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

[disneyholic family]

I’ll second this. I’m surprised every visit by how much easier is Universal compared to WDW. Easier to get around, easier to find a spot to sit, easier to get food quickly, easier to use its app, easier to use Express Pass. The only thing more difficult about Universal for me is the additional time it takes on I-4 to get there.

How soon is your trip? It’s still early days with the new system and we’re only starting to see reports trickle in about the alternative accommodation options - they may very well work for his needs? I understand the disappointment and how difficult it has to feel to pivot from what you and your SIL envisioned to a different way of visiting.

we leave for orlando in 19 days.

 

[disneyholic family]

Can you rent out your reservation and go somewhere else instead? Refund tickets etc? Or use DVC as housing only and instead go to universal, sea world, discovery cove? Water parks focused trip?

our disney tickets are non-refundable (UK 14 day tickets).
so that would be $3000 down the drain.
the cost of flights was $10,000, also non-refundable.

and DVC points cannot be "put back" since we're within 30 days.

 

[SueM in MN]

I respectfully disagree. Considering the high level of usage of that ride , shutting it down for a couple of hours for walk-through is unreasonable.

They did do it for a while at Star Tours with a non-motion run a couple times a day. I don't know why they stopped it, but I think it had to do with the complexity of running the attraction without motion. It apparently was not just a situation where they could flip a switch and turn motion on or off.

The problem I see is there have been multiple reports that the "medical professional" does not have the training to actually evaluate disabilities properly and given that the conversation is usually only a few minutes in length makes it difficult to even fully evaluate if they did have the proper training.

There have been reports where the "medical professional" has told the guest that they were not autistic enough or that they did not believe that the person had autism, just to cite 2 examples. Its feasible in the first example that based on what the person told them, that was true and the "medical professional" did not believe the person's ASD was severe enough to warrant DAS. But I think it is really hard for us to judge and equally, I think its really hard for the "medical professional" to make a fair evaluation in such a short amount of time and over a video call.

If these "medical professionals" are therefore able to make determinations which then deny a guest and don't allow them to try again, then that is where I think the recommendation is a good one.

I have no idea how long the denial stays on your account, however the other report I heard that I mentioned in my post about the CM supervisor saying they could no longer overrule the CM's decision, the supervisor did say that the guest could call back and try again. So it doesn't sound like Disney is saying you're not allowed to call back, but based on the reports - if the "medical professional" denies you, it does get documented and you then can no longer call back.

Just trying to share what I've heard, so please don't shoot the messenger

I think it's important to realize that the reports are through the eyes of a person who is upset and the reality may not be exactly as they remember.
I saw one report where the person reported the CM said, "you SAY you are autistic, but I need to know more information." The person was very upset because she took this to mean the CM was doubting she was autistic. She got very much into "they are trying to diagnose me in a few minute conversation and they are not qualified."
It truly sounded like the CM and Health Professional were trying to get information about her needs, but she was only seeing their attempts as trying to disprove her diagnosis.

The HCP isn’t evaluating a disability — they are evaluating a NEED, and more specifically a need to avoid the queue. There have been plenty of reports of 30 minute or even 60 minute calls. I suspect those having a short call with a denial aren’t explaining need but tossing out diagnosis and associated buzz words. Too many folks got into that habit for years and it isn’t going to work anymore.

I agree totally

 

[disneyholic family]

The HCP isn’t evaluating a disability — they are evaluating a NEED, and more specifically a need to avoid the queue. There have been plenty of reports of 30 minute or even 60 minute calls. I suspect those having a short call with a denial aren’t explaining need but tossing out diagnosis and associated buzz words. Too many folks got into that habit for years and it isn’t going to work anymore.

our call was about 30 minutes long - but no amount of explaining was going to make him change his mind.
He had his mantra.
i thought my son in law was going to break down crying.
in the end we both just threw in the towel
Especially when the CM started gaslighting us.
At that point we understood it was all just lip service or window dressing or whatever the appropriate expression is
--------------------
editing this to add that my son in law explained his "need" really well.
it was very clear and easy to understand why he needs the DAS.
but the CM wasn't really listening.
he just repeated the mantra over and over to whatever my SIL said.

it was frustrating in the extreme

editing again to add that our SIL's explanation was exactly what we said to guest services back in 2011, to which the CM at that time suggested that the GAC might be of help. And he was right. It was.
Back in 2011, i had never heard of the GAC so when the CM suggested we try it, i was surprised that it was a possibility for SIL.
And it really did help him. It's of course not perfect as nothing can be. He has a disability - nothing is going to make that go away.
But some things can help.

