Autism Accomodations in Disneyland?

[Andrea0710]

I am new to this board and very excited to be taking my first trip to Disneyland in November! My son, who is 5 and has moderate autism, is the reason we are going because he absolutely LOVES Cars and cannot wait to see Cars Land.

I have two questions concerning the autism accomodations in Disneyland.

1. I planned on just getting a letter from his pediatrician stating his diagnosis. Is that enough for the accomodations? Also, what sort of accomodations will this special needs pass get him?

2. Also, he tends to want French fries with each meal. Is there a way to have French fries at a dining location even if the restaurant does not have that on the menu?

Thanks in advance for answering my questions! I can't wait to plan more!

 

[lalasmama]

They cannot look at a letter from your doctor for a diagnosis. As you well know, autism looks different for every single person. So, they need to know what kind of adaptations need to be made. Alternative waiting area with room to move? Stroller as a wheelchair for comforting confinement? Things like that.

As far as fries with most meals, that shouldn't be too tough, but may mean some creative/multiple dining stops to pull everything together.

 

[Howry]

We have a 7 year old with autism and I am just going to throw out what we learned when we went last October.

1. We didn't have to provide any kind of letter or anything with a diagnosis of his Autism. He did have to be present when we went to city hall and asked what options they had for kids with autism. What they do, is have what is similar to a fast pass that can be used on rides to help avoid waiting in long lines. The catch is, you have to get them from city hall. So you can get one for say Jungle Cruise and go and ride jungle cruise, then you have to walk all the back to city hall to get another one. We found it to be a big pain in the butt as after every ride you had to go back to city hall to have them give you one for a different ride. After the first couple of rides we did this way we decided it was much more hassle then help.

2. If the restaurant doesn't advertise french fries then they are most likely not setup to make them. You could buy french fries from one of the places that has them and take them to whatever restaurant the rest of the family wants to eat at.

Unfortunately I found there overall accomodations for kids with autism to really not be very helpful. Maybe something has changed in 2017 but as of the end of 2016 it wasn't worth the time in my opinion.

 

[Andrea0710]

Thanks so much to all of you!

 

[Kender]

You do not have to go all the way back to City Hall every time. That certainly wasn't the process when I last used it (2015 not too long after they switched to DAS from the old system) and isn't what it says online.

https://disneyland.disney.go.com/guest-services/guests-with-disabilities/

You do go to City Hall to get the DAS added to the child's pass. But you can add the next ride at any guest relations kiosk and I don't see why they'd have changed it from adding it at the ride itself (which is how it was handled when I last used it). But maybe they have adjusted that part.

The cold with the DAS does have to go on the ride. You can't make a reservation for a ride the cold can't ride.

For DCA if waiting is an issue, make sure to note this.

Honestly I think it's worth it if you have a child that has issues with lines. The child I went with could only handle max about 30 minutes before he'd have a meltdown on us. DAS was a lifesaver.

 

[ashley0139]

We have a 7 year old with autism and I am just going to throw out what we learned when we went last October.

1. We didn't have to provide any kind of letter or anything with a diagnosis of his Autism. He did have to be present when we went to city hall and asked what options they had for kids with autism. What they do, is have what is similar to a fast pass that can be used on rides to help avoid waiting in long lines. The catch is, you have to get them from city hall. So you can get one for say Jungle Cruise and go and ride jungle cruise, then you have to walk all the back to city hall to get another one. We found it to be a big pain in the butt as after every ride you had to go back to city hall to have them give you one for a different ride. After the first couple of rides we did this way we decided it was much more hassle then help.

2. If the restaurant doesn't advertise french fries then they are most likely not setup to make them. You could buy french fries from one of the places that has them and take them to whatever restaurant the rest of the family wants to eat at.

Unfortunately I found there overall accomodations for kids with autism to really not be very helpful. Maybe something has changed in 2017 but as of the end of 2016 it wasn't worth the time in my opinion.

Why do you think that? That is absolutely not true. There are kiosks in each land where you can get a return time.

 

[wilkeliza]

Diagnosis doesn't matter and they can not look at a Drs note.

Think about why your son can not wait in the standard line. You must be able to articulate it to the guest relations CM. If you are given a DAS you can pick a ride and they will load the return time onto the tickets. The time will be based on the current wait time minus 10 minutes. You can only hold 1 DAS return at a time and can only do it for rides he is willing and able to ride.

