Universal DAS & need advice

I apologize in advance for the loooong post. I was gonna post this over on the Universal board, but this feels like the better place. I'll be braving IoA for the first time ever on Thursday - with a group of 5 10-12yo kids! I'm chaperoning DS12's end-of-year field trip. Here's my dilemma: DS has Asperger's/Anxiety/ADHD/BiPolar(just got that diagnosis) & sensory issues. When we do WDW as a family we use a DAS for him, and he does very well as long as we avoid major crowds, use ear plugs, etc. I can't seem to find any info on the US site about non-physical disabilities. Do the offer something similar and if so how do we go about getting it? Assuming they do, onto my 2nd (probably more difficult) question...
DS is very high-functioning, and the majority of his friends & classmates are unaware he has any disabilities and he wants to keep it that way. He functions very well in normal day-to-day situations as long as we keep to routines, use his accommodations in school, keep up w/medication, etc. Things like theme parks really bring his issues out however. He was very reluctant to go on this trip because he's afraid having issues and/or meltdowns w/his friends around (thank you fragile 12yo ego & self-esteem). So my 2nd issues is, if US does offer their version of a DAS, is there a way to obtain & use it that won't cue his classmates in? I'm thinking that if, say, we were at WDW I would use the DAS that we already have and if/when any of the kids asked just claim it was for me (the kids wouldn't need to see the pic). But how to do that at US? I completely realize that may not be possible, but I'm trying to make this trip possible for him AND save his already low self-esteem. This is the 1st year he has agreed to, and been mature enough, to attend one of these trips (we live near Orlando, so every year has a theme park trip). I'm really hoping for some advice!

I'm pretty sure that Universal does have a DAS-like card that works pretty much the same way, although I believe more time is taken off the wait time (20 minutes perhaps?)

I think the bigger issue is how to explain that he's waiting outside the line while everyone else is in the line.

CoopTroop6 said:

I apologize in advance for the loooong post. I was gonna post this over on the Universal board, but this feels like the better place. I'll be braving IoA for the first time ever on Thursday - with a group of 5 10-12yo kids! I'm chaperoning DS12's end-of-year field trip. Here's my dilemma: DS has Asperger's/Anxiety/ADHD/BiPolar(just got that diagnosis) & sensory issues. When we do WDW as a family we use a DAS for him, and he does very well as long as we avoid major crowds, use ear plugs, etc. I can't seem to find any info on the US site about non-physical disabilities. Do the offer something similar and if so how do we go about getting it? Assuming they do, onto my 2nd (probably more difficult) question...
DS is very high-functioning, and the majority of his friends & classmates are unaware he has any disabilities and he wants to keep it that way. He functions very well in normal day-to-day situations as long as we keep to routines, use his accommodations in school, keep up w/medication, etc. Things like theme parks really bring his issues out however. He was very reluctant to go on this trip because he's afraid having issues and/or meltdowns w/his friends around (thank you fragile 12yo ego & self-esteem). So my 2nd issues is, if US does offer their version of a DAS, is there a way to obtain & use it that won't cue his classmates in? I'm thinking that if, say, we were at WDW I would use the DAS that we already have and if/when any of the kids asked just claim it was for me (the kids wouldn't need to see the pic). But how to do that at US? I completely realize that may not be possible, but I'm trying to make this trip possible for him AND save his already low self-esteem. This is the 1st year he has agreed to, and been mature enough, to attend one of these trips (we live near Orlando, so every year has a theme park trip). I'm really hoping for some advice!

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I was not totally clear if you were asking about just Universal or WDW too, so I answered both.

one thing to be aware of at BOTH Universal and WDW, is that CMs are likely to mention the DAS holder by name.
Yes, at WDW, they will have a picture, but the new process includes scanning the Magicband or ticket of the DAS holder first at each attraction. A blue light will go to alert the CM to check the screen and check the picture against the person who scanned.
If you are scanning your son's Magicband or even if he is scanning his own first, that is going to bring up questions regarding:
- why are you scanning his? You may be able to hide that somehow, but when you scan it and the picture doesn't match, the CM is likely to ask "which of you is _______?" They may also say something to 'educate' you about using DAS such as "if you scan his band, make sure he is right next to you."

- why does his he have to go first?