Whatever

SIL was so upset after we got off the chat.
My daughter started pep talking him.
But he's just so depressed now.
he was so looking forward to this trip
Now he's dreading it

 

[jennab]

our call was about 30 minutes long - but no amount of explaining was going to make him change his mind.
He had his mantra.
i thought my son in law was going to break down crying.
in the end we both just threw in the towel
Especially when the CM started gaslighting us.
At that point we understood it was all just lip service or window dressing or whatever the appropriate expression is


editing this to add that my son in law explained his "need" really well.
it was very clear and easy to understand why he needs the DAS.
but the CM wasn't really listening.
he just repeated the mantra over and over to whatever my SIL said.

it was frustrating in the extreme

editing again to add that our SIL's explanation was exactly what we said to guest services back in 2011, to which the CM at that time suggested that the GAC might be of help. And he was right. It was.
Back in 2011, i had never heard of the GAC so when the CM suggested we try it, i was surprised that it was a possibility for SIL.
And it really did help him. It's of course not perfect as nothing can be. He has a disability - nothing is going to make that go away.
But some things can help.

Whatever

SIL was so upset after we got off the chat.
My daughter started pep talking him.
But he's just so depressed now.
he was so looking forward to this trip
Now he's dreading it

I’m just curious, does your SIL have a developmental disability or is it something else?

 

[theMoreDisneytheBetter]

our disney tickets are non-refundable (UK 14 day tickets).
so that would be $3000 down the drain.
the cost of flights was $10,000, also non-refundable.

and DVC points cannot be "put back" since we're within 30 days.

And a 14 day DVC rental would probably be pretty hard to rent out this late in the game as well.

IF Disney were willing to refund your tickets and pixie dust your DVC points (sounds like they have at least been considering this to some people) you might consider looking into changing your flights so you still come to the US, just not necessarily to Disney. Or fly to Orlando and then from there fly somewhere else. At some point it’s all a sunk cost anyway. So not ideal, but just making the most of the hand you are dealt.

 

[disneyholic family]

I’m just curious, does your SIL have a developmental disability or is it something else?

no it's physical - that's why we weren't optimistic going in but he's had the GAC/DAS for 13 years now, so we thought perhaps that would be in his favor.
but it wasn't.

we've been going to WDW since 1974, for many years we visited every year, sometimes multiple times a year.
and we never had need for any special help (thank god)
but in 2011, our SIL came with us to WDW for the first time (it was both our kids and their spouses)
he had so much difficulty i was really at a loss for how to help him
That's why we went to guest services.
Basically to brainstorm.
And that's how he started using the GAC.
I know trying to handle the parks without DAS is going to be difficult.
Just as the beginning of that visit in 2011 was.
He went the first 5 days without it and it was really horrible.

whatever
it doesn't matter.
disney's trying to get fraud under control and instead they hurt people who really need the help...
and it's going to do nothing to stop people who are gaming the system.

 

[disneyholic family]

And a 14 day DVC rental would probably be pretty hard to rent out this late in the game as well.

IF Disney were willing to refund your tickets and pixie dust your DVC points (sounds like they have at least been considering this to some people) you might consider looking into changing your flights so you still come to the US, just not necessarily to Disney. Or fly to Orlando and then from there fly somewhere else. At some point it’s all a sunk cost anyway. So not ideal, but just making the most of the hand you are dealt.

making most of the hand we've been dealt is exactly what we'll do
our daughter was pep talking her husband (our son in law) saying we just won't do the rides at all if it's too difficult for him..
we'll just hang out at the pool and eat...
he can definitely do that without a DAS...but he's still disappointed...

