Response to ADA Suit

[SueM in MN]

The built in wiggle room is 5 minutes before and 15 minutes after your hour window.

Thanks - I was looking at the after since most people are concerned with missing it because of lateness.

 

[OurBigTrip]

I was interested in the actual language posted above:

The Disability Access Service Card is designed for Guests who are unable to tolerate extended waits at attractions due to their disability, and the service allows Guests to schedule a return time that is comparable to the current queue wait for the given attraction. Depending on a Guest with a cognitive disability’s individual service needs, additional accommodations are available. To learn more about the Disability Access Service Card as well as additional accommodations available based on individual service needs, visit the Guest Relations lobby location near the entrance at any of the four Theme Parks.

I guess, at least on paper, have the ability to accommodate things for guests although perhaps in practice, the DAS is it.

If that is the case, what is the point of the additional language?

Some have been dismissive of the idea about extending FP+ extension times and a few have slipped into the well normal people miss those to so why should you get extra...[the you're getting extra people]....but the above seems to suggest more is on the table than the DAS.

My child does have a cognitive disability so I actually care about what they mean by additional.

I would hope that Disney continues to minimize the additional accommodations, and IMO, they should never be given for looping or shortened park time.

 

[asta]

One additional service had been giving out the yellow no strings fast pass forms. Some families have gotten them and done have not. It really depends on what causes the issue. Does the person need to ride only one attraction all day? Do they need to ride a certain attraction x number of times before they will do anything else that day? In those situations they have offered the extra accommodations bit not typically to those who say the issue is the wait and only the wait.

I would hope that WDW does not hand something like that out because someone thinks it is their right to loop on a ride while others wait. This should be way down on a list of reasons for extra accommodations. If the word gets out that it is the 'magic' reason then I can see the DAS system will become the abusive system that the GAC evolved into.

 

[Coonhound]

I would hope that Disney continues to minimize the additional accommodations, and IMO, they should never be given for looping or shortened park time.

I agree. It doesn't seem like a bad thing to help a family out by doing this for them if they "need" it. The problem is... it's not just one family. It could be hundreds or thousands of families every day and then we are back to what we had with the GAC. And then suddenly those "accommodations" are not enough because they are expected so when someone isn't given those "accommodations" they get up in arms.

 

[lanejudy]

I was interested in the actual language posted above:

The Disability Access Service Card is designed for Guests who are unable to tolerate extended waits at attractions due to their disability, and the service allows Guests to schedule a return time that is comparable to the current queue wait for the given attraction. Depending on a Guest with a cognitive disability’s individual service needs, additional accommodations are available. To learn more about the Disability Access Service Card as well as additional accommodations available based on individual service needs, visit the Guest Relations lobby location near the entrance at any of the four Theme Parks. ...

I suspect the wording of this statement is intentionally vague. It leaves Disney open to offering something, at the discretion of the Guest Relations CMs -- based on the individual request as well as the current in-park conditions. For most guests, this statement could be simply interpreted as aaarcher86 suggests -- stroller tag, first return-time given at GR, also the ability to ask at attractions for specific seating, to avoid stairs, slow walkways, rent/borrow hearing equipment -- all of which are "additional accommodations" beyond the DAS and available based on the specific individual's needs. I think a lot of people who want more/other than DAS are reading a lot into such a statement and interpreting it to be use-anytime FPs.

 

[2tinkerbell]

I was interested in the actual language posted above:

The Disability Access Service Card is designed for Guests who are unable to tolerate extended waits at attractions due to their disability, and the service allows Guests to schedule a return time that is comparable to the current queue wait for the given attraction. Depending on a Guest with a cognitive disability’s individual service needs, additional accommodations are available. To learn more about the Disability Access Service Card as well as additional accommodations available based on individual service needs, visit the Guest Relations lobby location near the entrance at any of the four Theme Parks.

I guess, at least on paper, have the ability to accommodate things for guests although perhaps in practice, the DAS is it.

If that is the case, what is the point of the additional language?

Some have been dismissive of the idea about extending FP+ extension times and a few have slipped into the well normal people miss those to so why should you get extra...[the you're getting extra people]....but the above seems to suggest more is on the table than the DAS.

My child does have a cognitive disability so I actually care about what they mean by additional.

My DD also has a cognitive disability. We went to Disneyland in January and used the DAS along with FastPasses. We were very successful and I felt it was better than the GAC. My DD is a planner and likes to know what she is doing next and when so this worked out perfect for her. She even stated such when she requested a DAS card.

