Disabilities Card (DAS) and Registration...

[shburks]

I'm helping a friend plan a Disney vacation for July and her son is pretty severely autistic. I know they'll need to utilize the new DAS system. I have a pretty good understanding of how it works, how to get the card at Guest Services initially, etc. What I'm confused about from reading the website Autism at the Parks, is whether or not you have to stop at Guest Services each day.

Disney says the one-time registration is good for up to 14 days, so do they just go through the registration process once (picture, card, etc) and then each day when they enter the park, they just go straight to the rides and either ride or get their card signed to return later? OR must they revisit Guest Services each day?

Thank you for helping me understand!

 

[Lisa71]

Just once for the card then to rides. enjoy

 

[SueM in MN]

If you haven't read the WDW DAS thread near the top of this board, I would recommend checking out the first post. That is DAS FAQs.

There is a separate thread for WDW and one for DL - the programs are the same, but exactly how to get DAS Return Times is a bit different. WDW is more accessible and has Fastpass Plus available. DL has only regular Fastpass.

 

[shburks]

If you haven't read the WDW DAS thread near the top of this board, I would recommend checking out the first post. That is DAS FAQs.

There is a separate thread for WDW and one for DL - the programs are the same, but exactly how to get DAS Return Times is a bit different. WDW is more accessible and has Fastpass Plus available. DL has only regular Fastpass.

I did read it. I just wasn't completely clear on if they needed to return to GS each day or not. Thanks.

 

[SueM in MN]

You may have missed it in the DAS FAQs because there is lots of info there.
I do try to change things if people are not understanding, so if you did see it, please let me know what could be changed to make it more understandable.
This is what it says:
How long will the DAS be issued for?

• DAS card will be issued for length of stay up to 14 days, depending on the guest's ticket entitlement/length of stay
  - the system is set up to allow for no more then 14 days, so the card can't be made valid for longer than that, except for guests with Annual Passes.
  - 'proofs' given as an example included a resort key or something else showing dates for a stay; valid multiday park ticket
  - guests with Annual Passes may have DAS validated for up to 60 days
  - once all the Return Time spaces are filled, a new card will be needed, even if the old one is not expired.

 

[shburks]

You may have missed it in the DAS FAQs because there is lots of info there.
I do try to change things if people are not understanding, so if you did see it, please let me know what could be changed to make it more understandable.
This is what it says:
How long will the DAS be issued for?

• DAS card will be issued for length of stay up to 14 days, depending on the guest's ticket entitlement/length of stay
  - the system is set up to allow for no more then 14 days, so the card can't be made valid for longer than that, except for guests with Annual Passes.
  - 'proofs' given as an example included a resort key or something else showing dates for a stay; valid multiday park ticket
  - guests with Annual Passes may have DAS validated for up to 60 days
  - once all the Return Time spaces are filled, a new card will be needed, even if the old one is not expired.

Yes, I did read that and that was my understanding from the Disney site as well. As I said in my first post, my confusion came from reading the Autism at the Parks website (www.autismattheparks.com) because they said they went to Guest Services each day, but I didn't understand why. I was just looking for clarification, I suppose.

 

[Gracie09]

Yes, I did read that and that was my understanding from the Disney site as well. As I said in my first post, my confusion came from reading the Autism at the Parks website (www.autismattheparks.com) because they said they went to Guest Services each day, but I didn't understand why. I was just looking for clarification, I suppose.

At the very beginning of the das you did have to go to guest services every day. That wa very quickly abandoned. Sounds like autism at the parks did not update their website

 

[SueM in MN]

Yes, I did read that and that was my understanding from the Disney site as well. As I said in my first post, my confusion came from reading the Autism at the Parks website (www.autismattheparks.com) because they said they went to Guest Services each day, but I didn't understand why. I was just looking for clarification, I suppose.

Thanks.

Keep in mind that that blog was written in the first few days after the DAS was begun. It has not been updated as far as I can see. Some of the information, like going daily to Guest Relations, was done at first, but was changed.
That site also talks about re-admit passes, which were given to some people at first, but were meant to be used as a bridge, not a permanent feature.

