Crohns and DAS = denied. MODERATOR NOTE: No diagnosis is automatically allowed or denied for DAS. DAS is issued based on needs, not diagnosis

[TwoMisfits]

I see this is specific to DisneyLAND, which may or may not have different issues with regards to DAS and/or Rider Swap. Some things are the same between the 2 coasts while others work differently.

However, I don't really see how Rider Swap helps a DAS-holder other than making them split up their party. I suppose the DAS-holder plus another could wait while Party1 rides, then use the swap. But other than splitting up the party it doesn't seem to be a replacement for DAS.




It could also be WDW. The link PP shared above is about Disneyland in CA, which sometimes does things different from the FL parks. The link does specifically mention Rider Swap being for a guest who cannot wait in the queue and needs another member of the party to do so for them. But I don't see the value of using Rider Swap like that vs DAS because it splits the party up.

I don't see it as providing value to DAS. I see it as Disney resolving the abuse issue they have by moving a lot of current accommodation to "wait outside the line" just for the holder for big parties with a DAS holder vs everyone getting to wait outside the line (DAS and non-DAS holders). The policy also does accommodate for those issues that "pop up", but are not "all the time".

It perversely gives DAS holders' incentive to NOT have a big party on DAS, which would enable Disney to have you do Rider Swap each line, vs having a party of only one adult (with or without minor kids) who could not do the same.

 

[lanejudy]

I don't see it as providing value to DAS.

I didn't say provide value "to DAS" -- it provides no value to those who need a DAS. In fact, it punishes those with disabilities who are so frequently split anyway. Walt built Disney (originally DL then WDW) to provide opportunity for parents to ride attractions with their children. DAS is already limited to the DAS-holder plus 5, which seems more than reasonable and likely is not a problem for the vast majority of DAS users.

I understand what is being proposed (again, this appears to only be in CA not FL), but I disagree with the concept as a "replacement" for DAS unless guests choose this method (and some might). It likely takes longer and splits up the party. Why make a party of 4 -- mom, dad and 2 kids -- split up unnecessarily? A party of 8 or 10 I can understand that but DAS already makes them split so this solves nothing in that regard and makes the party of 4 unhappy.

 

[DisneyOma]

I don't think parties of 1 and 2 have been the big problem.

As an accommodation, rider swap is a smart solution for Disney to cut down on abuse. It now does not provide advantage to folks who are abusing the system.

But the posted quote from the Disney website says nothing about the size of the party - so if you are a party of 2, you can use DAS, but a party of 3 can't? It doesn't specify size at all, so it sounds like everyone has to do it, IMO.

 

[2tinkerbell]

Disney can’t and doesn’t accommodate every disability. We have learned that we, especially my DD, have to accommodate her more than the DAS or even the GAC has ever done. For example, my DD has severe visual perceptual/spatial issues along with visual acuity problems. She has to be up close with not a lot of figure ground. She had never been to Fantasmic. So we paid for lunch at Blue Bayou (Disneyland) just so we could get seated in the center section. Then we arrived at the line up early. When a CM would tell us we couldn’t line up yet, we quietly explained my DDS situation. When the line was allowed to form, the CM made sure we were first. In fact he walked my DD down prior to letting others in and pointed where things would happen so she could decide where to sit so she could “see.” Another example are parades. We sit on the curb early, sometimes waiting for 3 hours. Because of my DD’s other problems, we take a blanket so she has some space behind her. It is really hard when people come up and stand right behind her, in her space. She kindly asks them to not stand right behind her and give her “at least 5 inches.” It is also hard because my DD is an adult and so often parents want their small children to sit in front of her or squeeze them to the side. No, sorry. This last trip we found the perfect spot where the rope is behind her. So many time people tried to squeeze under the rope. My DD just had to keep telling them to not squeeze into her space. Finally a CM directing the sidewalk traffic stood behind my DD so no one would try to squeeze under the rope and into my DD. Outside of Disney we accommodate by getting the expensive 1st or 2nd row center seats at the ballet, symphony, etc. If we can’t afford it, we don’t go.

No one or no business can do everything. DAS doesn’t do every thing for us. We arrived one morning and my DD’s anxiety was on overdrive. We just went back to the hotel for the day. Yes, we have to fly to DL, yes we spend a lot of money on our trips (but no more than the rest who are out of town). But it is better to accommodate what my DD needs than to push and have her miserable. We don’t go on vacation to be miserable.

