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

[DiznyDiva]

Here I was thinking the CMs are not well trained and are looking at a script and looking for key words.

Oh, I am sure they are reading of some sort of script, all call centers do. By now they know what Disney wants and doesn't. But that is why they have the CMs/managers/Health people so that can come in on the call for second opinion. I for one in my call never was offered one. My CM made the decision after listening to me.

But...

The key word thing, the quota, the Disney did it to see more LL or Genie +, those are all the rumors that have been circulating form the facebooks and Tik toks that then get those groups going and one using each other with horrible stories or feral CM's without ANY proof. Speculation, theory, opinions.... well everyone has them. Doesn't make them true. Until they can be proven and we have yet to see ANY of those proven. But they are good for sound bites.

 

[Angel Ariel]

Based on what I see of your posts here, I respect you very much. But in this case, yes, MMDV.

It's quite likely my view on this currently is being colored because I have had to set boundaries with certain people in my life (for reasons I don't feel comfortable sharing here) a few times this week because I know they will immediately go into unsolicited problem solving/suggestion mode and I am struggling too much to deal with that right now. I can share some things with them, not others - no matter how well intentioned they may be. Help can be well intentioned and still be ineffective or harmful to the person it's intended to help. All I'm trying to share here is having some empathy for that.

 

[StarCruzer]

Does the 45 days have a significance here? Trying to figure out if there's something special about 45 that I have forgotten about

With respect why are you trying to tie financial means with disability?

We really shouldn't be assuming something like what you've done here, it also puts people down who are disabled (which comprises of many different conditions) with the presumption of their overall means and puts people down who are not disabled with the presumption of their overall means.

For clarity, I'm saying that someone who is not a frequent Disney vacationer--every 5-10 years let's say-- probably doesn't have the same financial cushion as someone who has DVC, an annual pass, or visits even every 2 years. I can see how my original comment could be misread though! I apologize for the confusion.

It doesn't have to be 45 days--just enough of a grace period that people can cancel without being financially penalized.

The biggest objections I see to this is simply that Disney isn't required to do any of this. Which is true! They can do whatever they want. Their parks, their rules (within the law, obviously).

I'm saying as someone who has worked in corporate that there are better methods, which cost Disney exactly zero dollars, that would have resulted in a better customer experience.

 

[Lostboysmama]

Here I was thinking the CMs are not well trained and are looking at a script for key words.

The cast member I got did not seem to be on a script. From the way it seemed. She just said she wanted to have a friendly conversation between us where I explained my needs. She did ask like 2 more questions then they had in the past but that was all that was different. Unfortunately I believe it’s the cast member you get.

 

[DiznyDiva]

The cast member I got did not seem to be on a script. From the way it seemed. She just said she wanted to have a friendly conversation between us where I explained my needs. She did ask like 2 more questions then they had in the past but that was all that was different. Unfortunately I believe it’s the cast member you get.

I think s time as gone one the script has become more of outline and the CM's are now branching out, trying to learn how to make the conversations comfortable for themselves and the guest. I mean the certainly don't want to be yelled at all day.

I also think that's it is much harder at Disneyland in person to read off a script.

 

[DisneylandFreak2013]

My sister was denied the DAS for her son (6 yo) who has autism. She explained that he has difficulty waiting in line and can have meltdowns, but they said my DS and DBIL would need to have one of them wait outside of the queue with him then rejoin later or alert the CM when a meltdown is happening so they could return at a later time.

I'm surprised to hear anyone outside of developmental disabilities is getting it, when even those with developmental issues are not consistently receiving it. Someone here mentioned they may get physically or verbally confrontational with people and were given the accommodation? Maybe the policy is to have more concern over an adult losing their temper than a 6-year-old? He wouldn't mean to hit anyone, but I can see arms flailing during a meltdown if they aren't able to exit quickly.

Is there very much success re-applying inside of the park? We're anticipating a weird dynamic that could cause some meltdowns if one parent is consistently needing to be away for 45-60 minutes at a time before they can be reunited together.