- if you are getting DAS Return Times, they may wonder why on some attractions, you just scan your Magicbands/tickets and go into the Fastpass line and on other attractions it's different.

- they may notice that on some attractions (the ones you have Fastpasses for) the light glows green at the first scanning point, but at others (the DAS ones) the light glows blue and there are more questions.

- if there are other groups going, they may compare experiences and wonder about the differences - like the 'waiting outside the line' the next poster mentioned.

Another thing to think about - with DAS going digital at WDW, you will probably need to trade in your paper DAS for a digital one attached to his Magicband/ticket.
That will involve going to Guest Relations, going thru the process of getting a new electronic DAS and scanning all the tickets/Magicbands of the rest of your group.
Even if you were able to not get questions about the other things I mentioned, getting the DAS linked is very likely to involve your child's name being said and the other kids will know their bands are being linked.

OurBigTrip said:

I'm pretty sure that Universal does have a DAS-like card that works pretty much the same way, although I believe more time is taken off the wait time (20 minutes perhaps?)

I think the bigger issue is how to explain that he's waiting outside the line while everyone else is in the line.

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Universal does have their own version of DAS. THis is information about it (it is also posted in the disABILITIES FAQs thread near the top of this board.

Universal/Islands of Adventure has GAP (Guest Assistance Passes), which work fairly similar to Disney's DAS (Disability Access Service).
You do not need a doctor's note. Just be able to tell them what assistance you need at Guest Services.
At each attraction, you will be able to enter right away if the wait is less than 30 minutes. For wait of longer then 30 minutes, you will be given a Return Time, similar to the standby wait time. When you return to the attraction when the return time has come, you will go in the a Express Pass line, which will be a shorter wait.

Both parks are ADA compliant and, as such, are wheelchair accessible. There is seldom a need for a separate line for wheelchairs as the wheelchair just goes through the regular line.
It's important to know though, Universal/Islands of Adventure do not allow power wheelchairs or ECVs in their lines/attractions.

Universal/Islands of Adventure does have an Express Card that guests can purchase or you can get by staying at a Universal hotel. That allows guests to use an Express Pass entrance to access attractions without waiting, but not all attractions have Express Pass.

VIP Gap (back door access--mostly for Make a Wish Kids or Give Kids the World)

Using it would bring up many of the same questions as using Disney's DAS.
His name may come up (or very likely will)

You may want to look at this site which has touring plan assistance for Universal. That would help you plan out your day to avoid crowds and long waits.

http://orlandoinformer.com/page/articles.html/_/universal/touring-plans/touring-plans

Thanks for the replies folks! I didn't even think about the fact that they may say his name. Duh! We've often had the CMs at Disney greet to DAS holder by name. I actually just spoke to and explained our issues to a great CM at Guest Services at Universal who was very understanding had a some great suggestions/info. #1: the GAP will be issued for our group (myself and the 5 kids), so we would all wait together. The way he explained it, the item and process sounds pretty much identical to the paper DAS at Disney, minus the photo (even better for this purpose). #2: he said that when our whole school group arrives, the entire class will most likely enter the park together before splitting up into smaller groups. He suggested that I have DS accompany me alone to GS to obtain the pass (that way none of the kids knows it's not for myself) before splitting from the main school group. #3 He also suggested installing the US app on my phone (sounds similar to the MDE app) to be able to check what rides we would be able to walk right on to (less than 30 min standby) and what we'd have to get return times for so we could plan accordingly.

As far as what the other groups think about us not waiting in lines, I plan on just saying I have a medical condition that makes standing in line difficult and I have a pass. His teachers will know it's for him of course, but there's no reason for anyone else to.

I'm hopeful this will go well. I'm pretty excited that he's finally agreed to go (he's been turning these types of trips down since 1st grade). And if anything does happen, I guess it'll just be a test of his friends. The group is DS and his 4 good friends, so hopefully they'll be understanding (or as understanding as 12yo boys can be). Wish us luck!

CoopTroop6 said:

As far as what the other groups think about us not waiting in lines, I plan on just saying I have a medical condition that makes standing in line difficult and I have a pass. His teachers will know it's for him of course, but there's no reason for anyone else to.