 

[ttintagel]

Disney can’t and doesn’t accommodate every disability. We have learned that we, especially my DD, have to accommodate her more than the DAS or even the GAC has ever done. For example, my DD has severe visual perceptual/spatial issues along with visual acuity problems. She has to be up close with not a lot of figure ground. She had never been to Fantasmic. So we paid for lunch at Blue Bayou (Disneyland) just so we could get seated in the center section. Then we arrived at the line up early. When a CM would tell us we couldn’t line up yet, we quietly explained my DDS situation. When the line was allowed to form, the CM made sure we were first. In fact he walked my DD down prior to letting others in and pointed where things would happen so she could decide where to sit so she could “see.” Another example are parades. We sit on the curb early, sometimes waiting for 3 hours. Because of my DD’s other problems, we take a blanket so she has some space behind her. It is really hard when people come up and stand right behind her, in her space. She kindly asks them to not stand right behind her and give her “at least 5 inches.” It is also hard because my DD is an adult and so often parents want their small children to sit in front of her or squeeze them to the side. No, sorry. This last trip we found the perfect spot where the rope is behind her. So many time people tried to squeeze under the rope. My DD just had to keep telling them to not squeeze into her space. Finally a CM directing the sidewalk traffic stood behind my DD so no one would try to squeeze under the rope and into my DD. Outside of Disney we accommodate by getting the expensive 1st or 2nd row center seats at the ballet, symphony, etc. If we can’t afford it, we don’t go.

No one or no business can do everything. DAS doesn’t do every thing for us. We arrived one morning and my DD’s anxiety was on overdrive. We just went back to the hotel for the day. Yes, we have to fly to DL, yes we spend a lot of money on our trips (but no more than the rest who are out of town). But it is better to accommodate what my DD needs than to push and have her miserable. We don’t go on vacation to be miserable.

I wish all CMs had the same attitude. That's one way in which the old GAC program was superior. Once you successfully pleaded your case to one cast member at GR and got your vision stamp, the CMs at each attraction would all do whatever they could to accommodate. Unfortunately, it's a lot more hit or miss now that it's left to each individual Cast Member's discretion. Not to mention that it eats up a lot of time and energy explaining your needs over and over at each attraction and hoping for the best.

 

[gottalovepluto]

This change just popped up on Disneyland website. For those who think Disney must offer DAS. At least some people are going to be told no. If anyone is told yes.
https://disneyland.disney.go.com/guest-services/rider-switch/
The part that applies:
Reasons for rider swap

• Cannot wait the duration of the queue and needs another member of their party to do the waiting for them

Omg I would cry. To be there with my friend or family and I have to wait on the outside of all the rides and then they all have to wait while I go back and ride? I’m getting depressed thinking about that. I already feel like a heel to my loved ones with my issues when I travel with them. Obviously they don’t think that but it doesn’t stop how I feel. I also travel solo so it wouldn’t matter to that but when you’re traveling with people, you want to be with them.

I’m desperately hoping this is a way of dealing with people who have random sudden issues right before they ride or have to exit the line so the CMs have some leeway in dealing with them instead of saying sorry tough luck the kid waited until right before the ride to have to pee NOW.

 

[gottalovepluto]

The upside is rider switch is not mentioned anywhere on the Disneyland disability page. If they roll it out as a DAS replacement they’re gonna have to tell people.

 

[theluckyrabbit]

The upside is rider switch is not mentioned anywhere on the Disneyland disability page. If they roll it out as a DAS replacement they’re gonna have to tell people.

When I renewed my DAS at DL a few weeks ago, the plaid did discuss this with me. She never said "Rider Swap," but it was obvious to me what she was describing. She did not say that I had to use that option or that it was for everyone applying for DAS. She did say that it works fine for some people, but she didn't in any way try to force me to use it. She was very friendly and helpful and renewed my DAS without any issues.

 

[gottalovepluto]

When I renewed my DAS at DL a few weeks ago, the plaid did discuss this with me. She never said "Rider Swap," but it was obvious to me what she was describing. She did not say that I had to use that option or that it was for everyone applying for DAS. She did say that it works fine for some people, but she didn't in any way try to force me to use it. She was very friendly and helpful and renewed my DAS without any issues.

That is great to hear, thank you for sharing. Not mandating it would make it an improvement actually as DAS users have never really had an alternative option aside from FP/G+.

 

[nalabear]

Disney can’t and doesn’t accommodate every disability. We have learned that we, especially my DD, have to accommodate her more than the DAS or even the GAC has ever done. For example, my DD has severe visual perceptual/spatial issues along with visual acuity problems. She has to be up close with not a lot of figure ground. She had never been to Fantasmic. So we paid for lunch at Blue Bayou (Disneyland) just so we could get seated in the center section. Then we arrived at the line up early. When a CM would tell us we couldn’t line up yet, we quietly explained my DDS situation. When the line was allowed to form, the CM made sure we were first. In fact he walked my DD down prior to letting others in and pointed where things would happen so she could decide where to sit so she could “see.” Another example are parades. We sit on the curb early, sometimes waiting for 3 hours. Because of my DD’s other problems, we take a blanket so she has some space behind her. It is really hard when people come up and stand right behind her, in her space. She kindly asks them to not stand right behind her and give her “at least 5 inches.” It is also hard because my DD is an adult and so often parents want their small children to sit in front of her or squeeze them to the side. No, sorry. This last trip we found the perfect spot where the rope is behind her. So many time people tried to squeeze under the rope. My DD just had to keep telling them to not squeeze into her space. Finally a CM directing the sidewalk traffic stood behind my DD so no one would try to squeeze under the rope and into my DD. Outside of Disney we accommodate by getting the expensive 1st or 2nd row center seats at the ballet, symphony, etc. If we can’t afford it, we don’t go.

