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

[wdw4rfam]

Today is our 60’day mark and we are sitting on hold for an hour now trying to renew my son’s DAS. We are going to wait because Monday is the best day for us but the change must have made a lot of people all log on today. We’ve never waited this long before. Unfortunately we got his last one a week before they changed it to 240 days so here we go again…..

 

[wdw4rfam]

Question- we were just approved for the DAS for my son. In the past it’s always shown up in MDE. It isn’t this time. Is this new or do I need to call? She told us it was all finalized and gave us an exact date that it’s good through so I’m sure she did it. But I have always been able to see it before.

 

[HopperFan]

Question- we were just approved for the DAS for my son. In the past it’s always shown up in MDE. It isn’t this time. Is this new or do I need to call? She told us it was all finalized and gave us an exact date that it’s good through so I’m sure she did it. But I have always been able to see it before.

Check in your "Chat With Us" on the app (bottom of your Welcome Page). When we got approved she put in the Effective Date and Expiration Date and Party Size. Nice to have it in writing.

 

[wdw4rfam]

Check in your "Chat With Us" on the app (bottom of your Welcome Page). When we got approved she put in the Effective Date and Expiration Date and Party Size. Nice to have it in writing.

So it didn’t show up for you anywhere either other than in chat?

 

[slo]

I have a friend who is a first timer going to WDW and they've been asking me a lot of questions, one thing is about DAS. I'm now going to ask you and relay it back to her.

- what is the best time to call DAS not for the hold time, but for the possibility of having a cast member that will be patient? I'm assuming that close to quitting time wouldn't be the best time to call.

- if you're not supposed to say the diagnosis, how does she talk about what her son needs? I'm personally very confused on why you don't tell the cast member the diagnosis. He is autistic and has a very short fuse in regards to waiting for anything.

- I know her son needs to be there, but does he need to speak to the cast member? He is 14 years old

Now that you can call 60 days out, she can do this this week, so any advice would be great for her. I'm sure this has all been discussed in the past, and I'm sorry for not taking the time to read through everything. I have read a great deal though, but I know it doesn't make me anywhere near an expert.

Thank for your help

 

[lanejudy]

I have a friend who is a first timer going to WDW and they've been asking me a lot of questions, one thing is about DAS. I'm now going to ask you and relay it back to her.

I'm not sure there is a "best time" to call -- other than it's been reported that calling right at 7am (ET) is likely a shorter wait. With the new change to 60 days, I expect they may be busier this week than if she waits a week or two. Unless they might cancel the trip, there's really no other reason to do the DAS call far in advance.

She will need to explain what happens in a standard queue environment. Be prepared to talk about similar situations at home or other places -- or WDW if they have been previously.

He does need to be present. The CM may say hello to him and small chit chat, but the mom can do the talking.

 

[dededuce]

- if you're not supposed to say the diagnosis, how does she talk about what her son needs? I'm personally very confused on why you don't tell the cast member the diagnosis. He is autistic and has a very short fuse in regards to waiting for anything.

While you aren't required to share a diagnosis and Disney doesn't ask for it, the obsession about not mentioning your diagnosis is mostly advanced by people who know they don't qualify but are trying to make other disabilities sound like the intended DAS conditions. There's no harm in mentioning an autism diagnosis and she doesn't have to tie herself up in knots trying to avoid mentioning it, she just shouldn't think a diagnosis is itself a slam dunk.

- I know her son needs to be there, but does he need to speak to the cast member? He is 14 years old

This seems quite variable. There is a good chance they will want to say a few works with a 14 year old, though.

Now that you can call 60 days out, she can do this this week, so any advice would be great for her. I'm sure this has all been discussed in the past, and I'm sorry for not taking the time to read through everything. I have read a great deal though, but I know it doesn't make me anywhere near an expert.

I would say take her time, write down some notes, anticipate and practice answering potential questions. Remember that "autism" isn't enough, there is a wide, wide range of autistic behaviors and needs.

 

[Philsfan77]

- if you're not supposed to say the diagnosis, how does she talk about what her son needs? I'm personally very confused on why you don't tell the cast member the diagnosis. He is autistic and has a very short fuse in regards to waiting for anything.

Primary reasoning would be that a diagnosis doesn't necessarily mean it's a theme park need. Autism is a diagnosis with a very wide spectrum of needs. What that person with autism needs and whether DAS is necessary is what they are trying to convey to the cast member and potentially medical professional handling the call.