They'll try it as much as they can, but if things are consistently headed south it's not going to be an enjoyable trip. I guess they have the Grand and may just need to hang out there for the rest of the trip if they find it is too overwhelming.

 

[SueM in MN]

You keep throwing the parent's education/profession in your posts about this family -- but in all honestly that doesn't really have bearing on the situation within a WDW park. The parent may better understand the child's diagnosis and medical needs, but diagnosis and medical needs are not the same as theme park queue-related needs. A medical professional has superior knowledge about health and medicine, but a CM has superior knowledge about the operations of their attraction. So many doctors would write notes because they feel their patient "deserves" special treatment at the parks but that doesn't necessarily translate into "cannot wait in a queue." Yes, medical needs may have to be attended to while in the park, but again that doesn't necessarily mean unable to be in the queue.

People have to be prepared to explain how/why being in the queue directly impacts their disability. Not that XYZ factors are complicating, or it's easier to manage X outside the queue when it occurs, or Y might happen.

Reports of video chat CMs stating something along the lines of "DAS is only for autism (or cognitive or developmental, etc.)" seem to be from individuals who have been denied and pushing for what is approved. Sort of shopping for the right answer, even though I'm not sure that's necessarily the intent -- it very well could be out of frustration and disappointment. I understand it's hard to share your disability and then be told "no" but the response about "DAS is only for --" seems to be a way CMs are ending a conversation that's going nowhere. Other accommodations are available within the parks and the best answer as to how those work is to ask a CM at the attraction. Expecting a return-to-queue time is not a guarantee; there are other accommodations.

I agree.
That's what I've been seeing on different Social Media too. And, it's always been about the needs, not the diagnosis

When we write letters for accommodation, it usually is a general acknowledgment of a medical issue and request for appropriate accommodations and can give an example of such.

It's up to the employer or company to determine that final accommodation.

If a physician is writing specifics like needs DAS, that really won't fly and surprised if they are doing that specific call out, even if very familiar with Disney operations.

I've seen some Facebook posts where people have said that their Dr. wrote them a letter that specifically said "my patient needs DAS" or "my patient can't wait in any lines".
Some people have posted that they told the CM, "my doctor said not to go unless I have DAS"

 

[SueM in MN]

I’ve mostly been ignoring the thread because, well… it’s lot lately.

But I wanted to mention in regard to the above that when I requested AQR/RTQ/whatever they wanted to provide accommodation at a ride a month or so ago, I was NOT asked for my diagnosis, but I was asked, “Is it that you’re not able to wait in the line at all?” I can see how some might take that as a request for diagnosis. I took it as needing to know a little more about my situation so as to provide th most appropriate accommodation. I did not disclose my diagnosis or any details of my condition, only answered the question with “Kind of - I can make it about 10-15 minutes, tops” and was accommodated.

ETA: Without being there, we can’t know fo sure what CMs are asking, but based on my own experience I can see where a CM asks for a little more information to make an assessment and the Guest *feels* like they’re being asked for a diagnosis. Remember that you are never required to provide that if you don’t want to and can choose not to answer any questions with which you’re not comfortable - and if pressured by a CM, politely request a supervisor to intervene.

That is what I am seeing people mostly reporting on other social media

 

[DiznyDiva]

I've seen some Facebook posts where people have said that their Dr. wrote them a letter that specifically said "my patient needs DAS" or "my patient can't wait in any lines".
Some people have posted that they told the CM, "my doctor said not to go unless I have DAS"

That is why when it is mentioned how easy it is to get Universal Studios version of DAS, I kinda laugh. They accept anything! A doctor note should only have what you diagnoses is and your limitations. It can't say you must have this or that. They aren't there and on any given day, even having DAS in the park isn't going to help much is Disney is having one of herb breakdown, crowded hotter/colder issues.

