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

[Philsfan77]

I want to be clear - I'm fine with accepting change and shifting my perspective. Semper Gumby (always flexible) is pretty much a guiding mantra in my life.

That said - I'm not ok with gaslighting about accommodations because it's gaslighting, and that's wrong no matter what the context.

I 100% agree with you. Some of the comments/suggestions i've seen mentioned (even taken with a grain of salt) are concerning/lack empathy.

 

[Philsfan77]

Clearly the right answer would be for Disney to use the Sorting Hat to determine what accommodations are ACTUALLY needed. Too bad Universal owns the rights to Harry Potter instead!

Love it!

 

[HavendishSquare]

Just got done with my DAS interview and was approved.

I’m an autistic adult with low support needs who only travels with friends. I’m also an AP holder. I do have another condition that is exacerbated by my autism. I explained my concerns with waiting in line and once I was done they had no further questions and approved me.

They spent some time going over the new accommodations they offer as well and they said the return to queue option is even available to those who also have DAS.

I’m so sorry to everyone who has been denied and felt belittled during the interview. I have experienced that once before under the old DAS system when I did not explain my needs well. I was extremely nervous during this interview, but I had prepared myself well because I knew it wouldn’t be as easy as before.

I think the speculation that they need people to explain their needs well and they will not prompt for more info are accurate.

 

[Princesca]

Just got done with my DAS interview and was approved.

I’m an autistic adult with low support needs who only travels with friends. I’m also an AP holder. I do have another condition that is exacerbated by my autism. I explained my concerns with waiting in line and once I was done they had no further questions and approved me.

They spent some time going over the new accommodations they offer as well and they said the return to queue option is even available to those who also have DAS.

I’m so sorry to everyone who has been denied and felt belittled during the interview. I have experienced that once before under the old DAS system when I did not explain my needs well. I was extremely nervous during this interview, but I had prepared myself well because I knew it wouldn’t be as easy as before.

I think the speculation that they need people to explain their needs well and they will not prompt for more info are accurate.

Thank you for this AAR; it gives me hope. I have been going back and forth about whether I need to be present at the chat to help my ND spouse advocate for themselves and our ND child, and I think it's pretty obvious from what you've said that I do. And we'll prepare some bullet points for clarity's sake.

 

[starlite_]

If I am in a position where I feel my only alternative is to purchase Genie+, I will use it as Disney specifies… not necessarily the way I normal do the parks. It is not good value to spend that money to ride Winnie the Pooh and IASW once. The ability to book attractions is the main feature and advantage. So that’s what I’ll do.

Not sure why that’s a problem. Using Genie+ in exactly the way nondisabled guests who paid for it do… Disneys decision sounds fair to me. Unless, of course, the intent is to take my money with the understanding I won’t use it to book those attractions that are the most sought after. I paid just like everybody else. Equal playing field.
Disney made the rules.

It's truly sad to see how you seem to need to hurt all other guests. Take that anger and point it in the right direction, not at your fellow guests.

And this is coming from me, I am probably the most petty and "forgive not forget" person I know. But I would never willing remove access from others just because I was angry at a company.

 

[nalababybear]

Just got done with my DAS interview and was approved.

I’m an autistic adult....
They spent some time going over the new accommodations they offer as well and they said the return to queue option is even available to those who also have DAS.

I think the speculation that they need people to explain their needs well and they will not prompt for more info are accurate.

Thank you for this report, and glad you were able to get through this by yourself -- that's difficult for folk especially when the process is an open ended, not prompted question -- it's quite hard for many with ASD.

Thank you for this AAR; it gives me hope. I have been going back and forth about whether I need to be present at the chat to help my ND spouse advocate for themselves and our ND child, and I think it's pretty obvious from what you've said that I do. And we'll prepare some bullet points for clarity's sake.

AAR - After Action Report True that.
--absolutely believe that an advocate will be most helpful especially these next following weeks as CMs also are getting a handle of things too -- especially for those who have adapted well enough in their typical daily lives, can be very different in the parks and ability to articulate that effectively to a CM in a few minutes can be very challenging.

 

[HavendishSquare]

Thank you for this AAR; it gives me hope. I have been going back and forth about whether I need to be present at the chat to help my ND spouse advocate for themselves and our ND child, and I think it's pretty obvious from what you've said that I do. And we'll prepare some bullet points for clarity's sake.

That is definitely a good idea to be present at the chat. I also made some bullet points and even then I think I got it a bit jumbled from nervousness. The CM was super sweet though and I got my point across enough. Good luck to you and your family!

