told by our Endocrinologist that we should request one for our upcoming trip. You would never in a million years think that my daughter had a reason for one but extreme heat and exercise play havoc on blood sugar counts. Because of that she is unable to run around in a hot park and wait in long, hot lines (we go in August each year because it is the only month that our busy schedule will allow) without the worry and stress of her blood sugar going low.

Like I said above, you would never know anything was different about her, unless you happened to see her OmniPod Insulin pump on her lower back, but in order for her to function and enjoy herself like a child should, she needs assistance with a GAC.

I am sure that I speak for all when I say that I would give everything I have in life to be able to have her not have T1D and be able to run around and wait in lines for hours without worry or fear of going low.

Those who don't need a GAC consider yourselves truly blessed. Those of us who require them would give anything to be in your shoes.

Jay

 

[SueM in MN]

I'm going to close this thread at this point - it is likely to deteriorate as other threads on the same subject have