DAS Changes

[wdhinn89]

Years ago, Disney hosted the Juvenile Diabetes Convention and all people with diabetes was approved for the GAC card. Through the years my son has always been eligible for the DAS pass and now all people with Type 1 Diabetes are no longer eligible for this pass. In addition, my daughter who has cancer and takes a daily cancer med to keep her alive also was able to get a DAS pass, that too has stopped.
So, Disney has stopped hosting the conventions and screwed over all the people with Type 1 Diabetes and they don't care. In addition, people who have cancer and deal with side effects of meds that are keeping them alive are no longer allowed to have a pass. How dare you Disney! You have just lost a long, time customer!

 

[EACarlson]

Years ago, Disney hosted the Juvenile Diabetes Convention and all people with diabetes was approved for the GAC card. Through the years my son has always been eligible for the DAS pass and now all people with Type 1 Diabetes are no longer eligible for this pass. In addition, my daughter who has cancer and takes a daily cancer med to keep her alive also was able to get a DAS pass, that too has stopped.
So, Disney has stopped hosting the conventions and screwed over all the people with Type 1 Diabetes and they don't care. In addition, people who have cancer and deal with side effects of meds that are keeping them alive are no longer allowed to have a pass. How dare you Disney! You have just lost a long, time customer!

I say this as an insulin dependent diabetic. I don't believe diabetes alone should qualify someone for DAS. Unless there are significant other effects, nothing about being a diabetic makes a person unable to stand in line. What was your response when they asked why your son couldn't stand in line?
I'm sorry that you feel the need to end your business with Disney over this.

 

[theMoreDisneytheBetter]

I’m sorry that your family has so many medical challenges, but along the same lines I’m not sure why having cancer in and of itself would prevent someone from standing in line.

DAS accommodations are not meant to be a reward to make up for the (potentially) lousy hand that life dealt for anyone who has a disability, regardless of the “D” in the name.

 

[LuvOrlando]

A diagnosis alone is no longer a qualifying feature but it used to be so this is stressful.

However, if you sit with a pen and paper for a while and carefully consider what it is about waiting in long lines at a park in Florida and how that sort of a situation might cause problems for each child and what those problems might look like and present that situation for each child to the interview person for the DAS you may find one or both children to be included.

I was included when I was able to explain all the things about the long wait that were a problem for me and why it was a problem for me and what would happen if I was in such a situation. I had Dr notes as well but I don't think I needed it at WDW but I did include my Dr's purposefully vague note at Universal. It was stressful to need to make a case for myself so that was unwelcome but I did it.

 

[Mle8308]

There is always Lightning Lane Multi Pass that you can buy.

 

[lanejudy]

So, Disney has stopped hosting the conventions and screwed over all the people with Type 1 Diabetes and they don't care.

I realize you are frustrated and angry with the changes, but you have your facts wrong here. First off, it's not the host-site that decides whether a conference is held there or not -- it's the hosting organization. But regardless, the Friends for Life Conference is being held at Disney's Coronado Springs Resort this coming July.

Diagnosis is not -- and has not for at least the past 15 years -- been a qualifier for DAS (or GAC). It has been need-based. Some individuals with T1D have needs that keep them from being able to wait in a standard queue environment, some individuals with T1D do not. There are many more guests in the parks now and many more with various disabilities -- offering one accommodation for all was no longer viable. The LL's were getting to long for many even with DAS, leaving no option to access the attraction.

WDW continues to accommodate. Whether that is DAS or an alternative will depend on the individual's needs.

 

[Kooks and Bay Bay]

OP, What makes it difficult to wait in the regular line?

 

[LuvOrlando]

Interesting, since previously you said you needed DAS for RA...

and your point would be?

 

[OurBigTrip]

and your point would be?

It just seems that, based on what you posted above, when you weren’t able to get the DAS for RA, you came up with something different in order to get it.

Just seems odd to me .

 

[LuvOrlando]

^ My detailed explanation was deleted because this said it could tell others how to fill out the info but nutshell, it basically explains the ways in which a long wait on a hot line can create situations that can cause me harm and then what that unwell state drives me to do in response to trying to make things better.

It just seems that, based on what you posted above, when you weren’t able to get the DAS for RA, you came up with something different in order to get it.

Just seems odd to me .