Anyone can tell a doctor what to say.. Some even ask you what do want me to tell your work, school.. ect.

My sister was denied the DAS for her son (6 yo) who has autism. She explained that he has difficulty waiting in line and can have meltdowns, but they said my DS and DBIL would need to have one of them wait outside of the queue with him then rejoin later or alert the CM when a meltdown is happening so they could return at a later time.

Did the CM tell of the quiet places? I didn't even know about the one in toon town! Both play areas are so good for meltdowns and the kiddo can go run for thirty minutes and get under control while someone waits in line.. then you guys can meet up at merge point.

 

[jennab]

My sister was denied the DAS for her son (6 yo) who has autism. She explained that he has difficulty waiting in line and can have meltdowns, but they said my DS and DBIL would need to have one of them wait outside of the queue with him then rejoin later or alert the CM when a meltdown is happening so they could return at a later time.

I'm surprised to hear anyone outside of developmental disabilities is getting it, when even those with developmental issues are not consistently receiving it. Someone here mentioned they may get physically or verbally confrontational with people and were given the accommodation? Maybe the policy is to have more concern over an adult losing their temper than a 6-year-old? He wouldn't mean to hit anyone, but I can see arms flailing during a meltdown if they aren't able to exit quickly.

Is there very much success re-applying inside of the park? We're anticipating a weird dynamic that could cause some meltdowns if one parent is consistently needing to be away for 45-60 minutes at a time before they can be reunited together.

They'll try it as much as they can, but if things are consistently headed south it's not going to be an enjoyable trip. I guess they have the Grand and may just need to hang out there for the rest of the trip if they find it is too overwhelming.

I’d tell them to try what was offered and buy LLMP if they can. If it ends up not working out then call back and talk to the DAS CMs again explaining what was tried and why it is not working. Then they at least can say they did try and have examples.

 

[SueM in MN]

Oh, I am sure they are reading of some sort of script, all call centers do. By now they know what Disney wants and doesn't. But that is why they have the CMs/managers/Health people so that can come in on the call for second opinion. I for one in my call never was offered one. My CM made the decision after listening to me.

I agree. All call centers use some sort of script.
As a nurse, I've used and written 'decision trees'. It's not really specifically a script; the answers to each part leads to different question(s) or conclusion.
I think the CMs are using decision trees for the interview and are probably using scripts for explaining the alternative accommodations

I think s time as gone one the script has become more of outline and the CM's are now branching out, trying to learn how to make the conversations comfortable for themselves and the guest. I mean the certainly don't want to be yelled at all day.

I also think that's it is much harder at Disneyland in person to read off a script.

I agree.
In another professional lifetime, I did communicable disease followup, which involved talking to/interviewing patients about their infection. There were specific data points & pieces of information that we needed. Some of us were good at making the situation comfortable and conversational. Others always seemed like they were reading a questionnaire. And, yes, we did sometimes get yelled at

 

[nalababybear]

I agree.
That's what I've been seeing on different Social Media too. And, it's always been about the needs, not the diagnosis

I've seen some Facebook posts where people have said that their Dr. wrote them a letter that specifically said "my patient needs DAS" or "my patient can't wait in any lines".
Some people have posted that they told the CM, "my doctor said not to go unless I have DAS"

To which I'd say that physician probably has little expertise in queues and available accommodations unless they specialize in the. When you make very specific hard requirements, it often goes badly. This is true also in FMLA sphere.

When you get very specific it becomes an all or nothing equation when oftentimes the subject patient is.looking outside/loses job/gets no accommodations or entry because their expectations are setup poorly....by that provider.

 

[Jdavidm]

My sister was denied the DAS for her son (6 yo) who has autism. She explained that he has difficulty waiting in line and can have meltdowns, but they said my DS and DBIL would need to have one of them wait outside of the queue with him then rejoin later or alert the CM when a meltdown is happening so they could return at a later time.

