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

[nalababybear]

Please don’t take the suggestion personally. Many people choose to pull school aged kids out of school precisely to limit wait times/manage their family’s needs that may have nothing to do with disabilities. Otherwise Disney would have a LOT more downtime than it does now.

Just because you may feel that it isn’t a choice you want to make for YOUR family doesn’t mean it isn’t a valid recommendation.

FYI -- Many of us who had struggled with school districts to get a viable IEP agreed upon; we stay in school as many days as possible to make sure state funding was fully received by our district.

This may be a small thing, but this effort doesn't go unnoticed by the admin and helps to get to 'yes' easier during those IEP meetings on matching resources to the little one's needs.

Hence - choosing times during school days has much higher thresholds and complexity than simply crowd levels and pulling out of school.

Yes, a valid recommendation overall -- yet please be mindful of making that type of rec to folk. Same as posting this type of rec on a teacher's forum.

 

[lanejudy]

Yes, a valid recommendation overall -- yet please be mindful of making that type of rec to folk.

I disagree. It absolutely is a valid recommendation to make on this forum. In in no way know each poster’s personal circumstances, so whether it’s a viable option for any specific poster is up to them to decide. Similar to what hotel or what park or which restaurant, or even what other vacation… lots of personal choices in there. Posters should not be put off just because a suggestion was made that won’t work; move along to another suggestion that may fit their situation better. But to tell others not to suggest going at “less busy” times is removing a very valid option for some.

Folks are only trying to help. If a suggestion doesn’t work for your situation, please don’t take it personally.

having it repeatedly stated in this thread that disabled people should travel at a less busy time

I don’t recall seeing a blanket statement to the effect that all disabled people should only travel during certain times. If I missed such a post, please report it. I believe the suggestion has come up often when someone mentions avoiding crowds or queues are too long, etc. I don’t get offended every time someone suggests “stay on the monorail it’s easier” - that just has never fit my budget so I pass over those suggestions knowing it’s not for me and read ones that are more viable for my situation.

 

[LynJ]

Hence - choosing times during school days has much higher thresholds and complexity than simply crowd levels and pulling out of school.

Yes, a valid recommendation overall -- yet please be mindful of making that type of rec to folk. Same as posting this type of rec on a teacher's forum.

Kids with disabilities may also be at higher risk or falling behind, depending on the disability. Kiddos like mine have a 40% higher risk of not graduating, if the disability isn't properly addressed. So missing school can be a different calculation than in non-disability households.

That said, the time of day/ week comments are well taken, and I appreciate the recommendation for daily crowd calendars.

 

[sunburnin]

yet please be mindful of making that type of rec to folk.

When the rest of the group makes recommendations, it is nearly always with the intent to help. Of course, we don't know all the details a poster deals with, so please don't be offended if it won't work for you. Hopefully, other suggestions can be used.

It's all about looking at the big picture for your family or group, absorbing all the advice and strategies you read, and then applying the ones that work for you.

 

[mistysue]

Kids with disabilities may also be at higher risk or falling behind, depending on the disability. Kiddos like mine have a 40% higher risk of not graduating, if the disability isn't properly addressed. So missing school can be a different calculation than in non-disability households.

That said, the time of day/ week comments are well taken, and I appreciate the recommendation for daily crowd calendars.

For real, this comment is as bad as telling someone they don't look disabled. The number of assumptions being made about any individual's academic needs and how it relates to a disabled or non-disabled status just to make this statement are unbelievable. Most children who struggle with academics or attendance and are at high risk of not graduating do not have a disability that would affect theme park touring, and would never have a circumstance that would bring them into this sort of discussion.

Disability status does not make a person special compared to those without a disabled status when discussing the ability to take days off from school, with the exception that those with a disability status can often get additional excused absences, making it in fact easier to take days off. That is truly not a rabbit hole to go down, but please stop thinking that other families can la-di-da take weeks off but you can't only because a child has a disability.

 

[nalababybear]

I disagree. It absolutely is a valid recommendation to make on this forum. In in no way know each poster’s personal circumstances, so whether it’s a viable option for any specific poster is up to them to decide. Similar to what hotel or what park or which restaurant, or even what other vacation… lots of personal choices in there. Posters should not be put off just because a suggestion was made that won’t work; move along to another suggestion that may fit their situation better. But to tell others not to suggest going at “less busy” times is removing a very valid option for some.