We came up with a situation that it was just not possible using the DAS and FP wasn't an option. My DD tried 3 times to solve this situation and she was beginning to get frustrated. I told her it wasn't worth it because if she became too frustrated and had a meltdown her day in the park was over and she was back at the hotel. She decided that she would try GR and see if they had a solution to her problem that she hadn't thought about. She also wanted to tell them that, in this situation, the DAS wasn't working. The CM who issued the DAS card to her told her that if she had any problems she could come back and tell them. My DD approached the CM in GR and told them she had a problem and explained to them what she had tried. The CM was very attentive to my DD and explained a couple of things to her. They worked back and forth with the situation and finally the CM gave my DD XX with instructions on who to give it to and what to say. He mentioned that he would make contact for her. It worked great! My DD made sure to go directly back to GR to thank them and to tell them it worked. Note: XX was not some kind of FOTL pass, or FP.

In our case we had something specific - one thing that didn't work when everything else about the DAS and FP was working.

I think if one approaches GR with the idea that DAS and FP just isn't going to work at all, then I think Disney has a hard time working with you because the DAS and FP is what they offer. However, I think that, like us, you approach GR with a specific situation where you tried and experienced difficulty and are open minded to solutions, Disney CM's can work individually with you. In other words, I don't believe that Disney is going to alter their entire DAS for you, all day, for every attraction, for your length of stay.

I don't believe that Disney would implement the DAS if they didn't believe that it would be successful 99.9% of the time. That is just my opinion because I certainly wouldn't implement something unless I was pretty sure of it's success.

Note: the use of "you" is a general "you" and not directed at a specific person.

 

[2tinkerbell]

I suspect the wording of this statement is intentionally vague. It leaves Disney open to offering something, at the discretion of the Guest Relations CMs -- based on the individual request as well as the current in-park conditions. For most guests, this statement could be simply interpreted as aaarcher86 suggests -- stroller tag, first return-time given at GR, also the ability to ask at attractions for specific seating, to avoid stairs, slow walkways, rent/borrow hearing equipment -- all of which are "additional accommodations" beyond the DAS and available based on the specific individual's needs. I think a lot of people who want more/other than DAS are reading a lot into such a statement and interpreting it to be use-anytime FPs.

I agree with your thoughts on this issue. You posted this as I was typing my experience. I think they are being vague because the solution isn't always the same.

 

[cmwade77]

I suspect the wording of this statement is intentionally vague. It leaves Disney open to offering something, at the discretion of the Guest Relations CMs -- based on the individual request as well as the current in-park conditions. For most guests, this statement could be simply interpreted as aaarcher86 suggests -- stroller tag, first return-time given at GR, also the ability to ask at attractions for specific seating, to avoid stairs, slow walkways, rent/borrow hearing equipment -- all of which are "additional accommodations" beyond the DAS and available based on the specific individual's needs. I think a lot of people who want more/other than DAS are reading a lot into such a statement and interpreting it to be use-anytime FPs.

Exactly, there may be legitimate individual needs, such as:

• needs to be in a certain spot in a theater due to limited vision
• cannot handle stairs
• Needs to be able to see the sign language interpreter, so needs a specific spot

The DAS does a good job at allowing those who need the assistance to be able to wait in a safe location, but it is not intended to bypass the wait times.

But there is still room for improvement.

 

[JenniBugInPink]

...
As an example of giving access, but not being able to give full enjoyment -
Disney now has pool lifts at all pools. This makes it possible to put someone like my youngest DD into the pool.
But, she gets cold very quickly and doesn't have "full and equal enjoyment" of the pool because it is way too cold for her. That is directly related to her disability - she does not have enough fat to insulate her body well to conserve body heat, she can't move effectively in the water to generate body heat and the cold (to her) temperature makes her muscles tight. All of those things limit the time she can spend in the pool (she may be able to be in for only 10 minutes) and she does not have full and equal enjoyment.
Making the pool the same temperature as a hot tub would give her that same "full and equal enjoyment" as other guests because she needs water that hot to be comfortable in the water.
But, that would interfere with other guests' enjoyment because it would be way too hot for them to enjoy and, being that hot would limit their ability to stay in the pool.

My example above of the pool is changing the nature.
A good example of why it is not possible to give everyone full and equal enjoyment.

With my RA, I would be VERY happy if they raised the temperature of the pools. It would be so nice to have getting in the pool actually be a pain relieving experience. If they ever DO make that accomodation, I'll be the first one in, LOL!

I would hope that Disney continues to minimize the additional accommodations, and IMO, they should never be given for looping or shortened park time.

I would hope that WDW does not hand something like that out because someone thinks it is their right to loop on a ride while others wait. This should be way down on a list of reasons for extra accommodations. If the word gets out that it is the 'magic' reason then I can see the DAS system will become the abusive system that the GAC evolved into.