 

[rastuso]

I've never bought genie plus, but if I am understanding right , you buy genie plus and then at 7 am, try to get a time for a ride? I've heard stories of slinky being gone by 7 :00:01. Isn't that the same thing? So you paid the $30 and still can't get the "FP" for the ride?

So, isn’t giving DAS folks unlimited Slinky Dog rides all day a MASSIVE advantage?

ADA has zero verbiage about advantages.

 

[nalababybear]

So, isn’t giving DAS folks unlimited Slinky Dog rides all day a MASSIVE advantage?

ADA has zero verbiage about advantages.

Nope. Have to wait the standby wait time and the LL time for the DAS holder.

You see DAS accommodation being used as a regular person without disabilities.

Most disability accommodations used by nondisabled folk will result in massive advantages. Doesn't eliminate the need of the tool for those that need it.

It DOES make the necessity of enforcement of those who use it when they don't need it.

 

[jason423]

Am I the only one that has been wondering why if the LL lines are too long because of "DAS abuse" or an increase in DAS users, then how in the hell is denying those people and intentionally telling them to buy Genie+ going to decrease the LL line length?

My guess is what they are expecting is that the Genie+ limitations would limit the amount of impact that more purchasers would have on the LL system at the big rides. If I have a DAS pass for example I can use it on Slinky Dog any time of the day. The only limitation is my return time. In theory I could book it at 10AM, get on the ride at 1130, book it again for 1PM, then book it again for 230 and so on. Each time I would likely be adding 4 people to the LL extending the line size and wait times for everyone.

With the G+ I am only going to have a chance at Slinky Dog one time in a day, likely having to book at 7AM and then getting whatever return time. Under this scenario Disney controls when I enter the LL whereas the DAS is on demand and I only bring 4 people once to a ride rather than 4x however many times I decide to ride it. So the LL should either become more efficient or have increased availability since Disney is going to project less DAS users in the system. Personally I have my doubts that the DAS was taking up those kind of resources but I am sure the feedback on the G+ has been terrible and this was probably one solution that they thought was worth a shot.

 

[TwoMisfits]

If I am in a position where I feel my only alternative is to purchase Genie+, I will use it as Disney specifies… not necessarily the way I normal do the parks. It is not good value to spend that money to ride Winnie the Pooh and IASW once. The ability to book attractions is the main feature and advantage. So that’s what I’ll do.

Not sure why that’s a problem. Using Genie+ in exactly the way nondisabled guests who paid for it do… Disneys decision sounds fair to me. Unless, of course, the intent is to take my money with the understanding I won’t use it to book those attractions that are the most sought after. I paid just like everybody else. Equal playing field.
Disney made the rules.

I mean, you will make standby folks incredibly happy b/c fewer people will be in LL, so standby will go much more rapidly, so it is a win/win.

 

[mcall12]

The reality is that DAS, like any other system, was used in a variety of ways. Some eligible guests were probably able to be very savvy to maximize usage along with Genie + and ILLs and others are barely getting by because even with DAS, it’s hard. And everything in between.

Disney dialing back the approach from “everybody gets a DAS” to more individualized options based on the needs of the requestor is their attempt to cull the overuse of the accommodation that DAS provides. Whether it will be successful is not for me to speculate, but I don’t think the next step should be in park “enforcement”. That sounds horrible.

 

[keishashadow]

if talking about HHN. What accommodation you have (and I'm speaking generically at the moment) may not be available because the conditions have changed.

Nope, whatever DAS that is granted also extended to HHN last year. Including escort to merge point of the lines, near entrance. Best part of it, no need to revisit GS for HHN portion of trip as many experienced in the past

I’m an autistic adult with low support needs who only travels with friends. I’m also an AP holder. I do have another condition that is exacerbated by my autism

Nice to hear enjoy!

After ready so many sad accounts, Will say I’m surprised to see stated low support needs being supported, even with co-morbidity.

That is definitely a good idea to be present at the chat. I also made some bullet points and even then I think I got it a bit jumbled from nervousness. The CM was super sweet though and I got my point across enough. Good luck to you and your family!

In the past several indicated they felt a bit chastised by CM when using reference notes

. I whole heartedly think people should be able to use a cheat sheet of bullet points to stay in the present on their interviews

 

[PrincessV]

Here at Wdw now.
1) at HM they were NOT telling us to fill in all available space. I was shocked how much room we had. Could have easily fit another 15 people in there
2) talked to the blue umbrella GS. For return to queue, each ride has its own procedure. You may be given a pass or maybe a password to return. It depends how far along your waiting party is. Going through the LL is not guaranteed. They agree this is a terrible idea.
I lodged my friendly complaint with them and they said they are getting a lot and passing them along.