Folks are only trying to help. If a suggestion doesn’t work for your situation, please don’t take it personally.

Where did I say NOT to recommend to post this? I certainly didn't take that personally.

Only to be mindful in the course and context of the conversation, which I fully believe is a valid point that should be made.

 

[LynJ]

I apologize if my example of why my child's disability reduces the opportunity to go at other times of year was considered offensive. It was not intended to insult any other reason kids may fall behind in school. It was only intended to be an example relating to my child, whose issues I am familiar with.

I appreciate input on times of day and days of week that may be less busy (even in the holiday season). I appreciate that everyone has put time and thought into their recommendations, and I'm sorry if my response came across as overly sensitive to our particular situation.

 

[SueM in MN]

REMINDER:
People on this board are generally helpful and making suggestions or comments that they think MAY be helpful.
Feelings are high right now, so
Take what’s helpful to your situation and ignore the rest as being made with good intentions and ‘maybe apply to some, but not to me’

 

[Justrose]

Kids with disabilities may also be at higher risk or falling behind, depending on the disability. Kiddos like mine have a 40% higher risk of not graduating, if the disability isn't properly addressed. So missing school can be a different calculation than in non-disability households.

That said, the time of day/ week comments are well taken, and I appreciate the recommendation for daily crowd calendars.

That is a good point, and very true for my kiddo as well. I took no offense to your comment. I am unable to pull her out of school any more like I used to. She gets too far behind.

 

[starlite_]

Where did I say NOT to recommend to post this? I certainly didn't take that personally.

Only to be mindful in the course and context of the conversation, which I fully believe is a valid point that should be made.

Folks have no way of knowing the circumstances of Poster X or Poster Y. That's why generic advice is given most of the time.

Like all advice given, take what works and discard the rest, there is no need to make a fuss about how Z advice doesn't work for your circumstances for a variety of reasons.

The conversation is ever shifting and it's literally impossible to be mindful of everyone's circumstances at the same time. No advice would be given at all because what works for me won't work for you and vise versa.

 

[Justrose]

Hey all - I posted a thread in this forum about needing help for our upcoming trip without DAS. If you'd be willing to take a look, I would sure appreciate it! My ADR day is Saturday, so I am trying to get a handle on plans.

 

[nalababybear]

Folks have no way of knowing the circumstances of Poster X or Poster Y. That's why generic advice is given most of the time.

Like all advice given, take what works and discard the rest, there is no need to make a fuss about how Z advice doesn't work for your circumstances for a variety of reasons.

The conversation is ever shifting and it's literally impossible to be mindful of everyone's circumstances at the same time. No advice would be given at all because what works for me won't work for you and vise versa.

True - generically speaking; and for the most part not meant to be trolling (some posters had to be weeded out)

Yes, the conversation is ever shifting. In this megapost, there are conversations within conversations and new posters arrive with THEIR own conversation and request --- this is to which I speak of context and be mindful of offering one of our generic recommendations within that.

 

[LongLiveRafiki]

Her *disabled* friends all agreed that it would be horrible to be with a group and have wait in a separate location alone or with only one other person.

Her non-disabled friends roll with it.

Diminished social standing is my own phrasing. (And was apparently a bad choice). So forget isolating or excluding or social standing or any of those buzzwords and simply look at it as having to missing out on part of a shared experience. Not Disney's fault or problem, but still unfortunate.

Others experiences may vary, but I've found that some of my most memorable experiences at Disney have happened during times when I've had to split from the group. Being in a large group (even when it's all family that you know and love) sometimes makes it hard to really involve everyone and have those deep, personal, funny, memorable moments.

Having that little bit of 1 on 1 time with my too short ds during rider swap when we chanced upon Pluto and they rolled around together on the ground and then took a walk hand-in-hand around Epcot was an amazing experience. The rest of the group missed out, but got to see the videos.