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I have a problem with this. you are teaching him that it is okay to lie/mislead AND you are teaching him to be ashamed of his condition.

yes it is no one else's business, but at the same time it is NOT okay to lie about stuff. nor are you doing him any favors by trying to hide his issues. he needs to start learning how to not only cope, but how to deal with all aspects of how his condition will be perceived by others. the understanding and the less so.

Mrsjvb said:

I have a problem with this. you are teaching him that it is okay to lie/mislead AND you are teaching him to be ashamed of his condition.

yes it is no one else's business, but at the same time it is NOT okay to lie about stuff. nor are you doing him any favors by trying to hide his issues. he needs to start learning how to not only cope, but how to deal with all aspects of how his condition will be perceived by others. the understanding and the less so.

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I am not "teaching him to mislead/lie" nor am I teaching him to be "ashamed of his condition". I am respecting his choices which I believe an almost 13yo has every right to make. I have never hid or lied about his "condition" (btw it's not a "condition" it's a syndrome). My son chooses who he wants to share information about his "invisible disability" with - he limits this to his closest friends and family. He is not ashamed. He will be the first to tell you that he's proud of the way his mind works. At school he is an intelligent, gifted, well-liked (albeit rather socially-awkward) young man. He has worked extremely hard over the years to appear "normal" to his neuro typical classmates. He has only been in his current school for 2 years, and as such his classmates have never witnessed a meltdown or been aware of his sensory issues. He is "coping" extremely well. Do you have any idea the amount of work and control this young man has to exert every day just to be able to "fit in". As I previously said, living in central FL, every year's end-of-the-year trip is to a theme park. He has chosen to stay home every year rather than risk having a meltdown in front of his classmates (because while we as adults understand and will not judge him, children don't work like that). He has finally decided to brave it this year and I am so freaking proud of him. If me passing a disability access card off as my own will allow him too save some face while still allowing him to participate in a much-anticipated trip w/his schoolmates then I'm all for it. I don't see how this is hurting anyone. You were 12 once, right? Or did you grow up in a magical land where middle school was full of kind, understanding, supportive kids who would never have dreamed of teasing a schoolmate about having a disability? If you were then I envy you. My son is not so fortunate. And I do not feel that the final, big end-of-the-year school trip is the right time for him to begin "dealing with all aspects of how his condition will be perceived by others" or educating his fellow 11 & 12 year olds about the ins & outs of Asperger's Syndrome. We are not debating whether it's right to tell an 11yo to say that he's 9 so he can sneak into the parks on the child's ticket. We are discussing strategies to allow a 12yo w/an invisible disability to preserve his dignity while still being able to participate in and enjoy a school trip with his classmates. My purpose of this thread was to seek info & advice from others who might be able to help. Not to be judged by someone who obviously has no understanding of what life as a 12yo w/Asperger's Syndrome is, or to have the way I choose to parent and support my son questioned.

CoopTroop6 said:

I am not "teaching him to mislead/lie" nor am I teaching him to be "ashamed of his condition". I am respecting his choices which I believe an almost 13yo has every right to make. I have never hid or lied about his "condition" (btw it's not a "condition" it's a syndrome). My son chooses who he wants to share information about his "invisible disability" with - he limits this to his closest friends and family. He is not ashamed. He will be the first to tell you that he's proud of the way his mind works. At school he is an intelligent, gifted, well-liked (albeit rather socially-awkward) young man. He has worked extremely hard over the years to appear "normal" to his neuro typical classmates. He has only been in his current school for 2 years, and as such his classmates have never witnessed a meltdown or been aware of his sensory issues. He is "coping" extremely well. Do you have any idea the amount of work and control this young man has to exert every day just to be able to "fit in". As I previously said, living in central FL, every year's end-of-the-year trip is to a theme park. He has chosen to stay home every year rather than risk having a meltdown in front of his classmates (because while we as adults understand and will not judge him, children don't work like that). He has finally decided to brave it this year and I am so freaking proud of him. If me passing a disability access card off as my own will allow him too save some face while still allowing him to participate in a much-anticipated trip w/his schoolmates then I'm all for it. I don't see how this is hurting anyone. You were 12 once, right? Or did you grow up in a magical land where middle school was full of kind, understanding, supportive kids who would never have dreamed of teasing a schoolmate about having a disability? If you were then I envy you. My son is not so fortunate. And I do not feel that the final, big end-of-the-year school trip is the right time for him to begin "dealing with all aspects of how his condition will be perceived by others" or educating his fellow 11 & 12 year olds about the ins & outs of Asperger's Syndrome. We are not debating whether it's right to tell an 11yo to say that he's 9 so he can sneak into the parks on the child's ticket. We are discussing strategies to allow a 12yo w/an invisible disability to preserve his dignity while still being able to participate in and enjoy a school trip with his classmates. My purpose of this thread was to seek info & advice from others who might be able to help. Not to be judged by someone who obviously has no understanding of what life as a 12yo w/Asperger's Syndrome is, or to have the way I choose to parent and support my son questioned.

