Disney has chosen their solution, which is probably more generous for most groups than would be required by law. It may not work with everybody’s preferences and needs, but that has never been the legal standard for amusement parks. The solution for those of us with medical conditions no longer covered is to try the new accessibility program options or choose a different vacation destination.
Not sure where the lottery suggestion is coming from.
No one in the old system had any medical knowledge either, but no one complained about that.
From the replies on here it seems that the outcome of the video call is completely arbitrary depending which CM you get. There needs to be some consistency with outcomes.
The lottery seems to be that people with similar issues are calling- some are being approved, some not.
It may seem arbitrary, but that doesn’t mean it is. Disney has a lot of data on guests’ prior DAS/park usage and it sounds like they may be considering it in making decisions even if they aren’t notifying guests.
People with the same issues can easily be denied if they don't articulate the need; as an example, not all people with autism will be approved because not all people with autism have the same needs, and the DAS is based on needs, not diagnosis.
Many people only have a limited amount of time in the parks -- for various reasons, medical/disability or otherwise. There is no particular accommodation required to allow someone to get more done in a short time, regardless of the reason. DAS is only intended to allow one to do as much as a non-DAS holder who is waiting in queues.
There are posts about how to manage the parks with an immunocompromised individual. Many of the suggestions include:
I don’t think it’s as arbitrary as it may seem, and I think the pattern would be very clear if people posted the full details of their conversations and problems with lines - but that’s specifically something we’re all NOT doing so as not to provide a script for how to cheat the system.
It's all about trying to balance risks in a relatively new life changing situation. Should we just stay at home forever to keep safe or can we try to do the things we used to do with some compromise.
Many of us are in similar situations. We're in the river of life and the currents constantly shift on us. Disney once was a peaceful sandbar refuge but it's changed and a bit more current is noted around the sandbar now.
I think this reflects a general issue that has nothing to do with disabilities, but you are still right. A reasonable accommodation only obligates Disney to provide a disabled person an experience similar to that of any other non-disabled guest. Well, the cold reality is that a two hour wait stinks for everyone, and Disney is only obligated to make sure you are at a similar level of misery as a standard guest. A lot of this comes back to decisions that Disney has made in the past few years, the most obvious one being switching from free Fast Pass to a paid Genie+ system, and it is reasonable to hold them accountable for this by not going. Unfortunately, many, including me, maybe aren't quite willing to put our money where our mouth is, but I can definitely picture if things continue in this direction, that can change.
While it certainly seems that way, we do not have all the information necessary to confirm that claim, nor can we (people may not want to share all details and are discouraged from providing specifics). It's also very possible and reasonable to expect that people who are getting rejected are going to be much more vocal than people who are approved. You certainly do not see news stories about people who were successful.
I agree with everything you said and I also think we need to remember we can’t trust everything we see on the internet message boards — a lot of people (some of whom are outright fakers) are angry they got denied and going to try to stir up fear and chaos to get more people to boycott Disney, threaten/join lawsuits, complain to the DoJ, etc. by claiming they got denied for conditions they don’t even have. Not making specific accusations about any specific poster here, but I’d bet a good money it’s already happened at least once in all of the accounts I’ve read and I don’t even use the video social media sites.
In my opinion, the difference in results is due to how the individual describes the issues they have with a regular queue, not because of what cast member they get assigned for the video chat.
JMHO, I’d think this specific sort of situation (as to who “can handle lines” ) is likely at the discretion of the CM. After evaluating the applicant’s responses to their questions.
That is a lot at first glance to absob. At least for me who has never navigated it. I do hate the idea of yet more time with my face in my phone in the parks.
Must say, good job there! Probably, the first explanation I’ve read that succinctly lays out the process
That is what my extended family ran into on several days.
The DAS program has evolved over the years. It remains to be seen if this current version will remain their final position. Until that point, guests will need to make very hard decisions on what works best for them and their families; whatever that entails.
I think the piece that a lot of people are not admitting to themselves is it is also completely up to how they present the information. I suspect a lot of people are still concentrating too much on the medical diagnosis of why they think they need DAS, and not the actual need itself. Then rather admitting to themselves they did not present the information needed in a way that disney required, they blame it on, " It depends what cast member you get." It is just as likely it depends wholly On who was presenting it and how.