1) This is so weirdly exciting to me!! My love/hate relationship with HM is so strong, because I LOVE the ride, including the stretching room, but HATE the crowding and stampede.
2) Oh gads - we need to remember a password now?! I appreciate the heads up, because I have terrible auditory memory: I’ll be sure to have my phone ready to take a note in case of being given a password. I really, really feel for the attractions CMs.

Just got done with my DAS interview and was approved.

I’m an autistic adult with low support needs who only travels with friends. I’m also an AP holder. I do have another condition that is exacerbated by my autism. I explained my concerns with waiting in line and once I was done they had no further questions and approved me.

They spent some time going over the new accommodations they offer as well and they said the return to queue option is even available to those who also have DAS.

I’m so sorry to everyone who has been denied and felt belittled during the interview. I have experienced that once before under the old DAS system when I did not explain my needs well. I was extremely nervous during this interview, but I had prepared myself well because I knew it wouldn’t be as easy as before.

I think the speculation that they need people to explain their needs well and they will not prompt for more info are accurate.

This is great news - thank you for sharing! The impression I’ve gotten was that RTQ would be available to anyone, but to see that confirmed by a CM is encouraging. It remains to be seen how effective RTQ really is - for users and for attractions staff - but if it works well, it could help a lot of folks.

 

[Angel Ariel]

We go to Disney specifically because it is the *one* place we can go and not think about her disability for a short amount of time. Where we aren't constantly having to figure out accommodations. We know what works, and we can just enjoy DD being a kid.

 

[nalababybear]

I cannot think of anything I’d like to see less than a roving band of “DAS enforcement team” CMs roving the parks to look for DAS abusers.

The reality is that DAS, like any other system, was used in a variety of ways. Some eligible guests were probably able to be very savvy to maximize usage along with Genie + and ILLs and others are barely getting by because even with DAS, it’s hard. And everything in between.

Disney dialing back the approach from “everybody gets a DAS” to more individualized options based on the needs of the requestor is their attempt to cull the overuse of the accommodation that DAS provides. Whether it will be successful is not for me to speculate, but I don’t think the next step should be in park “enforcement”. That sounds horrible.

One can do both. Disney clearly is returning to a more selective process for DAS accommodations. As people have pointed out, abuses will still abuse and get through.

Disney has also brought into clearer light of consequences of misrepresentation of need of accommodations.

The only way to truly weed out abusers is to make those consequences real via enforcement.

If not done - it will continue. One can do enforcement without being brutal about it.

 

[HavendishSquare]

After ready so many sad accounts, Will say I’m surprised to see stated low support needs being supported, even with co-morbidity.

The old DAS interviews did not require very much explanation. I can’t get very specific without crossing the line into helping abusers, but I’ve had interviews where I said 1-2 sentences of the most generic symptoms before the CM interrupted and approved me. My guess is a lot of those people are giving explanations similar to the old interviews.

I don’t think they are going to give an autistic adult a DAS if all they say is they have sensory overload in line.

 

[diablodancer]

The old DAS interviews did not require very much explanation. I can’t get very specific without crossing the line into helping abusers, but I’ve had interviews where I said 1-2 sentences of the most generic symptoms before the CM interrupted and approved me. My guess is a lot of those people are giving explanations similar to the old interviews.

I don’t think they are going to give an autistic adult a DAS if all they say is they have sensory overload in line.

That’s interesting to hear - I had my first and only DAS interview at the end of March and it was more in depth. Makes me wonder if they had already been slowly screening more.

 

[starlite_]

This creates a dangerous environment where normal guests who don't understand invisible disabilities will be calling and "telling on" people that actually have a valid need. Think about the number of times we've heard guests say that a person doesn't look disabled and therefore shouldn't be receiving DAS. If you arm them with a complaints number, now you open people who actually have a valid disability to being scrutinized.

I took it to mean report people outside of the Parks. So ppl like PPs sister, who lies to get DAS. Or "influencers" who make videos on how to cheat the system, things like that. Not turning guests into hall monitors in the look-out for anyone who uses DAS (how would they even know??)

 

[rastuso]

A rider is literally limited by the wait time which the DAS holder is relegated to on the same ride.

By placing an artificial limit on it makes it an unequal balance...defeating the intent of the accomodation.

Disney lawyers would block that in a sec.

Ada says NOTHING about number of rides at an amusement park. Simply that everyone has to have access.