DAS changes coming WDW May 20/ DL June 18, 2024

[bambialways4ever]

I am slightly confused but the gist of what I am understanding is for me a hearing impaired individual there is no great impact as Disney has left it for me to navigate on my own. It’s fine but I just don’t understand the need to make it more difficult in general.

Did you previously qualify for DAS just for being hearing impaired or are you trying to for the first time now and are worried?

I only ask because my sister in law is deaf w/ CI's and hasn't qualified since the GAC days, she has been told over the years deafness alone isn't enough to warrant a DAS.

 

[bambialways4ever]

If you have needs that impact your ability to be in a standard queue environment, the hearing impairment won’t preclude you from qualifying for DAS. If the hearing is your only need, I’m not sure why you couldn’t be in the standard queue. I don’t say that to be rude, and maybe there is an implication I didn’t realize. Which is why diagnosis isn’t the determining factor but rather explaining the individual’s needs.

This is exactly what my deaf sister in law has been told by CMs.

 

[CAPSLOCK]

I only ask because my sister in law is deaf w/ CI's and hasn't qualified since the GAC days, she has been told over the years deafness alone isn't enough to warrant a DAS.

This is exactly what my deaf sister in law has been told by CMs.

Which makes sense, hearing or visual impairments aren't a need to wait outside a normal queue environment.

 

[Evita_W]

Which makes sense, hearing or visual impairments aren't a need to wait outside a normal queue environment.

No, but other accommodations may be appropriate, such as a CM escorting through a dark line with a flashlight for visual impairments. One could try to say that the person could just use their own flashlight and technically that is true; however, from a gust control point of view that could become problematic as some guests would take offense to the person doing so and it could be a source for fights, so it would be better to have a cast member escort them in such situations. The problem then becomes that obviously they are not going to want the CM to be waiting in the standby queue, so there really are no simple answers with this stuff.

 

[OurBigTrip]

No, but other accommodations may be appropriate, such as a CM escorting through a dark line with a flashlight for visual impairments. One could try to say that the person could just use their own flashlight and technically that is true; however, from a gust control point of view that could become problematic as some guests would take offense to the person doing so and it could be a source for fights, so it would be better to have a cast member escort them in such situations. The problem then becomes that obviously they are not going to want the CM to be waiting in the standby queue, so there really are no simple answers with this stuff.

Not at all reasonable to expect a CM to escort a guest through the line with a flashlight.

 

[lanejudy]

No, but other accommodations may be appropriate

You are changing the focus of the discussion. The posts leading to this stated they didn't qualify for DAS with deaf/hearing impairment. DAS only provided 1 accommodation and that was to wait outside the standby queue. The discussion wasn't hypothesizing about what could be offered, it's about the past and still-current DAS.

And another reminder not to speculate about what might be offered. It causes confusion and pit one disability against another. In a couple of weeks we should know what WDW is offering as alternative accommodations.

 

[BingoJoe]

No, but other accommodations may be appropriate, such as a CM escorting through a dark line with a flashlight for visual impairments. One could try to say that the person could just use their own flashlight and technically that is true; however, from a gust control point of view that could become problematic as some guests would take offense to the person doing so and it could be a source for fights, so it would be better to have a cast member escort them in such situations. The problem then becomes that obviously they are not going to want the CM to be waiting in the standby queue, so there really are no simple answers with this stuff.

I mean, I don't think its on Disney to provide one on one assistance to people and that's beyond DAS anyway. If you are visually impaired and need a guide surely you bring your own?

For example I provide BSL translations when required to my daughter, to let her know about audio cues and instructions. She wouldn't expect to have a special cast member assigned to her to do it.

 

[lanejudy]

For example I provide BSL translations when required to my daughter, to let her know about audio cues and instructions. She wouldn't expect to have a special cast member assigned to her to do it.

I don't know how different BSL is to ASL, but are you aware WDW does offer ASL at certain attractions/shows? There's a schedule: https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/g...es/#drawer-card-DrawerRequestSLInterpretation

 

[Evita_W]

Sorry, responded to an inaccurate post.

 

[Evita_W]

I mean, I don't think its on Disney to provide one on one assistance to people and that's beyond DAS anyway. If you are visually impaired and need a guide surely you bring your own?

For example I provide BSL translations when required to my daughter, to let her know about audio cues and instructions. She wouldn't expect to have a special cast member assigned to her to do it.