 

[jennab]

no it's physical - that's why we weren't optimistic going in but he's had the GAC/DAS for 13 years now, so we thought perhaps that would be in his favor.
but it wasn't.

we've been going to WDW since 1974, for many years we visited every year, sometimes multiple times a year.
and we never had need for any special help (thank god)
but in 2011, our SIL came with us to WDW for the first time (it was both our kids and their spouses)
he had so much difficulty i was really at a loss for how to help him
That's why we went to guest services.
Basically to brainstorm.
And that's how he started using the GAC.
I know trying to handle the parks without DAS is going to be difficult.
Just as the beginning of that visit in 2011 was.
He went the first 5 days without it and it was really horrible.

whatever
it doesn't matter.
disney's trying to get fraud under control and instead they hurt people who really need the help...
and it's going to do nothing to stop people who are gaming the system.

I see. Yes probably why he was denied since they changed DAS for developmental disabilities only. Can you take turns with adults waiting in standby line and then him and 1 other person wait outside of the line until you get to the merge point and join up?

 

[disneyholic family]

I see. Yes probably why he was denied since they changed DAS for developmental disabilities only. Can you take turns with adults waiting in standby line and then him and 1 other person wait outside of the line until you get to the merge point and join up?

his problem, which he explained very clearly to the CM isn't helped by that scenario....
it's the same reason genie+ doesn't help him
he has no idea at what point he'll have an issue or for how long...

he often has to leave the park altogether and go back to the hotel to lie down, sometimes for hours, sometimes for days.

 

[PrincessV]

I hope this will be taken in the spirit in which I intend it: a genuine desire to help. One benefit of bringing my autistic adult child to WDW his entire life without A. Having a diagnosis until he was in his teens and B. Knowing anything about GAC or DAS or that it would be useful until several years ago is that I’m pretty much an expert on navigating the place to minimize issues. Obviously what works for one may not work for all, or even many. Some of what worked for my son turns out not to work for my condition, and some things that work for me these days wouldn’t have worked for him. But maybe something in here might help someone else with a non-physical disability who’s been denied DAS and wants some other ideas in addition to trying AQR/RTQ.

1. Try a touring plan. There are multiple companies who do these. I found a good touring plan customized to suit how much walking, waiting, and riding we could realistically manage to be invaluable.

2. Particularly in the summer months and cold winter days, try evenings in the parks. Wait times typically drop the later it gets into the night and nighttime entertainment pulls people away from rides.

3. Get out of the parks for a break from crowds and lines. We love taking a boat to a MK resort for meals and some quiet time. Ditto for EP or HS - boat or Skyliner to a resort for a nice break. AK isn’t so great for this, but has a lot more quiet spots within the park to make up for it.

4. If rain doesn’t bother you, take advantage of it: most folks will take cover and stay put until a storm is done, which is a great time to hit some rides with shorter waits.

5. If what you really need is rides, rides, rides, consider G+ and ILL - but selectively. You don’t need it at every park, and if you’ll be doing the same parks multiple days of your visit, maybe you only need G+ for one or two days to hit the things that are most important to you. Ideally, whatever touring plan you’re using will help you make a good plan to mix G+/ILL and SB for the shortest possible waits.

6. Don’t wait until the meltdown to call the audible, if at all possible. Not always so simple, I know well, but if you can take action before it hits that point, I really think this is where AQR is meant to come into play. If the disabled member/s know they can get out of the line before it becomes a Big Problem instead of after it’s already an emergency, maybe that will help?

None of this is the same as DAS, of course. But if DAS simply isn’t an option anymore, it’s maybe better than nothing. I use a lot of these even with DAS, because DAS alone doesn’t cut it for my needs.

 

[Unity]

I was just going for a random thing as the "preference" that I didn't think anyone was going to jump in and try to argue was totally fine.

Still an ill-suited comparison - but that is just my opinion.

I see. Yes probably why he was denied since they changed DAS for developmental disabilities only.

This is not true. People have been approved after the new system with spinal issues, and other non-developmental disorders. It just depends on specific needs. If a need can be met by other methods than DAS, then Disney will suggest it.

 

[Liquidice]

I have read that too.
The important point is that the people tried the suggested alternatives and were able to explain their difficulties with using them. It's not a guarantee that the guest will be approved after that, but they can try.