One time, I had to leave TOT line AT BOARDING with my dd who needed the restroom (rest of the group stayed to ride). The CM took us to a secret restroom not on park maps, which already is kinda cool. Then while riding with just her after being escorted back to the boarding area, we planned out how to be secret agents and "spy" on the rest of our group after the ride to see how long it would take them to realize we were there. Absolutely hilarious and a great bonding experience made possible by us having to split from the group.

Another time DD and I left the line for a medical concern (my issue). DD was pixie dusted an ice cream by a CM for helping to take care of me and it became a fun joke between us that "dad and DS don't have to know" and then we watched some swans and had a great talk about Disney magic. When we met up with the rest of our group, they wanted ice cream and DD and I shared a sly laugh before she got her second ice cream in an hour.

Being separated from the rest of the group doesn't have to be a bad thing. Like everything in life, if you approach it with a positive mindset, you can make it fun, and like I mentioned, it can allow for some great bonding time that's sometimes hard to get in a big group.

 

[lynzi2004]

I have a client who tried to qualify for DAS today and was denied. They did tell her she could bring a pop-up stool but everywhere else if says stools are not allowed. She has no problem walking, it’s the prolonged standing in one spot that is the issue. If DAS CMs say she can have it, how does she get past security?!

 

[lanejudy]

I have a client who tried to qualify for DAS today and was denied. They did tell her she could bring a pop-up stool but everywhere else if says stools are not allowed. She has no problem walking, it’s the prolonged standing in one spot that is the issue. If DAS CMs say she can have it, how does she get past security?!

I don't know about a pop-up stool, but "cane seats" were once prohibited and are now allowed. Would that work for your client?

 

[lanejudy]

Yes, the conversation is ever shifting. In this megapost, there are conversations within conversations and new posters arrive with THEIR own conversation and request --- this is to which I speak of context and be mindful of offering one of our generic recommendations within that.

You've suggested posters be mindful when offering recommendation ... I take that further to suggest readers be mindful when reading recommendations that were not specifically directed to them; general recommendations are just that -- it may or may not fit your personal situation. Posters are only trying to be helpful.

 

[nalababybear]

Others experiences may vary, but I've found that some of my most memorable experiences at Disney have happened during times when I've had to split from the group. Being in a large group (even when it's all family that you know and love) sometimes makes it hard to really involve everyone and have those deep, personal, funny, memorable moments.

Having that little bit of 1 on 1 time with my too short ds during rider swap when we chanced upon Pluto and they rolled around together on the ground and then took a walk hand-in-hand around Epcot was an amazing experience. The rest of the group missed out, but got to see the videos.

One time, I had to leave TOT line AT BOARDING with my dd who needed the restroom (rest of the group stayed to ride). The CM took us to a secret restroom not on park maps, which already is kinda cool. Then while riding with just her after being escorted back to the boarding area, we planned out how to be secret agents and "spy" on the rest of our group after the ride to see how long it would take them to realize we were there. Absolutely hilarious and a great bonding experience made possible by us having to split from the group.

Another time DD and I left the line for a medical concern (my issue). DD was pixie dusted an ice cream by a CM for helping to take care of me and it became a fun joke between us that "dad and DS don't have to know" and then we watched some swans and had a great talk about Disney magic. When we met up with the rest of our group, they wanted ice cream and DD and I shared a sly laugh before she got her second ice cream in an hour.

Being separated from the rest of the group doesn't have to be a bad thing. Like everything in life, if you approach it with a positive mindset, you can make it fun, and like I mentioned, it can allow for some great bonding time that's sometimes hard to get in a big group.

Thanks for the share.

Yes, making lemonade out of a situation can lead to the most positive memorable ones.

 

[lynzi2004]

I don't know about a pop-up stool, but "cane seats" were once prohibited and are now allowed. Would that work for your client?

I’ll Google it! Thanks! This is what she was planning on, super compact. I’m just afraid security will confiscate it.

 

[starlite_]

I’ll Google it! Thanks! This is what she was planning on, super compact. I’m just afraid security will confiscate it.

FYI those get heavy and cumbersome after a while.

 

[CAPSLOCK]

I’ll Google it! Thanks! This is what she was planning on, super compact. I’m just afraid security will confiscate it.

That is brilliant!