 

[shburks]

Thanks.

Keep in mind that that blog was written in the first few days after the DAS was begun. It has not been updated as far as I can see. Some of the information, like going daily to Guest Relations, was done at first, but was changed.
That site also talks about re-admit passes, which were given to some people at first, but were meant to be used as a bridge, not a permanent feature.

At the very beginning of the das you did have to go to guest services every day. That wa very quickly abandoned. Sounds like autism at the parks did not update their website

Thanks. This site was recommended to me by someone else who said this family goes "all the time" to Disney and kept their site pretty up to date. Apparently that's not the case, so I'm really glad I asked here for clarification! I didn't realize that the need to go to GS daily was initially part of the program either. I did assume that the re-admit pass had been discontinued, but thank you for verifying that, too.

 

[KathyRN137]

Hi, shburks!

We have also discussed the DAS and autism extensively on Special Mouse. (My own son has Autism.)

If you click on the podcast page and search "Autism" and/or "DAS," a number of episodes will pop up. In fact, Maureen from Autism at the Parks has been my guest several times -- we are good friends! Come to think of it, so has SueM!

Special Mouse

You're a peach for trying so hard to help your friend; friends are so valuable to us special-needs moms!

Kathy

 

[shburks]

Hi, shburks!

We have also discussed the DAS and autism extensively on Special Mouse. (My own son has Autism.)

If you click on the podcast page and search "Autism" and/or "DAS," a number of episodes will pop up. In fact, Maureen from Autism at the Parks has been my guest several times -- we are good friends! Come to think of it, so has SueM!

Special Mouse

You're a peach for trying so hard to help your friend; friends are so valuable to us special-needs moms!

Kathy

That's very sweet! I just know how hard it is to go to Disney the first time and then add in the fact that it's summer and there are three kids and one with special needs. If I can help a little, I'm happy to do it!

Thank you so much for the link above! I'll be sure to check it out.

 

[SueM in MN]

Thanks. This site was recommended to me by someone else who said this family goes "all the time" to Disney and kept their site pretty up to date. Apparently that's not the case, so I'm really glad I asked here for clarification! I didn't realize that the need to go to GS daily was initially part of the program either. I did assume that the re-admit pass had been discontinued, but thank you for verifying that, too.

I don't follow her on Twitter, but I think her updates are mostly on twitter and her her a Facebook page.

 

[infopurposesonly]

Re-admits are still given to those who need them. I just got back a couple of weeks ago. I found we really needed the re-admits several times, although not as much as I had anticipated because the crowds were pretty low. We did use the DAS and FP+, and when that wasn't working for us, we used the re-admits. We had done a lot of planning in advance, but things did not work out according to our plans, and that is when the re-admits came in handy.

 

[Orlando or Bust]

I had the DAS card when I first went and it did me for 14 days. I will say that I had to speak to four people about it and then ask for it by name before I got it. I guess they look at you and judge but I have a bad knee and cant stand for hours sometimes I cant stand for ten minutes xx

 

[lanejudy]

I had the DAS card when I first went and it did me for 14 days. I will say that I had to speak to four people about it and then ask for it by name before I got it. I guess they look at you and judge but I have a bad knee and cant stand for hours sometimes I cant stand for ten minutes xx

I'm sorry you had a challenging time obtaining a DAS card. I'm not sure when your trip was, but as of early October 2013 the DAS has changed considerably from the old GAC program. If your reason for requesting the DAS are the same as what you noted above, that is considered a mobility/stamina concern and the accommodation for that is to use a mobility device such as a wheelchair or ECV so you will have a place to sit in queues. I hope you were able to enjoy your vacation, and for your next visit you might want to plan ahead to use a mobility device because CMs are not issuing DAS cards for those reasons alone.

 

[TheRustyScupper]

. . . Keep in mind that that blog was written in the first few days after the DAS was begun. It has not been updated as far as I can see . . .

1) Disney-dedicated sites (like this one) try to keep the most updated info.
2) Sure, every site may have a few bits of old/incorrect info.
3) But, SueM in MN does a g-r-e-a-t job of being on top of changes.