Your friend should be prepared to explain what their issues would be waiting in a line, be prepared to offer up real world situations, where maybe waiting in a line has caused issues, and discuss their school needs/accommodations .

 

[HopperFan]

So it didn’t show up for you anywhere either other than in chat?

I explained what I saw here ...

I CAN SEE MY DAS IN MY MDE RIGHT AFTER APPROVAL !!!

After it was all said and done ...
- On Disney APP on phone
- Go to your main personal page that has the tiles (Tickets, LL, Reserve Dining, Order Food etc)
- Scroll down to "Chat with Us"
- In the chat she put my Effective Date, Expired Date, Maximum Party Size

It is 2 days later and I can still see my chat portion. Obviously the CM has to put that in there but it would seem likely it is standard procedure. Either folks have been missing this or it is an upgrade to the program or I got good CM. I imagine over time we will see it improve with guest/cm input but was still surprised.

View attachment 894847



I am presently 2 hours away from WDW, I have not scanned in to any park. My AP does not allow us to go to parks on weekends. We do have a MNSSHP ticket for tonight. DAS was approved with today as it's effective date.

My DAS tile showed up on the app, I thought a glitch as I've seen it flash in past. It stayed. I opened it and I can see all the rides that we can get a return time for.

View attachment 894848


View attachment 894849

 

[wdw4rfam]

I explained what I saw here ...

Thanks. I do have it at the end of our chat. So it must be standard procedure. Sounds like from what I am finding online it appears once you tap in just like you stated. Thanks for info. I feel better now.

 

[HopperFan]

Thanks. I do have it at the end of our chat. So it must be standard procedure. Sounds like from what I am finding online it appears once you tap in just like you stated. Thanks for info. I feel better now.

I also screenshot my chat where it showed, and the CM's name, just in case I got there and had a problem.

 

[Keladry84]

Thanks. I do have it at the end of our chat. So it must be standard procedure. Sounds like from what I am finding online it appears once you tap in just like you stated. Thanks for info. I feel better now.

Mine showed up in app on the first day of validity even without scanning in to the park, although I would panic if it is not there until actual scan in.

 

[Keladry84]

I have a friend who is a first timer going to WDW and they've been asking me a lot of questions, one thing is about DAS. I'm now going to ask you and relay it back to her.

- what is the best time to call DAS not for the hold time, but for the possibility of having a cast member that will be patient? I'm assuming that close to quitting time wouldn't be the best time to call.

- if you're not supposed to say the diagnosis, how does she talk about what her son needs? I'm personally very confused on why you don't tell the cast member the diagnosis. He is autistic and has a very short fuse in regards to waiting for anything.

- I know her son needs to be there, but does he need to speak to the cast member? He is 14 years old

Now that you can call 60 days out, she can do this this week, so any advice would be great for her. I'm sure this has all been discussed in the past, and I'm sorry for not taking the time to read through everything. I have read a great deal though, but I know it doesn't make me anywhere near an expert.

Thank for your help

Question 1: There is not really any best time to call re a better chance of approval. If you're situation qualifies, you'll get approved regardless of time of day. I would however possibly wait a couple of weeks to apply if you can - they just now changed it from 30 to 60 days ahead of time to apply, so right now you are probably getting double the amount of applicants (so a longer wait).

Question 2: Whether or not you share the diagnosis is up to you. If it helps you to start with one, then do so. But as others have shared, it's not a diagnosis that qualifies someone, it's their needs and affects in line. Personally, I tried to avoid all actual diagnosis and terminology and described how I am personally affected - anyone can give a buzz word, only someone experiencing it can describe what's actually happening to them.

Question 3: I applied for myself so can't really address this question. I'd personally have your son be prepared to answer some simple questions just in case so he's not caught off guard, but you should be able to do most of the talking/advocating.

 

[dawnball]

I have a friend who is a first timer going to WDW and they've been asking me a lot of questions, one thing is about DAS. I'm now going to ask you and relay it back to her.

- what is the best time to call DAS not for the hold time, but for the possibility of having a cast member that will be patient? I'm assuming that close to quitting time wouldn't be the best time to call.

I generally avoid 11am-1pm Eastern for Disney World and Pacific for Disney Land. I'd call in early enough that she won't feel rushed by the end of the night, based on how complex they think explaining things will be.

- if you're not supposed to say the diagnosis, how does she talk about what her son needs? I'm personally very confused on why you don't tell the cast member the diagnosis. He is autistic and has a very short fuse in regards to waiting for anything.