Always keep in mind that people who claim they are CMs on social media often are NOT. And, people who honestly thought they were getting information from a CM quite often were communicating with someone pretending to be a CM.
There are people who get their jollies out of posting incorrect or made up things they know will upset people to get clicks and then watch the chaos. A recent one was someone claiming to be a CM posted multiple places on Facebook that Disney was no longer doing 'stroller as wheelchair tags' and anyone who wanted/needed one could only get one for an 'actual' wheelchair. This was clearly false.
My thoughts when reading things like this are:

1. Can I verify it with an official or trusted source?
2. If I can't actually verify it, is it consistent with or 'mesh' with other known information?
3. Does it 'ring true' AND does it make sense?

I don't think this hits on any of those things.

1. Makes assumption that if the Health Professional is called it, it means you are denied. That's not true. I've read many posts where the guest was approved after speaking to the Health Professional
2. Who was this supposed 'Supervisor' and were they actually in the new Accessibility Services Team or were they Guest Relations, who no longer are involved with DAS registration? I know in the past, Supervisors in Guest Relations did sometimes override a CM decision, but it was often to get a loud & disruptive guest out. (Not a good decision; people shared that if you were loud enough, you could get approved
3. I have read accounts of people who were not approved, called back and were told that they were automatically denied because the Health Professional was involved in the decision. The ones I read about had not tried any of the suggestions and most had not even been on their trip yet. They were just 'CM shopping'
4. The advice to not talk to the Health Professional or hang up is at best unwise and at worst totally stupid advice. If you do either thing, you are not going to get DAS - the Health Professional is part of the evaluation process. Either thing would be a red flag that the guest is trying to get around the process, I'm sure there will be a note put on the guest's profile to flag them as uncooperative/hung up.

Exactly.
People did try to "shop CMs" in the past by going to Guest Relations at a different park.

I hear you thats why I said claimed CM. Everything should be taken with a grain of salt, but as I started seeing multiple reports of the same thing - I started to believe that this was true.

However, my report and the people who said this did not say bringing in the medical professional was an automatic denial, just that IF the medical professional denied you, you would be denied and could not re-apply.

The supervisor mentioned was a DAS coordinator, it was during the DAS video call that they spoke with the coordinator and the coordinator said they could no longer override a CM decision. It could just be that they also were being audited on how many overrides they were giving and not that they can't do it at all - but maybe just more limited in how many they override? I am just reiterating what I read.

A more recent update I heard from just 1 person (so its an anecdote at this point) is that CMs are saying that if you try for DAS multiple times even with a CM only, they are now auditing this as well and will only allow you to talk to the "medical professional" if you have tried before. Also if you have been denied by the "medical professional" in the past, this person was told that they could only be approved IF a "medical professional" approved them and that it was not simply a denial forever, just that the CM could not approve them anymore.

 

[gottalovepluto]

…But he's just so depressed now.
he was so looking forward to this trip
Now he's dreading it

If there is any chance G+/ILLs can help buy it for at least your first park day to try it. Another cost and not a tiny one I know- but maybe it could prevent him having to hole up at his hotel and pretend he’s enjoying himself.

 

[gottalovepluto]

A more recent update I heard from just 1 person (so its an anecdote at this point) is that CMs are saying that if you try for DAS multiple times even with a CM only, they are now auditing this as well and will only allow you to talk to the "medical professional" if you have tried before.

Honestly I can’t believe it took Disney this long to catch onto people calling multiple times, so this has a strong ring of truth to me.

 

[dbriggsq]

Sorry you lost me. Are you suggesting families of disabled individuals "deserve" DAS so they don't have to pay for G+ or ILL$? Every family saves money for a Disney vacation, all make the decisions about buying G+ and/or ILL$. That should in no way be a factor about disability accommodations or whether a family opts to split up or stay together. G+ and ILL$ are options available to everybody who wants to keep their group together with short queues.

I think the difference is, as people have said previously, G+ etc are choices but if the only way some people can experience the park is by buying G+ that makes it a necessity. Some people can only spend 2-3 hours in a park at a time which makes G+ a waste of money, especially as it’s very hard to schedule things to suit individuals. Imagine if a family of 8 (which we could have been) were forced to pay for G+ - it really does price a lot of people out of the market when they could have coped in the era of FP+ or DAS

 

[Liquidice]

Honestly I can’t believe it took Disney this long to catch onto people calling multiple times, so this has a strong ring of truth to me.