At Disneyland you get the return times at the Guest Relations Kiosk. You do no have to go back to city hall rvery time you go to one of those kiosks and telll them waht ride you want. Your son does not have to be there for thag part only for the return and ride.

You can leverage FP and DAS to shorten waits but know the wait to get a DAS may be the worst especially if crowded.

Now to point 2 nope if a restaurant doesn't have french fries they can't poof and make them appear. So if french fries are that much of a necessity you have 2 options. 1 only book restaurants that have them or 2 stop at a quick service that has them on your way to any reservation to pick some up. If he needs them at breakfast as well you will have a much harder time.

 

[DLgal]

Why do you think that? That is absolutely not true. There are kiosks in each land where you can get a return time.

Yeah, that's unfortunate that they thought they had to do that.

Just look for the for the Green umbrellas. Those are the kiosks to go to to get DAS return times.

OP: Have you visited the parks with your child before? If not, try and see what happens without any sort of special pass first, before you try and obtain one. The reason I say this is, you need to have some concrete examples of what part of waiting in line is challenging for your child and/or what will happen if he has to wait in a line. This is what they will ask you. They are only permitted to ask two questions:

1. What are your concerns with waiting in standard lines?

2. How will having a Disability Access Service pass make your visit more successful/enjoyable?

You need some experience before you can answer these questions.

 

[Midnightred]

Hi! I have 2 boys with Autism, ages 13 and 15. We have made 3 trips to Disneyland and just went for 5 days in June. My older son does not require a DAS. My youngest son has such severe problems that he was only able to spend 1/2 a day in the parks . We were able to spend one morning in the park and had a wonderful time, crowds were light, so we didn't require a DAS. We road all the Fantasyland rides almost and then ate breakfast in Frontierland. When we went to City Hall and we asked for the DAS, they were very kind and respectful. They asked what would happen if my son had to wait in a long line and I showed them bruises from where he injures himself. We were able to go to Haunted Mansion after that then he was totally done. We had the best time we could and we're pleased with our experience. All in all I feel that Disneyland is a great place for people with disabilities! Here's a picture of my boys on Alice with me and my friend. Headphones are an absolute must!


Midnightred

 

[bcla]

Under most disabilities law, a person can't specifically be asked about a disability in order to gain disabled access, and even if you volunteer it I doubt that they're equipped to hear it or do anything on that basis.

I do understand that the old Guest Assistance Card system worked well for those with autism who just couldn't take lines and/or couldn't handle a longer day without melting down. It's my understanding that a lot of families might come for the 3-4 hours that an autistic guest might be able to handle it, and perhaps gain access to as many rides as most people might manage in an entire day. The system was essentially a front of the line pass to bypass everyone else without waiting. And you can imagine how it could be abused by kids (without a real need) claiming to need a GAC as well as those with legitimate disabilities hiring out their services to unrelated groups just to gain front of the line access. However, part of the issue was that there were enough legitimate users that it detracted from the experience of others.

 

[StormyCA]

I think, but I may be wrong, that if the 'wait elsewhere' return time you get at the kiosks won't work for the person/child being accommodated, then City Hall has the option to give them an immediate entry FP. Maybe that's why the PP ended up going to CH every time.

 

[Indiana Scott]

My son is on the autism spectrum and is developemementally disabled. He will always be a 2 to 6 y/o little boy but he is very happy and enjoys life in many ways.
The first couple of times we took him to DLR, we used the then, Happy Hearts program to keep from waiting in lines where he would act up and get over stimulated.
After those first two visits, frankly, I felt guilty using this special access. After that we skipped the pass and worked at spending time in shorter lines. We slowly worked our way up to longer lines and Wes adapted fairly well. He sometimes still had issues, but we either moved to a shorter lined attraction or asked him to try harder and go on a ride he wanted, like SM. We often left it up to him and he enjoyed being part of the decision making and part of the solution. The more we asked Wes to adapt, the more he actually did albeit very slowly and not all in one or two of our yearly trips.
Wes is now 27 and we haven't used special access programs in the last ten+ years.
This wasn't always the easiest way to do DL but we all grew and found our way to enjoy the parks. And I feel better while I'm there.
YMMV,

Scott

 

[wilkeliza]

I think, but I may be wrong, that if the 'wait elsewhere' return time you get at the kiosks won't work for the person/child being accommodated, then City Hall has the option to give them an immediate entry FP. Maybe that's why the PP ended up going to CH every time.

