DAS for visually impaired guest?

[jeanico2000]

My son in law, who is visually impaired and uses a white cane (he has no peripheral vision and is considered legally blind), will be visiting WDW with my daughter this coming November. Would he qualify for a DAS pass? Thanks in advance for your replies!

 

[lanejudy]

DAS is need-based, not diagnosis-based so he would need to explain why he cannot wait in a standard queue environment. If he needs specific seating at attractions, he should speak with the CMs at each attraction.

 

[sparky68]

My son in law, who is visually impaired and uses a white cane (he has no peripheral vision and is considered legally blind), will be visiting WDW with my daughter this coming November. Would he qualify for a DAS pass? Thanks in advance for your replies!

What do you expect the das to do for him? I'm guessing he would benefit from alternate entrance to avoid stairs, and ride vehicles stopped for him to enter? The constantly loading ones would be problematic. I have good vision and sometimes those moving ride vehicles are intimidating.

 

[DisneyOma]

What do you expect the das to do for him? I'm guessing he would benefit from alternate entrance to avoid stairs, and ride vehicles stopped for him to enter? The constantly loading ones would be problematic. I have good vision and sometimes those moving ride vehicles are intimidating.

Do either of these accommodations require a DAS though?

 

[lanejudy]

Do either of these accommodations require a DAS though?

No. Avoiding stairs and/or slowing or stopping moving walkways is managed at the attraction by the ride CM, not by DAS. Just speak to a CM at the attraction to explain your needs.

 

[SueM in MN]

Have him and your daughter think about other situations that might be somewhat similar to waiting in WDW lines. What caused problems for him and what concerned him about the situation? What would have been helpful? Think of how to complete the statement « waiting in the regular line is difficult for me because…. »

Keep in mind that DAS can be requested any time. It doesn’t have to be the first day; he could try waiting in the regular lines and then go to Guest Relations if waiting in the regular line is an issue for him.

 

[sparky68]

Do either of these accommodations require a DAS though?

No, i.would think.what they need is alternate entrance. The das just gives access to the fast pass line, without a scheduled fast pass.

 

[ttintagel]

There are several standby queues that I, as a visually impaired person, have found to be very unsafe due to uneven floors, insufficient lighting, or, even worse, drastic changes in lighting. The stretching room at the Haunted Mansion is also completely unsafe for me. And there are shows where I need to sit in a certain part of the audience to be able to see anything.

Unfortunately, the decision about whether or not to give the accommodations visually impaired people need is left completely up to the discretion of whatever CM happens to be working the attraction when you get there. I have had the most basic accommodations refused. I’ve had able-bodies CM’s stand and argue with me about whether the accommodation I request will actually help me. Yes, you can request to speak to the CM’s supervisor, but whenever I’ve tried that I’ve been left waiting for so long that it seemed more productive to just move on to something else rather than waste my precious vacation hours.

Accommodations for the visually impaired are, pardon the pun, Disney’s blind spot. Just as many people don’t realize there’s a lot of gray area in between “can walk with no problem” and “cannot walk at all,” many don’t seem to realize there’s a lot between “normal vision” and “can see nothing at all.” This is one area in which the old GAC was far superior to the DAS.

I know it sounds like I’m just being a negative Nancy, but I’m not saying all this to be discouraging. I’m saying it because I wish I had been prepared for these possibilities before my first post-GAC trip. It was a much harder experience than it would have been if I hadn’t gone into it expecting everything would automatically go smoothly.

 

[sparky68]

There are several standby queues that I, as a visually impaired person, have found to be very unsafe due to uneven floors, insufficient lighting, or, even worse, drastic changes in lighting. The stretching room at the Haunted Mansion is also completely unsafe for me. And there are shows where I need to sit in a certain part of the audience to be able to see anything.

Unfortunately, the decision about whether or not to give the accommodations visually impaired people need is left completely up to the discretion of whatever CM happens to be working the attraction when you get there. I have had the most basic accommodations refused. I’ve had able-bodies CM’s stand and argue with me about whether the accommodation I request will actually help me. Yes, you can request to speak to the CM’s supervisor, but whenever I’ve tried that I’ve been left waiting for so long that it seemed more productive to just move on to something else rather than waste my precious vacation hours.

Accommodations for the visually impaired are, pardon the pun, Disney’s blind spot. Just as many people don’t realize there’s a lot of gray area in between “can walk with no problem” and “cannot walk at all,” many don’t seem to realize there’s a lot between “normal vision” and “can see nothing at all.” This is one area in which the old GAC was far superior to the DAS.

I know it sounds like I’m just being a negative Nancy, but I’m not saying all this to be discouraging. I’m saying it because I wish I had been prepared for these possibilities before my first post-GAC trip. It was a much harder experience than it would have been if I hadn’t gone into it expecting everything would automatically go smoothly.

Is the fast pass line really any safer? Seems like they all have the same uneven floors as the standby lines. I agree that Disney does a horrible job of dealing with vision disabilities. They have been sued in the past for violating laws related to accessibility.

 

[ttintagel]

Is the fast pass line really any safer? Seems like they all have the same uneven floors as the standby lines. I agree that Disney does a horrible job of dealing with vision disabilities. They have been sued in the past for violating laws related to accessibility.

If there is a FP line that isn’t safer for me than the standby, it’s one I’ve never been through. However, it’s a pretty subjective thing based on individuals’ needs.

 

[Brett Wyman]

Based on the standard design of DAS, no, vision impairment would not qualify. That said, as many people already mentioned, you can still speak with guests services and explain the situation.