It makes sense, but at the same time there seems to have been some inconsistency from both CMs and the "medical professionals". Its very possible the inconsistency is on the guest's part but I wouldn't be surprised if there's a little bit of both going on. There have been reports of really great CMs who take the time to understand and ask the right questions and make sure people are providing enough information to help that CM make a decision and some reports of CMs who are very short and cut off people and even hang up on them while the person is trying to explain.

I realize this can be emotional and perhaps some people are exaggerating or simply not hearing things or recalling things correctly, but I think it'd be remiss to simply assume Disney and their CMs are always doing everything perfectly and the people are always just being emotional.

But this decision seems again like Disney is just assuming everyone is trying to cheat and game the system and not really stepping back and understanding that there is a lot of anxiety associated with these video chats and some people may not do the best job at advocating for themselves in the right way. So now these people may have a "red flag" put on them simply because they want to try to better advocate for themselves. Sure talking to the "medical professional" is not an automatic denial, but it certainly feels like there would be extra scrutiny on the person and extra stress now if their second try they immediately have to talk to the "medical professional".

 

[KrzyKtty101]

his problem, which he explained very clearly to the CM isn't helped by that scenario....
it's the same reason genie+ doesn't help him
he has no idea at what point he'll have an issue or for how long...

he often has to leave the park altogether and go back to the hotel to lie down, sometimes for hours, sometimes for days.

Genuinely curious, And if there is no way to answer without divulging information you don't want I completely understand.

Just curious how Genie+ doesn't work but DAS does? Is it because genie+ tends to have a fixed window of return?

 

[dbriggsq]

The problem I see is there have been multiple reports that the "medical professional" does not have the training to actually evaluate disabilities properly and given that the conversation is usually only a few minutes in length makes it difficult to even fully evaluate if they did have the proper training.

There have been reports where the "medical professional" has told the guest that they were not autistic enough or that they did not believe that the person had autism, just to cite 2 examples. Its feasible in the first example that based on what the person told them, that was true and the "medical professional" did not believe the person's ASD was severe enough to warrant DAS. But I think it is really hard for us to judge and equally, I think its really hard for the "medical professional" to make a fair evaluation in such a short amount of time and over a video call.

If these "medical professionals" are therefore able to make determinations which then deny a guest and don't allow them to try again, then that is where I think the recommendation is a good one.

I have no idea how long the denial stays on your account, however the other report I heard that I mentioned in my post about the CM supervisor saying they could no longer overrule the CM's decision, the supervisor did say that the guest could call back and try again. So it doesn't sound like Disney is saying you're not allowed to call back, but based on the reports - if the "medical professional" denies you, it does get documented and you then can no longer call back.

Just trying to share what I've heard, so please don't shoot the messenger

In the case of very rare diseases I think that this is totally possible and indeed probable

 

[OurBigTrip]

It makes sense, but at the same time there seems to have been some inconsistency from both CMs and the "medical professionals". Its very possible the inconsistency is on the guest's part but I wouldn't be surprised if there's a little bit of both going on. There have been reports of really great CMs who take the time to understand and ask the right questions and make sure people are providing enough information to help that CM make a decision and some reports of CMs who are very short and cut off people and even hang up on them while the person is trying to explain.

I realize this can be emotional and perhaps some people are exaggerating or simply not hearing things or recalling things correctly, but I think it'd be remiss to simply assume Disney and their CMs are always doing everything perfectly and the people are always just being emotional.

But this decision seems again like Disney is just assuming everyone is trying to cheat and game the system and not really stepping back and understanding that there is a lot of anxiety associated with these video chats and some people may not do the best job at advocating for themselves in the right way. So now these people may have a "red flag" put on them simply because they want to try to better advocate for themselves. Sure talking to the "medical professional" is not an automatic denial, but it certainly feels like there would be extra scrutiny on the person and extra stress now if their second try they immediately have to talk to the "medical professional".

Why do you keep typing "medical professionals"? Do you believe that Disney is lying about using medical professionals to assist in the process?