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Obviously, it's your right to handle it however you choose, but when you come out and admit that you're going to lie, you shouldn't be surprised that people think that's wrong.

I hope your son has a wonderful day on his class trip, and that it's the first of many to come.

If it were me, I think I'd skip the DAS thing, and look at FOTL passes. The cheapest version gets you through every line at least once without a wait. Yes money is involved, but then there's no reason to worry that your son is accidentally outed by a CM (or whatever US calls them). You can use this pass as a special treat for your group. With their app, and a good touring plan, you'll probably accomplish everything and then some.

LynneyPooh said:

If it were me, I think I'd skip the DAS thing, and look at FOTL passes. The cheapest version gets you through every line at least once without a wait. Yes money is involved, but then there's no reason to worry that your son is accidentally outed by a CM (or whatever US calls them). You can use this pass as a special treat for your group. With their app, and a good touring plan, you'll probably accomplish everything and then some.

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It is a school trip. Who's going to pay for the whole group to have FoTL passes? I wouldn't pay for it for myself, so I certainly wouldn't pay for 5 or 6 children who weren't even members of my family!!

OP, I think your idea of 'passing off' the pass as your own is a good idea - and a treat for those children who are in your particular small group as it will give you entry via the FoTL queues. In fact, it might make your group enivable as you get to 'jump the queues' that the other groups won't get to do. With the Universal pass, it's just a folded piece of card (I had one for our trip in March as I had an ECV) and is quite discrete. In fact, I have a feeling that when you and your son queue up to get the pass in the first place even if they did put his name on the pass, as the 'responsible adult' you would be expected to keep hold of it and present on his behalf anyway. To keep it discrete, all you would have to do is present it to the FoTL staff and say quietly to them that this is your son but can they please not broadcast that the card is for him, and I'm sure they'll have no problem with that at all.

Yes, I'm aware it's a school trip. However, since its seems so important for op too keep her son's disability a secret, I just threw out another option. Other posters were calling her out for not telling the truth, it seemed another idea to look at. If I were doing this and my group was 4-5 kids, I'd anty up and go this route. There are many things to consider-it's his first trip of this nature with his school. His desire for classmates not to know. If I were op I'd talk with the school to make sure the group I was in charge of had his bffs, and it was a smaller group of 4-5. This is not an unreasonable request considering the circumstances.

so you don't think the other groups on this field trip aren't going to complain about the special treatment your group gets? especially if you are passing it off as YOURS and not your child's?! if I were another parent and saw one group getting to 'skip' the lines I'd sure as hell complain about it ESPECIALLY if an ADULT is supposedly the one getting the special treatment.. an adult who, if they really do have qualifying issues should never be entrusted with the safety of other children. you gonna 'fess up if called on it by another parent who has a problem with it? or are you goingt o do the right thing as admit who the accommodation is REALLY for?

the longer he tries to hide it, the worse the reaction will be of his peers when it all comes to a head. Been there, done that. by trying to avoid the issue how in hell are his classmates supposed to learn about how to treat other people who are different? or to help him off the ledge when he freaks out?

when I was 12 and on school trips I was in a wheelchair. when I got to go at all. teachers and parents alike made damn sure no one got to 'benefit' from my status outside of myself and the person who got stuck pushing me around.

People who go around publicly admitting they plan on committing fraud are the ones that make it worse for everyone else. if he is so proud of himself let him OWN the accommodation.