No one or no business can do everything. DAS doesn’t do every thing for us. We arrived one morning and my DD’s anxiety was on overdrive. We just went back to the hotel for the day. Yes, we have to fly to DL, yes we spend a lot of money on our trips (but no more than the rest who are out of town). But it is better to accommodate what my DD needs than to push and have her miserable. We don’t go on vacation to be miserable.

Stated policies simply cannot cover all contingencies. It is does, it is leveraged and abused by others as happened with GAC. DAS tried to rebalance this while still providing accommodations to make Disney trips magical for as many as possible.

In your situation, your DD falls into that 2 Standard deviation that any policy simply is not sufficient. Have you discussed your case with CityHall directly and see what they can place in her profile to look up? They may have something specifically available.

Regardless, this is where individual CMs sprinkle pixie dust to make things special and bless them for managing the lines/crowds as they get it from all sides.

 

[Twitterpaited]

This thread is making me nervous. I recently had my first MS attack and have had urgent incontinence since then. Like with Crohn’s, when you got to go, you got to go. I don’t like that CMs are encouraging having someone save their place in line. That is just encouraging line jumping, which makes me very uncomfortable and can cause conflicts between guests.

 

[Twitterpaited]

No, and it's been ages since I was at DL, which has many more rides that it would be difficult to join your party for. I was allowed to slip in plenty of exits at DL/CA to join my group, though.

It's not a DAS replacement - the chaos would be worse than the old DL pirates alternate entrance lines. But for circumstances where a DAS is not justified, it does help.

How do they let you slip through the exit?

 

[Twitterpaited]

I think that one of the issues is that there are many different types of DAS users, and no one (besides Disney if they cared to look) has any way of knowing how big the populations are. Furthermore, one's perception of DAS probably varies significantly based on his/her own lived experience.

Simplistically, let's pretend that there are 3 types of users:

A: Severely disabled - this group struggles may only be able to manage a couple of rides even with accommodations. I would be willing to go out on a limb and say that no one would really complain about life being made slightly easier for this group.

B: "Average" DAS users - this group faces challenges, but with help may be able to have something resembling a "normal" Disney experience. Number of rides and quality of the experience depends on the day/individual. Eg. I have a friend who is a DAS user who can rope drop AND close the park, but others on the board find advanced selections too challenging and only manage a few rides before having to leave.

C: DAS cheaters (or more charitably those who don't REALLY need accommodations) - perhaps lured by the idea of the 2 advance selections or just the idea of maximizing park time, this group lies/stretches the truth in order to get accommodations. Without having any real limitations, they sign up for the best rides they can in advance, and then will book in park reservations for headliners while they stand in line for other rides, watch a show, eat, or shop. This group clearly has a better than "normal" park experience.

Because so many disabilities/limitations are not visible, it's impossible to know who is a B and who is a C. Disney does their best, but cast members are not perfect and it would be foolish to pretend that the C bucket does not exist. I have said this before but the advanced selection piece is the part that really bothers me because it is not available through Genie+ and gives a very strong incentive for "C" families to try to game the system, thus degrading the experience for DAS and non-DAS users alike.

My sister got DAS the last time we went as a family, about a year ago. I really did not think those pre-selected rides were all that important and would be happy to give them up if it made the system more fair and less alluring to the “cheaters.”

 

[Twitterpaited]

chiming in here because my husband I believes falls much more into the A category than the B, yet since it is invisible I fear he will not be allowed the DAS pass. he is on permanent disability due to his very severe chronic fatigue and anxiety and depression, and body pain which are so limiting that at home he has (as stated by a specialist) only about 2-4 useable hours in the day to do anything besides rest, including day to day issues such as eat, shower etc. Being in one position for any length of time makes his pain much worse. We have rented a mobility scooter (just walking to the turnstiles would pretty much deplete his energy for the day) and have bought Genie +, and there's a lot of rides he will not be able to ride regardless of the queue.. (jerky ones that will exacerbate his body pain)..... but STILL even with all this i am afraid he will spend the entire day in the hotel room, missing most if not entire days of our trip (which is a very special trip as we last went 10 years ago--who knows if we'll get there again before another 10 years.) He's really only going because he wants to see our youngest two daughters experience Disneyland for the first time, see their faces as they ride different rides for the first time! My problem is I've been advised and read in lots of places that they don't really give DAS for energy issues. They think it can be solved by a scooter, but it can't. He has x amount of energy and it's gone when it's gone. Being in busy crowded lines will tire him out faster and ramp up his anxiety, even while in his scooter.... A das would probably allow him to actually ride a handful of rides vs probably only one or two before his energy window is depleted for the day. I'm trying to help him gear up to ask for the DAS pass. I absolutely believe it is a needed accomodation for him but I don't know if they will dismiss it because of biases about 'energy issues' (cuz--duh, EVERYONE has energy issues at a theme park right? But his are not normal energy issues, they are severe, exacerbated by severe anxiety and chronic pain and I dont' know how to get him to explain that.)

