DAS Changes

[theMoreDisneytheBetter]

Agree. With its long hot days and lots of walking needed, Disney is not like real life and nobody should feel embarrassed about renting a wheelchair or scooter even if they don’t typically use one. We did this for my mother and father in law when we brought them which turned the trips from unmanageable to enjoyable. Similar to allowing our kids even when as old as around 6 to hop into a double stroller to take a break every so often, years after they stopped using strollers in the real world, but sometimes a lifesaver at Disney.

6??? Heck, my 12 year old would still happily ride in a stroller if we let her!

 

[LuvOrlando]

As an ECV user myself I genuinely want to know. WHY are you so opposed to using a wheelchair or ECV? You keep saying you don't need one and your doctor hasn't put you in one. Well, on a day to day basis, I don't use one either. I am able to adapt my activities so that I don't need to. That simply isn't possible at Disney. Mobility is the issue and a wheelchair or ECV is the solution.
If you cannot manage the parks without help due to RA, then why isn't a wheelchair or ECV the solution? What am I missing here? Is there something else associated with RA that would prevent you from waiting in line even with a wheelchair or ECV?
Its pretty much a given that you won't get a DAS pass for a mobility issue under the new system, and I would hate to see someone write off a trip because they don't want to be seen in a wheelchair or ECV. That was me for a long time. The very last trip I made without an ECV was awful because I was too stubborn to admit I needed it.

It is not a solution because it is not a solution my Dr and I have come to. As a result, I don't need one, I can live my life fine with accommodations and so that is how I want to live my life and how dare anyone challenge me on that, or challenge anyone else - it is totally dehumanizing.

I did, in fact, get the pass because health issues that are predominantly defined as mobility are not always exclusively limited to mobility. Took me a moment to think about all the many other things after I got over the shock that someone decided mobility doesn't matter.

You sound like you can't imagine why people shouldn't be thrilled to just pick up another person's medical device, really, you have no idea why not? What if I told you no ECV but to use crutches instead for a week, just because someone decided you should do it that way. What if I told you to go into a facility you need to wear an elective arm cast for a week? How about elective braces, you can get them popped in and out at the end of your trip? I'm immunocompromised so should I force you to wear a mask like I do and test for illness all the time like I do for an entire week every time you want to go on vacation. Let me guess, no thank you. Is it because all these things are horrifying or just because they aren't a you thing? Maybe think about that and let people be who they want to be instead of telling them who you think they should be, I am so over it.

 

[LuvOrlando]

WDW will offer accommodations, but those accommodations may well (and given the changes in 2024, most likely won't, in fact) include the DAS. If you choose not to avail yourself of the offered accommodations, that is certainly your choice, and as you say, there are plenty of things to do in the Orlando area that don't include WDW.

Well all over the country to be honest, and this is why I stayed away so very long. It's ok with me if we don't ever go back, I doubt the people who run the parks will care.

Thank goodness there are vloggers out there who share experiences, I would hate to show up thinking it was one thing and finding out it is something else. In fact, everyone disabled should watch vloggers to find out if the current experiences are their cup of tea before going.... as you said plenty of things to do in the Orlando area that don't include WDW.

 

[lanejudy]

after I got over the shock that someone decided mobility doesn't matter.

Just to set the record straight... nobody "decided mobility doesn't matter." Mobility needs can largely be accommodated in another manner without use of DAS. That's all. Different accommodations for different needs. That's like saying deaf or blind (or the varying degrees of hearing and vision disabilities) don't matter because those also are not typically accommodated with DAS. So completely untrue. They are accommodated in a manner that is appropriate for the needs.

 

[LuvOrlando]

Just to set the record straight... nobody "decided mobility doesn't matter." Mobility needs can largely be accommodated in another manner without use of DAS. That's all. Different accommodations for different needs. That's like saying deaf or blind (or the varying degrees of hearing and vision disabilities) don't matter because those also are not typically accommodated with DAS. So completely untrue. They are accommodated in a manner that is appropriate for the needs.

That was my point, and for me the version of accommodation that works is reducing the amount of time I stand on line with DAS - the end.

 

[lanejudy]

It is not a solution because it is not a solution my Dr and I have come to.

And that is your choice. Neither you nor your doctor get to decide WDW's operational procedures. You prefer a different accommodation; that preference doesn't make it the only acceptable reasonable accommodation. Your choice.

 

[lanejudy]

That was my point, and for me the version of accommodation that works is reducing the amount of time I stand on line - the end.

And that is NOT the purpose of DAS. The purpose of DAS is to allow one to wait in an alternative environment (outside the queue). Not to reduce the amount of time. There are paid options to reduce the amount of time queuing.

I am closing this thread because it has unfortunately turned into rehashing the same old arguments.