Well isn't this skepticism on brand some sure do enjoy putting disabled people back on their heels, I wish I wasn't so used to it

First, because diagnosis is not a thing they want (I never said I have RA to them) there is no "coming up with something different"? Your suggestion completely contradicts policy, it makes no sense. I also never got a no, I got a yes first time with DAS and first time at Universal by explaining the situation alone in a step by step way, I did not explain of mention any diagnosis since that is irrelevant, just the symptoms.

Second, If you find it odd by all means make it less odd and more familiar by researching how expansive the RA universe really is, there are all sorts of things under the umbrella and then there are all sorts of accompanying diagnosis that piggyback into the party. It's a lot but if someone wants to know it is knowable.

 

[OurBigTrip]

Well isn't this skepticism on brand some sure do enjoy putting disabled people back on their heels, I wish I wasn't so used to it

First, because diagnosis is not a thing there is no "coming up with something different"? Your suggestion completely contradicts policy, it makes no sense. I also never got a no, I got a yes first time with DAS and first time at Universal by explaining the situation alone in a step by step way, I did not explain the diagnosis since that is irrelevant.

Second, If you find it odd by all means make it less odd and more familiar by researching how expansive the RA universe really is, there are all sorts of things under the umbrella and then there are all sorts of accompanying diagnosis that piggyback into the party. It's a lot but if someone wants to know it is knowable.

You posted here repeatedly about not going to Disney for years because you were denied DAS and told that a wheelchair or ECV would meet your need. You said that it would distress your kids to see you in a wheelchair, that your doctor had never recommended a wheelchair, and so you just stopped going to Disney…and now you’re saying you were never denied a DAS?

 

[LuvOrlando]

You posted here repeatedly about not going to Disney for years because you were denied DAS and told that a wheelchair or ECV would meet your need. You said that it would distress your kids to see you in a wheelchair, that your doctor had never recommended a wheelchair, and so you just stopped going to Disney…and now you’re saying you were never denied a DAS?

OH I see, there was a change you are missing in the deal breaker for me.

Yes, I was denied for years and refused to go for years because I do not belong in a wheelchair/ECV. When my Dr wants me in one I'll do it but not until then, this is a dealbreaker. OK so in 2023 I did go to WDW for my anniversary and was granted DAS, and medication by my Dr to help control the pain. I would have flat out canceled if I did not get DAS because I can't manage without help, that has always been true. For the DAS in 2023 AT NO POINT WAS MY DIAGNOSIS MENTIONED. Then last year we did UNIVERSAL IOA and I got their version of DAS by explaining how I am affected and my symptoms, not be giving a diagnosis, my Dr gave me a very vague note to assist.

 

[theMoreDisneytheBetter]

Perhaps I’m being obtuse here (I didn’t get much sleep last night - which doesn’t bode well for work today) but unless your doctor has specifically told you to never use a wheelchair under any circumstances I don’t really understand why s/he would have an opinion one way or another about whether you use one at Disney World. Plenty of people need extra help at Disney that don’t need it in their day to day lives. There is no shame in that.

Also the fact that you have trouble spending long periods of time in hot lines isn’t exactly unusual.

It sounds like you were fortunate to have been granted DAS back in 2023. If your family chooses to return to Disney and you don’t find the next cast member as obliging hopefully you will be able to make use of some of the other accommodations offered so that you can still have a great time.

 

[LuvOrlando]

Perhaps I’m being obtuse here (I didn’t get much sleep last night - which doesn’t bode well for work today) but unless your doctor has specifically told you to never use a wheelchair under any circumstances I don’t really understand why s/he would have an opinion one way or another about whether you use one at Disney World. Plenty of people need extra help at Disney that don’t need it in their day to day lives. There is no shame in that.

Also the fact that you have trouble spending long periods of time in hot lines isn’t exactly unusual.

It sounds like you were fortunate to have been granted DAS back in 2023. If your family chooses to return to Disney and you don’t find the next cast member as obliging hopefully you will be able to make use of some of the other accommodations offered so that you can still have a great time.

I will not go if I do not get accommodation. I have UNI/IOA planned for next year and hope to add WDW for a few days once it opens up. The plan is to take our growing family, I'm testing to see if timeshare might work as we get older. I will cancel if I am not able to be accommodated and will look at other sorts of adventures, there are all sorts of things we just happen to prefer the Orlando park experiences. Vacation is supposed to be enjoyable, if I am not accommodated it will be a miserable chore for us and I am not signing up for that on purpose so I completely understand other people feeling the same way, it is very distressing. However, I will try first and then see what happens, this is why my suggestion to the OP remains they should give it a try before writing it off as I thought I would hear no but I was accommodated.

