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

[lanejudy]

If it were equity, DAS users would average as many rides as unpaid standby lines.

And that is what Disney is now striving for, returning DAS to only those who truly need it and likely do even fewer attractions in a day than the average non-disabled guest in standby.

Please stop going in circles about this. It's not helpful to anyone. This thread should be a place to get helpful information, not watching bickering.

 

[OurBigTrip]

Yes.
To further our mutual over use of this line of thought, unfortunately for a bit those boxes were being handed to 5'5" people because they weren't 6', they didn't even have to lie to get it, and the scale back is harsh.

I think Disney will find a way to work with the people stuck in the middle (the 3'ers) - I'm imagining that at some point, some things that have come up here might see daylight again. Things like a DAS that is active for only certain rides -outdoor in sun, or low light, or low walls and echos- because there are in between scenarios where giving that person a DAS is not appropriate, but there are some lines now they actually can't do.

I agree with most of this, but I don't see (and I hope) they don't go back to things like sun, heat, etc. Because it's not like the sun only shines in the standby lines, nor is it only hot in the standby lines.

I would also like to see them either eliminate the ability to book DAS in the app or make it work to where a DAS user can only book it when they are in the vicinity of the ride they want to a return time for. Tougher (or impossible) to do (admittedly) is the ability to not allow a standby wait while holding a DAS time and making DAS return time expire after a reasonable time (3 hours perhaps).

Anyway, I'm going to stop now, as I'm admittedly going into the speculation area that we've been asked to avoid.

 

[OurBigTrip]

And that is what Disney is now striving for, returning DAS to only those who truly need it and likely do even fewer attractions in a day than the average non-disabled guest in standby.

Please stop going in circles about this. It's not helpful to anyone. This thread should be a place to get helpful information, not watching bickering.

Sorry, I'm guilty as well - stopping.

 

[nalababybear]

Sorry, I'm guilty as well - stopping.

Same.

The lady of the house knows what to do when the children get rowdy -

At the end, I do believe Disney has it's heart in the right place and will endeavor to make it work for all stakeholders.

 

[sunburnin]

Please stop going in circles about this. It's not helpful to anyone. This thread should be a place to get helpful information, not watching bickering.

OK. I'll sit in the timeout corner.

Thanks again for being a strong moderator!

 

[Genie+]

People who have legitimate health reasons that impact their ability to stand in line for 1-2 hours should be accommodated regardless if their disability is physical or developmental.

The issue is how common it is to have a health reason that impacts ability to stand in line for 1-2 hours.

Across my family (parents, siblings and their family) many have currently documented health reasons that also impact their ability to stand on line. It’s not feasible to accommodate them all with something like DAS. Where should the cutoff go?
ADHD, PTSD - DSIL
ASD, anxiety - DN
Bathroom urgency - DSB
Brain tumor - DB - permanently disabled
Nerve damage, spinal fusions - DH
Open heart surgery, pace maker - DFIL
Organ transplant waitlisted - DN
Reoccurring vertigo - DSIL
Rheumatoid arthritis - DBIL
Severe sun sensitivity, stroke - DMIL

We’ve never all gone to WDW together, but we all go and sometimes together. Each one listed has to manage their condition to some degree where queues may be concerned. Most of these health reasons can be accommodated with a mobility device. None use ECV in daily life. Two use ECV at WDW and the others choose not to use ECV. Four of them are legally disabled. One is on permanent disability. We have a big family but each nuclear family has at least one person listed here.

Having a medical condition that somehow impacts the person in queue is more common than I think most people realize.

I don’t think it’s fair to say Disney doesn’t care, they are punishing guests, or they’re imposing paid services on disabled. Before any of that can be claimed, where should the cutoff go that fairly addresses all needs and still functions.

 

[Unity]

I will have to say the one baffling thing no matter what is that I have seen many, many reports of people not being rejected for their inability to wait in lines. But for being capable of understanding what a line is. This is the exact phrasing repeated over and over so at this point I don't feel it is a mistake or an exaggeration anymore. It is something being used to reject people from DAS but on CM discretion.

The problem is? This 'definition' is not taking in the fact knowing what a line is and understanding it does not constitute being able to wait in a line. Plus, a lot of people have reported that they didn't find this barrier at all in the new DAS system.

I hope this issue is worked out soon because it is a head scratcher. Consistency will be key going forward.

 

[cat4hurricane]

I’ve heard that too, especially concerning DLR and the rollout there, where many CMs were saying it was only for the developmentally disabled, only for people under a certain age group (sometimes under 14, sometimes under 12, I know there was one family on here I believe that had to actually split up with their 17 or so year old, whose still a minor, due to the DAS family number cap). That, mixed with the: “You must not understand what a line is/what a line means” thinking has definitely been a head scratcher, and honestly sort of weird. While I understand that developmentally disabled people may not truly understand the concept, having so many hard lines (DAS suddenly being for a certain age group and under despite being also for those over that age group, being for the developmentally disabled (and even then, usually what they seem to mean is Autism and Autism only, there’s a wide variety of developmental disabilities that, by their own wording, should count) and now the understanding of a line) is making DAS super tricky and honestly confusing to get.