I'm surprised to hear anyone outside of developmental disabilities is getting it, when even those with developmental issues are not consistently receiving it. Someone here mentioned they may get physically or verbally confrontational with people and were given the accommodation? Maybe the policy is to have more concern over an adult losing their temper than a 6-year-old? He wouldn't mean to hit anyone, but I can see arms flailing during a meltdown if they aren't able to exit quickly.

Is there very much success re-applying inside of the park? We're anticipating a weird dynamic that could cause some meltdowns if one parent is consistently needing to be away for 45-60 minutes at a time before they can be reunited together.

They'll try it as much as they can, but if things are consistently headed south it's not going to be an enjoyable trip. I guess they have the Grand and may just need to hang out there for the rest of the trip if they find it is too overwhelming.

I’m going to guess that their denial had more to do with the party size instead of the child’s needs. They’re likely assuming that while the child may require (1) caregiver to remain with them if they can’t wait in a line, there would still be another adult present to remain in the line for the entire party to return to.

The more denials I see, even denials for individuals with autism, the more I think it has more to do with party size and whether or not there is an adult present to hold a spot in line while the guest with the disability and their (1) caregiver attend to needs.

That’s not to say there aren’t situations where an individual would NEED the entire party to stay together. You made a great example yourself about it causing significant distress for the child when it comes to the group being separated repeatedly.

It just really seems like they want to push alternate accommodations if at all possible when there is more than one adult who is capable of waiting in a regular queue present. I can’t really blame them for this when it comes to most situations. If it allows the individual (and one caregiver) to remain out of the line until it’s their turn to ride, then they’re being accommodated.

However, I think this would be a situation where they could try the alternate accommodations suggested and then reach out to the DAS team while in the park if it results in issues / doesn’t work for the child. They could then explain why not keeping their party together caused additional issues. I won’t go into detail any about what those ‘issues’ might be, but I’m sure you already have an idea yourself as to how being separated from their family could be difficult for someone on the spectrum to manage. But who knows, maybe they’ll manage better than expected and the other accommodations will work! Thats why Disney may want the family to give them a try first.

 

[OurBigTrip]

To which I'd say that physician probably has little expertise in queues and available accommodations unless they specialize in the. When you make very specific hard requirements, it often goes badly. This is true also in FMLA sphere.

When you get very specific it becomes an all or nothing equation when oftentimes the subject patient is.looking outside/loses job/gets no accommodations or entry because their expectations are setup poorly....by that provider.

Dealing with that exact thing right now with an employee and reasonable accommodations for their job...we're literally offering all that we can and still be able to have the work done, but they are living and dying by what the doctor wrote...and as much as we would like to be able to do it, we just can't.

 

[SueM in MN]

To which I'd say that physician probably has little expertise in queues and available accommodations unless they specialize in the. When you make very specific hard requirements, it often goes badly. This is true also in FMLA sphere.

When you get very specific it becomes an all or nothing equation when oftentimes the subject patient is.looking outside/loses job/gets no accommodations or entry because their expectations are setup poorly....by that provider.

I agree.
Just reporting what I've read

 

[mistysue]

To which I'd say that physician probably has little expertise in queues and available accommodations unless they specialize in the. When you make very specific hard requirements, it often goes badly. This is true also in FMLA sphere.

When you get very specific it becomes an all or nothing equation when oftentimes the subject patient is.looking outside/loses job/gets no accommodations or entry because their expectations are setup poorly....by that provider.

I've been seeing this come up in schools as well - where the doctor tries to tell what has to be done in the classroom, but doesn't know the room itself. Then other doctors won't write notes the same way knowing it's not appropriate, and you get weird conflicts about which kids get accommodations for the same need.

It all boils down to doctor's notes not being as helpful as proof of need as it sounds like they should be.

 

[DiznyDiva]

It just really seems like they want to push alternate accommodations if at all possible when there is more than one adult who is capable of waiting in a regular queue present. I can’t really blame them for this when it comes to most situations. If it allows the individual (and one caregiver) to remain out of the line until it’s their turn to ride, then they’re being accommodated.