 

[OurBigTrip]

I will not go if I do not get accommodation. I have UNI/IOA planned for next year and hope to add WDW for a few days once it opens up. The plan is to take our growing family, I'm testing to see if timeshare might work as we get older. I will cancel if I am not able to be accommodated and will look at other sorts of adventures, there are all sorts of things we just happen to prefer the Orlando park experiences. Vacation is supposed to be enjoyable, if I am not accommodated it will be a miserable chore for us and I am not signing up for that on purpose so I completely understand other people feeling the same way, it is very distressing. However, I will try first and then see what happens, this is why my suggestion to the OP remains they should give it a try before writing it off as I thought I would hear no but I was accommodated.

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.

 

[Tatebeck]

Yes these scenarios definitely sound like they will most likely be a situation (after the 2024 changes) that Disney will recommend alternative options for instead of DAS.

Most likely a wheelchair/ECV/cane seat if the problem is just standing in the lines for so long. Or Attraction Queue Re-Entry or Meet-Up if there are other members of the party who can start the wait in line and the guest who is heat sensitive or who can't stand for long periods can wait elsewhere and meet up later with the party in the queue.

 

[Evita_W]

For diabetes, the difference is it used to be that you were not allowed to bring food into the queues at all, then it changed to you were allowed to bring it into outdoor queues until they went inside or before boarding, now you can bring food into the queues all the way until boarding at all attractions, but it must be or away or thrown away prior to boarding. So, a policy change made it where those with diabetes they don't have additional issues would no longer need the DAS or equivalent, that one makes sense. This is a case where changing the rules meant that there no longer needed to be an accommodation made and there are other such situations.

But there are situation that the DAS logically makes the most sense and Disney still doesn't approve it and instead wants the person to explain the needs at every attraction and often wait outside the queue, often alone while separated from their group. To DH and I, that is not accommodations as someone who doesn't have such an issue can wait in the regular queue, heck even with child swap, they get someone else to wait with while the rest of the group goes through the queue. Sorry, but forcing people to spend that much time apart just for their needs to be met is not appropriate and add in the constant explaining and how draining it can be for many and the new system is definitely poorly implemented. Now, we aren't denying something had to be done, but what was done is not the right way to do it overall.

 

[aleria24]

OH I see, there was a change you are missing in the deal breaker for me.

Yes, I was denied for years and refused to go for years because I do not belong in a wheelchair/ECV. When my Dr wants me in one I'll do it but not until then, this is a dealbreaker. OK so in 2023 I did go to WDW for my anniversary and was granted DAS, and medication by my Dr to help control the pain. I would have flat out canceled if I did not get DAS because I can't manage without help, that has always been true. For the DAS in 2023 AT NO POINT WAS MY DIAGNOSIS MENTIONED. Then last year we did UNIVERSAL IOA and I got their version of DAS by explaining how I am affected and my symptoms, not be giving a diagnosis, my Dr gave me a very vague note to assist.

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.

 

[theMoreDisneytheBetter]

I will not go if I do not get accommodation. I have UNI/IOA planned for next year and hope to add WDW for a few days once it opens up. The plan is to take our growing family, I'm testing to see if timeshare might work as we get older. I will cancel if I am not able to be accommodated and will look at other sorts of adventures, there are all sorts of things we just happen to prefer the Orlando park experiences. Vacation is supposed to be enjoyable, if I am not accommodated it will be a miserable chore for us and I am not signing up for that on purpose so I completely understand other people feeling the same way, it is very distressing. However, I will try first and then see what happens, this is why my suggestion to the OP remains they should give it a try before writing it off as I thought I would hear no but I was accommodated.

That’s certainly your prerogative. And only you know your limitations. But hopefully you read some of the accounts of former DAS users who have been able to make the new/alternative accommodations work (even if not as well as DAS did) before completely shutting the door on something that you want to be able to share with your growing family. For them, it seems like Disney may be different but it’s still possible.

Also I’m not sure what timeshare you are considering, but if it involves renting DVC points hopefully you are aware that the rules about cancellations are VERY strict and not conducive to someone who wants to see if they are granted DAS before deciding whether or not to travel. Hopefully whatever program you are looking at has more flexibility.

 

[GoingSince1990]

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.

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.