I'm going to close this thread at this point because the OP's questions have been answered and it does not seem to be headed in a good direction.
I've been thinking of this thread while I was out today and have some food for thought - really based on the things below I pulled out from the original post.
If the OP would like the thread re-opened or would like to discuss more, please contact me.

CoopTroop6 said:

......group of 5 10-12yo kids! I'm chaperoning DS12's end-of-year field trip. Here's my dilemma: DS has Asperger's/Anxiety/ADHD/BiPolar(just got that diagnosis) & sensory issues. When we do WDW as a family we use a DAS for him, and he does very well as long as we avoid major crowds, use ear plugs, etc......

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I looked at UnderCover Tourist's Crowd calculator for this Thursday, 5/7/15 and it lists Universal IOA as 5 out of 10, so not particularly crowded.
But, having been to IOA, there are certain areas, like the Hogwarts area, that are very busy. Because it is designed like the original movie sets, the whole area is tight and can feel very crowded, even on days when the waits are fairly short.
So, although, it's not going to be the most crowded, you will still encounter crowds and many of them will be outside of line areas. So, you still will need to have a plan for the situations that might occur outside of lines/attractions.
If he normally wears ear plugs in the Disney parks, he will need them at Universal. I am certain that the others in his group will notice them and (being 10-12 yr old kids) they probably will ask some questions about them - they are not exactly usual theme park attire. So, you/your son will need to be aware that might come up.

DS is very high-functioning, and the majority of his friends & classmates are unaware he has any disabilities and he wants to keep it that way. He functions very well in normal day-to-day situations as long as we keep to routines, use his accommodations in school, keep up w/medication, etc. Things like theme parks really bring his issues out however. He was very reluctant to go on this trip because he's afraid having issues and/or meltdowns w/his friends around (thank you fragile 12yo ego & self-esteem).

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If the majority of his friends and classmates are unaware he has any disabilities, that sounds like he has some who are aware.
Are those kids coming on the trip? If so, I'd recommend you try to get those kids in your group.
Since they are already aware, there would be no need for you to pretend you have issues - they already know your son does.
If things like theme parks bring out his issues and he is already afraid of having issues or meltdowns, trying to keep a secret seems to me like throwing gasoline on the fire of his anxiety and might actually make him more likely to have issues.

I've got a niece and nephew with Aspergers and I can tell you for sure that most of their classmates knew there was something unusual about them. They are both extremely intelligent, but make comments and do things their parents kind of stopped noticing that were very evident to others.
For example, we were out with my sister and her son in a Mexican restaurant that had pictures of the food. When his order arrived, my nephew stared at his food for several minutes, then started cutting it into tiny pieces, about 1/4 inch square. He finished up with stirring around the food fragments for a few minutes before he ate a bite. My sister didn't bat an eye and acted like it was a normal occrance (which may have very well been true in her household), but everyone else at the table could not help noticing and there was a kind of uncomfortable silence about it. I told him I was curious why he cut his food that way and he said when it came, it "did not resemble the photograph adequately" (more or less his actual words), so in order to eat it, he needed to make it not resemble the photograph at all. After he cut it all up and stirred it around, he ate it all and commented that it was "remarkably tasty despite not having been prepared and presented exactly in the manner of the photograph" (again, pretty much his words).
There may be things like that which are not on your radar, but the other kids will notice because they are not usual things.

So my 2nd issues is, if US does offer their version of a DAS, is there a way to obtain & use it that won't cue his classmates in? .......
(we live near Orlando, so every year has a theme park trip). I'm really hoping for some advice!

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Again, if you can get kids in your group that are already aware of his issues, it would greatly simplify things (even if that means you have a smaller than average group).
You may be able to get and use Universal's version of the DAS and lead the kids to believe it is yours, not his. if any of the kids are frequent visitors to Universal, they will know you are using the pass because the experience will be different.
Also if you are supposedly the one using it, it means you will need to go on each attraction, even if he wants to go on the big roller coaster and you don't.
I'd rely more on planning and the Universal app do you can see which attractions you can go on without a long wait and without using the card.

The final thing I thought of is you need to plan for how your son will clue you in if he is having issues or is heading for a meltdown. If he has enough warning, he might be able to discretely let you know, but then what?
Will you be able to get another parent chaperone or teacher to take your group so you can take care of your son's need?