You may have a CM that is a stickler for those hard lines, like I’ve seen here and elsewhere, you may have a CM that allows for leeway and grants it, or says that you, by all means, should receive it on a technical standpoint based on the Needs conversation. My question is, which one is it? Is it truly supposed to be that group of hard lines and no one else (where even the developmentally disabled and autistic people are being screened out, a service that, by Disney’s own making, is meant to cover them?) Is it supposed to be that there’s meant to be a little wiggle room, based on CM discretion, is a CM that grants it to someone not in those hardline groups going to get in trouble for granting it? Who makes the call here? Which group is really supposed to benefit when we’ve got people who, by their own needs should be getting it and aren't, and those who are?

Basically, I just want to know the rules, is it meant to be a very limited group, like some CMs are saying, or is it meant to be a little bit more open than that? The lack of consistency is bothering me, and it’s entirely up to the CM you get, if one is truly going by those hard lines, or if someone is more open. It almost seems like one coast has one version of consistency, and the other side has another.

 

[Unity]

Basically, I just want to know the rules, is it meant to be a very limited group, like some CMs are saying, or is it meant to be a little bit more open than that? The lack of consistency is bothering me, and it’s entirely up to the CM you get, if one is truly going by those hard lines, or if someone is more open. It almost seems like one coast has one version of consistency, and the other side has another.

Exactly this!

 

[stenickar]

So were they saying your 8yr old and other adult could wait in line then you and your other daughter could meet up with them through the LL once at the merge point?

No they were saying I could wait in line, and the magically, somehow I would let my daughter know to come get in line. They didn’t know that I had another adult and child with me.

 

[stenickar]

I would suggest NOT waiting in line to retry for DAS in the park. Since implementation, once you get a No on the phone, Disney is VERY unlikely to change its decision until you have used the other accommodations in the park. So, no sense ruining your 1st day at the parks before you even start with the alternate accommodations by waiting in an hours-long line for a DAS unlikely to be given.

No I have to wait in line for my 8 year old as I have not been able to get through before 9:30 pm. She is in bed asleep long before that.

 

[TwoMisfits]

No I have to wait in line for my 8 year old as I have not been able to get through before 9:30 pm. She is in bed asleep long before that.

So, you called in for one child, got denied, and did not discuss your other child's issues to find out if she would qualify?

 

[stenickar]

So, you called in for one child, got denied, and did not discuss your other child's issues to find out if she would qualify?

He wouldn’t let me talk about her because she was in bed sleeping. He never asked my daughter (that was denied) any questions or even asked to speak to her. It was after 9:45 pm.

 

[stenickar]

I can empathize regarding the long phone waits and having to deal with new Disney systems. I read that you will have 2 of you to help with 2 children who can’t wait in line alone. Does the return to que allow both one adult and one child to leave the que? Forgive me, I don’t fully understand the new system.

What I understand is one adult can wait in line and the other one can hang out with the girls, not sure what they are supposed to do while they wait- because they need to be close enough to join the line when the adult line person gets there.

 

[OurBigTrip]

What I understand is one adult can wait in line and the other one can hang out with the girls, not sure what they are supposed to do while they wait- because they need to be close enough to join the line when the adult line person gets there.

What would they do if they had a DAS and were waiting outside the line?

 

[Snap Crackle Pop]

What would they do if they had a DAS and were waiting outside the line?

What does it matter? I'm just curious as to why that is something that needs to be answered.

 

[OurBigTrip]

What does it matter? I'm just curious as to why that is something that needs to be answered.

Of course the PP doesn't have to answer if they don't want to, but if they're asking a DAS, which would mean waiting outside the line, then presumably they would have a plan for what to do while they wait outside the line. Waiting outside the line with AQR is no different than waiting outside the line for DAS, so I'm just confused as to why they're asking "what do we do while we wait?"

 

[Dumbotron]

One is paid . One is an accommodation to attain equity. If one uses said accommodation inappropriately, for sure that will garner an advantage to that user.

For one with the disability, that accommodation achieves equity.

Don't conflate one with the other. Of course those without the said disability at hand, there is more than needed. Disney has addressed this.

DAS when used by one with needs of one achieves equity and accessibility. Please don't lose sight of that and the why.

The goal of ADA is not equity. It is access. Can the individual access the ride or not? It's not about making a "more fair" trip overall although I understand why former DAS users thought this (because Disney was offering that which went above and beyond ADA).

 

[stenickar]

Of course the PP doesn't have to answer if they don't want to, but if they're asking a DAS, which would mean waiting outside the line, then presumably they would have a plan for what to do while they wait outside the line. Waiting outside the line with AQR is no different than waiting outside the line for DAS, so I'm just confused as to why they're asking "what do we do while we wait?"

With a DAS I thought we would get a time to come back. With the RTQ it depends on how fast or slow the line moves, not a designated time to come back. My plan was to use LL to schedule around the DAS as needed, of course this would depend on wait times in the LL .

 

[Snap Crackle Pop]

Of course the PP doesn't have to answer if they don't want to, but if they're asking a DAS, which would mean waiting outside the line, then presumably they would have a plan for what to do while they wait outside the line. Waiting outside the line with AQR is no different than waiting outside the line for DAS, so I'm just confused as to why they're asking "what do we do while we wait?"

They would be waiting as a family? Instead of being separated? I mean I feel like that is pretty straight forward as to having to be separated. I guess I don't understand how that is a confusing thing to ask. There is added stress to being away from your family and knowing when to "merge" into line again, and not wanting to be separated incase they need both adults to help the child who is unable to wait in the line.