First time to Disney World - handicap

Firsttime101

Earning My Ears
Joined
Dec 27, 2019
Messages
21
This will be our first time going to Disney World. I have MS and am in a wheelchair. Also have heat sensitivity if I am in the heat too long. I have my own motorized chair. My question is do they have another service besides DAS? Someone that knows Disney pretty well who also has a child that is disabled told me that there is another ADA service besides DAS. He told me about certain seating I can get for shows as well as different access to rides. Can anyone elaborate on this? I know about DAS so my question is more about the other things he told me.
 
told me that there is another ADA service besides DAS. He told me about certain seating I can get for shows as well as different access to rides. Can anyone elaborate on this? I know about DAS so my question is more about the other things he told me.
DAS is a service for people whose disability prevents them from waiting in lines; it provides an alternate way to wait.
I’m not sure what else he would have been referring to - we travel frequently to WDW with a disabled child using a wheelchair.

All WDW attractions are wheelchair accessible to the point of boarding/attraction (except Tomorrowland Transit Authority, Tom Sawyer Island and Swiss Fsmily Robinson Treehouse).
Most attractions have Mainstream lines, which means the regular line is completely accessible and guests with wheelchairs wait in the line with everyone else. For some, after waiting in the regular line, you will be directed to a different boarding area (usually close to the regular boarding area).
A very few attractions have a different access point for guests using mobility devices / most are in MK and are that way because the line could not be made mainstream. CMs at the entrance will direct you if you need to go somewhere else. In some cases, they may give you a time to return roughly equal to the current wait time. In most cases, power wheelchairs are handled the same as manual wheelchairs.

All shows have wheelchair spots with at least one companion seat.
There are handicapped viewing areas for parades and fireworks; they do fill up quickly and you may need to get there earlier than if you choose to just choose a spot.

Some attractions have wheelchair accessible ride cars, which are also accessible to most power wheelchairs. If you want to stay in your chair, tell the CM at/near the boarding area. Some attractions have ADA ride cars with wider opening doors to make transfers easier. Some also have sliding boards or transfer tiers (bump steps).

There is more information in the disABILITIES FAQs. You can follow the link in my signature or look near the top of this board.
 
DAS is a service for people whose disability prevents them from waiting in lines; it provides an alternate way to wait.
I’m not sure what else he would have been referring to - we travel frequently to WDW with a disabled child using a wheelchair.

All WDW attractions are wheelchair accessible to the point of boarding/attraction (except Tomorrowland Transit Authority, Tom Sawyer Island and Swiss Fsmily Robinson Treehouse).
Most attractions have Mainstream lines, which means the regular line is completely accessible and guests with wheelchairs wait in the line with everyone else. For some, after waiting in the regular line, you will be directed to a different boarding area (usually close to the regular boarding area).
A very few attractions have a different access point for guests using mobility devices / most are in MK and are that way because the line could not be made mainstream. CMs at the entrance will direct you if you need to go somewhere else. In some cases, they may give you a time to return roughly equal to the current wait time. In most cases, power wheelchairs are handled the same as manual wheelchairs.

All shows have wheelchair spots with at least one companion seat.
There are handicapped viewing areas for parades and fireworks; they do fill up quickly and you may need to get there earlier than if you choose to just choose a spot.

Some attractions have wheelchair accessible ride cars, which are also accessible to most power wheelchairs. If you want to stay in your chair, tell the CM at/near the boarding area. Some attractions have ADA ride cars with wider opening doors to make transfers easier. Some also have sliding boards or transfer tiers (bump steps).

There is more information in the disABILITIES FAQs. You can follow the link in my signature or look near the top of this board.

Thanks so much for all great info. I’m the dad of the family so my wife and three kids (all under 8 years old) will be with me. Are they going to have a problem doing what I do for DAS? I can’t wait in line for a long time so will they give me a call back for DAS on rides and how does that work? I know we get 3 fast passes per person per day. Can they sit by me at shows if I have special seating?
 
Thanks so much for all great info. I’m the dad of the family so my wife and three kids (all under 8 years old) will be with me. Are they going to have a problem doing what I do for DAS? I can’t wait in line for a long time so will they give me a call back for DAS on rides and how does that work? I know we get 3 fast passes per person per day. Can they sit by me at shows if I have special seating?
There is a WDW DAS thread stuck near the top of this board with more info.
Whrn you request DAS, be ready to explain what additional issues you have with waiting in lines in addition to using a wheelchair.
That’s because DAS is not needed and usually not given for using a wheelchair in line.
DAS can only be used for the attractions the person DAS was issued to is actually going on. So, your family may want to use your 3 FASTPASSES for the things you can’t do.

Guests using DAS get a Return Time that is roughly equal to the wait in the Standby line.
You can wait wherever you want, do cares, etc until your time comes. At that point, your whole group would enter the attraction.
For shows, there will be at least one companion seat to sit next to you and the rest of your group would sit directly in front or behind you. For parades and fireworks, if it’s very busy, they might limit to one companion; if it’s not, they will let up to 5 plus the person eith a wheelchair.
Usually wheelchairs are parked right next to each other in a row along the rope/street. The rest of your group would be behind you (or the kids might be able to sit by your feet).

Some accessible ride cars have seats for 6 plus a wheelchair spot (Small World and Mexico, for example).
Some have a single seat next to the wheelchair and the rest of your group will ride in other cars (Buzz Lightyear, Winnie the Pooh, Imagination, for example).
 
















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