That is 100% not a guarentee and something they were trying very very hard to phase out. Anytime FPs was ruled to be more than in accommodation so they haven't been doing it nearly as much. They may give the first one as an auto-return but rarely give then for every ride at every ask now.

Universal is different and in the case that their guest return system still doesn't work for a family they can discuss with a specialty lead who may give them what is basically a free express pass and since it is an extra plus than accommodation they can ask for doctors notes as well as discuss with the person to determine if it is fully warrented or not.

 

[Howry]

Man that really sucks. The lady at city hall said once we go on a ride to come back and they will set us up for the next ride. I wish she had told us about the other stations. Would have worked so much better. Thanks for letting me know as we are going back in May and will give it another try. Appreciate the info.

 

[DLgal]

Man that really sucks. The lady at city hall said once we go on a ride to come back and they will set us up for the next ride. I wish she had told us about the other stations. Would have worked so much better. Thanks for letting me know as we are going back in May and will give it another try. Appreciate the info.

Didn't she give you a little paper to sign and keep? That has all the details on how it works as well as a list of all the locations you can go.

In Disneyland:
Near Dumbo
Near Star Traders Store
Near Haunted Mansion
City Hall

In DCA:
Near Carsland entrance
Near Toy Story Midway Mania
Guest Relations at the park entrance

 

[Andrea0710]

I greatly appreciate all this wonderful information. Thank you so much!

 

[cdunn03]

Hi! We are heading to Disneyland on Friday. My son has Autusm and he is 18. It will be our first time at Disneyland but we have been to WDW multiple times. I am hoping for a great experience and will be asking for the GAC. He has some extreme sensory issues and does not do will with waiting in big lines. Will post when I get back about our experience. Hoping for a wonderful vacation!

 

[wilkeliza]

Hi! We are heading to Disneyland on Friday. My son has Autusm and he is 18. It will be our first time at Disneyland but we have been to WDW multiple times. I am hoping for a great experience and will be asking for the GAC. He has some extreme sensory issues and does not do will with waiting in big lines. Will post when I get back about our experience. Hoping for a wonderful vacation!

Just know it is not the GAC so any information you have read about that is outdated. It is now DAS and works slightly different then WDWs. At DL you go to the kiosks mentioned above to get your return time not the attraction itself. Also FP is different so make sure you are using FP correctly and you can really maximize the experience. This weekend we saw a lot of rides where you could get FPs for 5-10 minutes later when standby was 45+ minutes.

 

[Malcon10t]

n Disneyland:
Near Dumbo
Near Star Traders Store
Near Haunted Mansion
City Hall

In DCA:
Near Carsland entrance
Near Toy Story Midway Mania
Guest Relations at the park entrance

Add to these, in Disneyland, the information board near the hub can also add a ride, and in DCA, the information board by Carthay can add rides to the AP.

 

[theluckyrabbit]

Just a heads up to those needing a DAS for issues other than autism: CMs seem to be increasingly resistant to discussing this. Friends have told me that it is exhausting and borderline humiliating trying to explain why they need a DAS and how it would help. The basic answer is that DAS is really only for autism and anyone else should just rent a wheelchair or an ECV (even if said issue has nothing to do with mobility). I tried this out today at Chamber of Commerce and am sorry to say that my friends' experiences are true. The CM asked way more than 2 questions, put me through the wringer, almost had me in tears, and had DH not come to my rescue, I'm not sure what would have happened. I do not have a mobility problem and kept repeating that, but the CM kept telling me that she wouldn't give me a DAS ("I can't control your environment" -- what? I'm not asking you to do that and never said anything to that effect) and that I should get a wheelchair. So while Disney is very accomodating to children on the spectrum, they aren't training their CMs well in dealing with other (invisible) disabilities. She made it quite clear that she was not happy giving me a DAS (terse tone, pursed lips, loud sighs, etc.).
I was not given a piece of paper to sign and keep, but signed an electronic tablet. The CM gave me 2 maps with the green umbrella locations circled.