You can tell the cast member the diagnosis. However "my kid has autism and struggles to wait in line" isn't a sufficient explanation anymore. The questions I needed to answer were ultimately "What makes the queue different than just being in Disney, which is an overwhelming sensory location?" and "What do you do to mitigate your difficulties?" It can be difficult to understand exactly what in a queue is challenging, although we had a pretty good idea of some triggers and could overlay that with our memories or videos of the queues. In terms of mitigation - sometimes they ask "what do you do at the grocery store?" or "what kind of accomodations do they have at school?" I'm pretty sure they're looking for coping skills, emotional regulation and distress tolerance skills as well as what his desperation self-soothing techniques are. If you -had- to wait in line, what would you plan to bring or do to make it better and when those stop working, what does that look like?

Her son isn't required to talk, just to be there for a picture. However, he is welcome to talk, to describe anything he feels comfortable with, and to defer back to his mom when he's done.

 

[Deebee_7]

I completed the DAS call today on the 60 day mark for WDW. Our daughter falls into the neurodivergent category. We have used DAS before (several times). I was a bit worried that after my explanation of her struggles the CM said it was not clear enough and was going to get a health care professional in. The health care professional was very nice and I explained the same as what I said to the CM. We were approved. But I was stressing out as to why we were put through this time. And I basically said the same things as I always do. As the needs and struggles are still exactly the same.
Have other people experienced this as well? I am relieved but I must say I found it a lot more stressful as before. (last time I applied was july 2024 for Disneyland California)

 

[theMoreDisneytheBetter]

I completed the DAS call today on the 60 day mark for WDW. Our daughter falls into the neurodivergent category. We have used DAS before (several times). I was a bit worried that after my explanation of her struggles the CM said it was not clear enough and was going to get a health care professional in. The health care professional was very nice and I explained the same as what I said to the CM. We were approved. But I was stressing out as to why we were put through this time. And I basically said the same things as I always do. As the needs and struggles are still exactly the same.
Have other people experienced this as well? I am relieved but I must say I found it a lot more stressful as before. (last time I applied was july 2024 for Disneylang California)

Congratulations on being approved! I’m sure it is such a relief.

As to why you had to be “put through this again,” the issues are 2 fold:
1. Not everyone’s needs are static
2. Disney’s criteria has adjusted over time, so even if you qualified under the rules at some point in the past, you may not qualify now.

 

[Deebee_7]

I struggle to understand that being neurodivergent and explaining the struggles does not seem enough anymore for a CM. Or maybe just some CM's. Anyway, no complaint but just a very stressful experience. As without DAS we would need to cancel our whole holiday. That's why I was grateful that it has now extended to 60 days out. Our balance was due in 3 days so just in time to still be able to cancel in case we got refused. Although for overseas visitors that would mean we would not be able to cancel our flight tickets anymore. As you need to book flight tickets way beforehand. But I suppose that is a risk you need to be willing to take for a great family holiday at WDW.

 

[gap2368]

Question- we were just approved for the DAS for my son. In the past it’s always shown up in MDE. It isn’t this time. Is this new or do I need to call? She told us it was all finalized and gave us an exact date that it’s good through so I’m sure she did it. But I have always been able to see it before.

some times it will not show up until you scan into the park.

 

[tinkerpix]

So, I've been reading and using the Dis boards anonymously since 2007. Only posted once to the test site to see if I was doing it right. Such a helpful community and wonderful people, ..... I'm just not much of a poster. But today, wow! I wanted to share. I just got off the call with the cast member and my son got approved for his DAS. I had stressed about it, not gonna lie about that. We'd always had the disability pass for him in all our previous trips but with the new guidelines.... ick. It was simple. She was so nice. I asked her what she needed to know specifically and then told her that. He's autistic but has decent verbal skills. His verbal skills usually throw people off. They think, "hmmmm, maybe he's not that autistic". Oh, he is. All this to say, an autistic man/child got a pass and can now go to Disney and manage to have a brilliant time. I'm thankful that we got it and hope to sprinkle some pixie dust on the rest of you that need it. Not want it, but need it.

 

[delilah30]

I called to get a DAS pass for my neurodivergent daughter and for many reasons has difficulty with crowds and lines. We’ve used it since she was 6, she’s 13 now. I buy the MLL pass and use the DAS when needed. The cast member was abusive asking her question after question as I trying to tell the cast member she can’t express herself well. Then she denied my daughter and was so rudely dismissive. We head to the parks next week and I’m not looking forward to it at all.