Besides his energy being depleted, does he have any other reactions to his anxiety that might make it difficult to wait in line?

 

[dawnball]

How do they let you slip through the exit?

https://disneyland.disney.go.com/me...DF/Disneyland_Disabilities_Guide_09112015.pdf The mobility access options were usually the best/easiest for CMs way to join your party near loading.

 

[SteveMouse]

…

As for a TikTok trend of people claiming IBS. You knew this was going to happen. We all knew this was going to happen. As soon as the program came out and people realized DAS was going to give you a free option to do many of the same things, they were going to find ways to cheat the system. Unfortunately HIPPA does not allow Disney to require any documentation to prove disability. No doctor's notes. Nothing that would actually validate the request.

For a variety of reason, a doctor’s note is comparatively useless. Just listing a diagnosis doesn’t identify need. What, for example, does fibrodysplasia ossicans progressiva mean, in terms of visiting Disney?

When completing other paperwork where a description of disease impact is required, I usually draft a document and give it to my doctor, who will make needed changes and submit it.

I may very well know more about my condition than my general practitione. It is a really rare condition that affects each person differently, within some broad constraints.

 

[PDXmouse]

I think people underestimate 2 things about DAS users:

How much time they spend NOT doing rides on a typical park day

How much less time they spend in the parks overall compared to a typical visitor

This for sure. My daughter is autistic and we can never do a full day in the parks. She loves Disney but can't handle more than 3-5 hours (5 hours includes a TS meal) otherwise she gets so overstimulated she will melt down. In the hours we are in the park we frequently have to stop and find quieter, tucked away areas for her to shed some of the overstimulation before we can head out again.

I see trip reports of people going to parks for 8, 10, 12+ hours and know our family could never do it that way. So we appreciate the help DAS gives us to make the most of the few hours we can spend in the parks each day.

 

[lurain1974]

I think you know this but just to be clear for others ... the ADA does NOT specifically identify diagnoses as disabling conditions. The ADA defines a disability as "a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities." That's not to say IBD or IBS don't qualify under that, but stating the ADA considers these disabling conditions implies a list of qualifying diagnoses which the ADA does not maintain.



That is a common misconception among people who wish to do away or limit accommodations. The ADA does require businesses to offer "reasonable accommodations" for people with disabilities. The specific accommodation is not spelled out and is left to the business to determine how to reasonably accommodate. There may be some disability needs that cannot reasonably be accommodated without interfering with business operations, but that doesn't mean no legal requirement to offer what can be accommodated.


DAS is not intended to provided equal time or equal number of attractions per day or equal experience by any definition. It is intended to provide equal access to the attraction.

I always thought that DAS was suppose to allow disabled families an experience comparable to standby. But, we know DAS is far superior to standby.

 

[Lilsia]

I always thought that DAS was suppose to allow disabled families an experience comparable to standby. But, we know DAS is far superior to standby.

It depends on someone's issues. Not everyone can go on their merry way while they are waiting for their return time. Some have to find a quiet place to get away from things, some have to tube feed their child, some need to stay close to a restroom. Plus DAS users usually wait longer to get on a ride than those in the standby line. The posted time is usually inflated and then they still have to wait 10-20+ minutes in the LL. I don't know what some imagine people are doing, but it is probably is not going on a bunch of other rides. And this is comparable as is possible, unless you want to lock these people up in a room while they are waiting for their return time.

 

[lanejudy]

I always thought that DAS was suppose to allow disabled families an experience comparable to standby. But, we know DAS is far superior to standby.

DAS is intended to allow for equal access to the attractions for the person with a disability, as the ADA specifies. That's why those using mobility devices do not need DAS because the queues are accessible. There really is no way to ensure "comparable experience" for anybody, disabled or not, because experiences will vary. It is intended to provide accommodation for the individual, not the family, though the family (up to 5 others) is allowed to accompany the DAS-holder. That's why the DAS-holder must ride and the DAS cannot be used by the family while the DAS-holder skips an attraction.