Not one on one and I never said that they would, but at certain queues that are exceptionally dark and have twists and turns, such as Finding Nemo at EPCOT, Indiana Jones at Disneyland, Haunted Mansion (Both Coasts) definitely will have someone with a flashlight escort a visually impaired guest through the queue, DH has witnessed this a lot, I have seen it a couple of times. But that’s a whole different story, this isn’t about what accommodations would be offered, but the point is they would still need to account for a wait time somehow.

 

[bambialways4ever]

Which makes sense, hearing or visual impairments aren't a need to wait outside a normal queue environment.

Agreed.

In case anyone has questions: my sister in law was a child when she was using GAC, so it was her parents requesting it, and they were told by the deaf community they were apart of about it.

So not trying to argue she should have qualified, just explaining why she initially believed she would qualify for DAS, and that she has since learned she doesn't.

 

[bambialways4ever]

No, but other accommodations may be appropriate, such as a CM escorting through a dark line with a flashlight for visual impairments. One could try to say that the person could just use their own flashlight and technically that is true; however, from a gust control point of view that could become problematic as some guests would take offense to the person doing so and it could be a source for fights, so it would be better to have a cast member escort them in such situations. The problem then becomes that obviously they are not going to want the CM to be waiting in the standby queue, so there really are no simple answers with this stuff.

My sister in law does get other, non-DAS accommodations. But nothing that has been announced as part of the changes, and she has always "spoke" (ie her interpreter) to GS in person day of.

 

[lanejudy]

when she was using GAC

Yes, quite possibly. GAC was very different from DAS in that it had various stamps as different accommodations for different needs.

 

[bambialways4ever]

Yes, quite possibly. GAC was very different from DAS in that it had various stamps as different accommodations for different needs.

Yep, it was a different time! GAC was very different and like I said the family learned about it from their Deaf community friends, so at the time GAC had different allowances.

We took a trip altogether in 2022 to Land and talked all about how different it was back then vs now (they visited at least annually because her grandparents lived 20 minutes away in CA) as our nuclear family uses DAS too but for nothing remotely related lol. Was interesting to learn more!

 

[Unity]

WDW Passholder and just applied last Thursday for a May 27/28 trip. Nothing different from past calls, booked advance selections, and they said the pass was good though June 25th.

I can't say this with 100% certainty, but that seems to be consistent with what everyone who has reported on receiving a DAS in this thread has experienced.

Nope! As seen above it is not consistent.

 

[hulagirl87]

I just sent an email to the disability email address hoping to get an answer from a person and not an automated response. My trip is next week, May 18 to 21. I am having a very bad flare up of my symptoms and am nervous that I need to reschedule. And I would want to do so for the beginning of June, so I don't know that if I do, I lose DAS because then I'm after the DAS change date?

 

[Kerr84]

I just sent an email to the disability email address hoping to get an answer from a person and not an automated response. My trip is next week, May 18 to 21. I am having a very bad flare up of my symptoms and am nervous that I need to reschedule. And I would want to do so for the beginning of June, so I don't know that if I do, I lose DAS because then I'm after the DAS change date?

I don’t want to discourage you from emailing but I think you will get a more detailed/individualized answer through the video chat. I’m also afraid they won’t tell you anything about what it will be like after the new changes. They seem to be very secretive until May 20th. But it can’t hurt to try!

 

[hulagirl87]

I don’t want to discourage you from emailing but I think you will get a more detailed/individualized answer through the video chat. I’m also afraid they won’t tell you anything about what it will be like after the new changes. They seem to be very secretive until May 20th. But it can’t hurt to try!

Am I able to use the chat for questions? I thought it was only for applying?

 

[Vyndion]

Which makes sense, hearing or visual impairments aren't a need to wait outside a normal queue environment.

Not sure if this is the right take; guests get mad if you bump into them in a dark, snaked line. I suspect it’s why DLR has return times available for a pre-approved set of older attractions for visually impaired folks.

And this isn’t just at Disney. People drive crazy when there is a white cane in a crosswalk.

 

[lanejudy]

My trip is next week, May 18 to 21. I am having a very bad flare up of my symptoms and am nervous that I need to reschedule. And I would want to do so for the beginning of June, so I don't know that if I do, I lose DAS because then I'm after the DAS change date?

Did you already do a video chat planning for next week’s visit? If so, when? That DAS should be good for 30 days from the pre-registration. If that puts it expiring prior to the June trip, you can probably re-register next week (depending on when you did the pre-registration).