DAS is designed to accommodate guests who aren’t able to wait in a conventional queue environment due to a disability (including non-apparent disabilities)

 

[jeanico2000]

Have him and your daughter think about other situations that might be somewhat similar to waiting in WDW lines. What caused problems for him and what concerned him about the situation? What would have been helpful? Think of how to complete the statement « waiting in the regular line is difficult for me because…. »

Keep in mind that DAS can be requested any time. It doesn’t have to be the first day; he could try waiting in the regular lines and then go to Guest Relations if waiting in the regular line is an issue for him.

This is very helpful and a great suggestion!

 

[jeanico2000]

There are several standby queues that I, as a visually impaired person, have found to be very unsafe due to uneven floors, insufficient lighting, or, even worse, drastic changes in lighting. The stretching room at the Haunted Mansion is also completely unsafe for me. And there are shows where I need to sit in a certain part of the audience to be able to see anything.

Unfortunately, the decision about whether or not to give the accommodations visually impaired people need is left completely up to the discretion of whatever CM happens to be working the attraction when you get there. I have had the most basic accommodations refused. I’ve had able-bodies CM’s stand and argue with me about whether the accommodation I request will actually help me. Yes, you can request to speak to the CM’s supervisor, but whenever I’ve tried that I’ve been left waiting for so long that it seemed more productive to just move on to something else rather than waste my precious vacation hours.

Accommodations for the visually impaired are, pardon the pun, Disney’s blind spot. Just as many people don’t realize there’s a lot of gray area in between “can walk with no problem” and “cannot walk at all,” many don’t seem to realize there’s a lot between “normal vision” and “can see nothing at all.” This is one area in which the old GAC was far superior to the DAS.

I know it sounds like I’m just being a negative Nancy, but I’m not saying all this to be discouraging. I’m saying it because I wish I had been prepared for these possibilities before my first post-GAC trip. It was a much harder experience than it would have been if I hadn’t gone into it expecting everything would automatically go smoothly.

Thank you for sharing your experiences with me

 

[Evita_W]

There should be some standardized accomodations and training at each attraction, for example if someone who is visually impaired comes to Haunted Mansion, the default should be to use the exit loading platform with the moving walkway stopped, as that would be the safest.

 

[lanejudy]

Based on the standard design of DAS, no, vision impairment would not qualify. That said, as many people already mentioned, you can still speak with guests services and explain the situation.

DAS is designed to accommodate guests who aren’t able to wait in a conventional queue environment due to a disability (including non-apparent disabilities)

I don't interpret anything in that statement to automatically exclude vision impairment.

Diagnosis does not determine DAS eligibility, needs determine eligibility. As PP states, so much really depends on the individual (as all disabilities vary so much by individual). However, over the years of reading posts here, it does seem that obtaining a DAS for vision-related needs can be challenging.

 

[Brett Wyman]

I don't interpret anything in that statement to automatically exclude vision impairment.

Diagnosis does not determine DAS eligibility, needs determine eligibility. As PP states, so much really depends on the individual (as all disabilities vary so much by individual). However, over the years of reading posts here, it does seem that obtaining a DAS for vision-related needs can be challenging.

Yeah no doubt. Always ask a CM if you think a DAS is warranted. That said, I cant think of a way vision impairment would prohibit your ability to stand in a queue? Even with DAS you still have to walk through the FP queue, and wait in it as well. Situations of course vary widely from person to person and thats why its decided on a case by case basis.

 

[jo-jo]

I find some of the standby lines can be very dark and long. I'm thinking of little mermaid or nemo with lots of turns. The FP are just as dark, but at least shorter in distance.

 

[sparky68]

I find some of the standby lines can be very dark and long. I'm thinking of little mermaid or nemo with lots of turns. The FP are just as dark, but at least shorter in distance.

They are essentially the same. Lighting etc is not different in the fast pass lines versus standby. They are shorter, and I think that changes people's perception of the line. If the fast pass line backs up, because a lot of unscheduled (das) people are in the line, or a ride breakdown you will see them adjust the line with more of the switchbacks used in standby.

 

[Evita_W]

I find some of the standby lines can be very dark and long. I'm thinking of little mermaid or nemo with lots of turns. The FP are just as dark, but at least shorter in distance.

For Nemo, if you have visual impairment, they are *supposed* to give you a return time and then direct you to the exit of the attraction when you return or so a person with visual impairments ahead of us was told when they asked what they should do about the dark switchbacks. I don't know about Little Mermaid, but I would suspect something similar. Most attractions do have other alternate entrances besides the FP queues, but you need to explain clearly why you need them and they may adjust wait times to account for the time you would have spent in the FP return queue as well. I have also been hearing that guest services does have something they can give to instruct the CMs to allow you to use these other entrances, again like with a DAS, you will still have to wait the length of the line, but I do not know for sure, just what someone said.

 

[DisneyOma]

Accommodations for the visually impaired are, pardon the pun, Disney’s blind spot. Just as many people don’t realize there’s a lot of gray area in between “can walk with no problem” and “cannot walk at all,” many don’t seem to realize there’s a lot between “normal vision” and “can see nothing at all.” This is one area in which the old GAC was far superior to the DAS.

I know it sounds like I’m just being a negative Nancy, but I’m not saying all this to be discouraging. I’m saying it because I wish I had been prepared for these possibilities before my first post-GAC trip. It was a much harder experience than it would have been if I hadn’t gone into it expecting everything would automatically go smoothly.

What access did they give you with the GAC that worked for you? That would be part of the conversation you need to be having, I would guess? Are the CMs just trained not to give that access because it was considered a GAC access?