Interesting theory, however, playing devil's advocate, we are a party of 4. Three adults, one teen. In our conversation they never asked us about party size or who was in it.

My sister only comes with us once in awhile, so it is usually just the three of us.

 

[nalababybear]

I’m going to guess that their denial had more to do with the party size instead of the child’s needs. They’re likely assuming that while the child may require (1) caregiver to remain with them if they can’t wait in a line, there would still be another adult present to remain in the line for the entire party to return to.

The more denials I see, even denials for individuals with autism, the more I think it has more to do with party size and whether or not there is an adult present to hold a spot in line while the guest with the disability and their (1) caregiver attend to needs.

That’s not to say there aren’t situations where an individual would NEED the entire party to stay together. You made a great example yourself about it causing significant distress for the child when it comes to the group being separated repeatedly.

It just really seems like they want to push alternate accommodations if at all possible when there is more than one adult who is capable of waiting in a regular queue present. I can’t really blame them for this when it comes to most situations. If it allows the individual (and one caregiver) to remain out of the line until it’s their turn to ride, then they’re being accommodated.

However, I think this would be a situation where they could try the alternate accommodations suggested and then reach out to the DAS team while in the park if it results in issues / doesn’t work for the child. They could then explain why not keeping their party together caused additional issues. I won’t go into detail any about what those ‘issues’ might be, but I’m sure you already have an idea yourself as to how being separated from their family could be difficult for someone on the spectrum to manage. But who knows, maybe they’ll manage better than expected and the other accommodations will work! Thats why Disney may want the family to give them a try first.

That's what I see too. But the entire party doesn't necessarily want to be together the whole time either.

Eg. Our son travels regularly with us as we have to bracket him in the queues, even in the LL returns. His sister travels on occasion with us.

If he qualifies for DAS usually for the part of three , but of she joins for party of four, the DAS accommodation not needed? She joins on many rides to be part of family, but she doesn't on others where it is purely for him and she goes separately like incredicoaster.

The solution would be a DAS party that remains 3 or whatever is needed in order for thenDAS holder needs in order to wait and then ride the attraction.

 

[DiznyDiva]

I've been seeing this come up in schools as well - where the doctor tries to tell what has to be done in the classroom, but doesn't know the room itself. Then other doctors won't write notes the same way knowing it's not appropriate, and you get weird conflicts about which kids get accommodations for the same need.

It all boils down to doctor's notes not being as helpful as proof of need as it sounds like they should be.

I see that in working in classrooms and with SPED. Too many parents try to micromanage ( with the best of intentions) their childs accommodations thinking that will ge then the outcome they are hoping for. In reality it never works like that and it is a hard come back to earth landing so to speak. We have sent notes back with very specific instructions on what we need and don't need.

 

[FusionNeo]

Going to call it the way I see it - splitting people up is a terrible accommodation and I'm surprised more people don't complain about this. You're essentially being punished for having a disability. Couples and families without disabilities are able to stay together and wait in line together. You don't get that option anymore.

In the spirit of transparency, I'm a former DAS user who does not qualify under the new guidelines. Whenever I go to the parks it's just me and my wife. The solution of meeting at the merge point just downright sucks because we're both alone until she can get to the merge point, however long that takes. Being forced to be separated means we can't converse, joke around, hold hands, etc etc until we can reunite at a merge point. While this solution certainly accommodates the physical disability, but it's just trading one problem for another. It's not fun to go to Disney anymore if half the time we're there we're not even together and rather than an accommodation it feels like a punishment for having a disability.

I won't be renewing my annual pass once my current one expires. We used to go every week, but these new rules have really sucked the joy out of going to the parks for us.

Just posting this to vent. I've accepted that it is what it is and though I don't agree with the changes Disney has made, I've accepted they're here to stay. I'll vote with my wallet which is the only thing they understand.