I agree. It doesn't seem like a bad thing to help a family out by doing this for them if they "need" it. The problem is... it's not just one family. It could be hundreds or thousands of families every day and then we are back to what we had with the GAC. And then suddenly those "accommodations" are not enough because they are expected so when someone isn't given those "accommodations" they get up in arms.

Like you, I worry that abuse of this could lead to the problems that existed with the GAC, but it doesn't seem that is happening. I don't think anyone is suffering from an overdose of pixie dust at present.

My DD also has a cognitive disability. We went to Disneyland in January and used the DAS along with FastPasses. We were very successful and I felt it was better than the GAC. My DD is a planner and likes to know what she is doing next and when so this worked out perfect for her. She even stated such when she requested a DAS card.

We came up with a situation that it was just not possible using the DAS and FP wasn't an option. My DD tried 3 times to solve this situation and she was beginning to get frustrated. I told her it wasn't worth it because if she became too frustrated and had a meltdown her day in the park was over and she was back at the hotel. She decided that she would try GR and see if they had a solution to her problem that she hadn't thought about. She also wanted to tell them that, in this situation, the DAS wasn't working. The CM who issued the DAS card to her told her that if she had any problems she could come back and tell them. My DD approached the CM in GR and told them she had a problem and explained to them what she had tried. The CM was very attentive to my DD and explained a couple of things to her. They worked back and forth with the situation and finally the CM gave my DD XX with instructions on who to give it to and what to say. He mentioned that he would make contact for her. It worked great! My DD made sure to go directly back to GR to thank them and to tell them it worked. Note: XX was not some kind of FOTL pass, or FP.

In our case we had something specific - one thing that didn't work when everything else about the DAS and FP was working.

I think if one approaches GR with the idea that DAS and FP just isn't going to work at all, then I think Disney has a hard time working with you because the DAS and FP is what they offer. However, I think that, like us, you approach GR with a specific situation where you tried and experienced difficulty and are open minded to solutions, Disney CM's can work individually with you. In other words, I don't believe that Disney is going to alter their entire DAS for you, all day, for every attraction, for your length of stay.

I don't believe that Disney would implement the DAS if they didn't believe that it would be successful 99.9% of the time. That is just my opinion because I certainly wouldn't implement something unless I was pretty sure of it's success.
Note: the use of "you" is a general "you" and not directed at a specific person.

I think your story is a perfect example of how the system ought to work. I'm glad things worked so well. I hope all of our situations go this well (for those of us who haven't yet gone through the DAS system, those of us who are trying again with the new FP+ in place, or those of us trying to figure out how to make it work better for our families). I think the key was working with the system and finding what worked for you, then when a specific need arose, you were able to let GR know exactly what didn't work and why. Then they could find a solution to that one problem, rather than just a vague complaint that "the DAS won't work for me...".

 

[2tinkerbell]

I need to make it clear that our experience with the DAS was 99.9% successful. The situation that we encountered was with 1 attraction and only 1 time. We were given the additional accommodation for that attraction only. The other times we utilized the DAS and FastPasses.

To be specific, it involved the Haunted Mansion. We had a return time on the DAS. I don't believe that FP was available because it opened a day early from removing the overlay. My DD needed additional accommodation which she had asked for 3 different times and in 3 different ways. The alternate wait place was great, my DD just needs other accommodations (which is not stopping or slowing down the ride) to enjoy this particular attraction.

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

.......

As an example of giving access, but not being able to give full enjoyment -
Disney now has pool lifts at all pools. This makes it possible to put someone like my youngest DD into the pool.
But, she gets cold very quickly and doesn't have "full and equal enjoyment" of the pool because it is way too cold for her. That is directly related to her disability - she does not have enough fat to insulate her body well to conserve body heat, she can't move effectively in the water to generate body heat and the cold (to her) temperature makes her muscles tight. All of those things limit the time she can spend in the pool (she may be able to be in for only 10 minutes) and she does not have full and equal enjoyment.
Making the pool the same temperature as a hot tub would give her that same "full and equal enjoyment" as other guests because she needs water that hot to be comfortable in the water.

Have you tried using a wetsuit?

 

[SueM in MN]

My DD also has a cognitive disability. We went to Disneyland in January and used the DAS along with FastPasses. We were very successful and I felt it was better than the GAC. My DD is a planner and likes to know what she is doing next and when so this worked out perfect for her. She even stated such when she requested a DAS card.

We came up with a situation that it was just not possible using the DAS and FP wasn't an option. My DD tried 3 times to solve this situation and she was beginning to get frustrated. I told her it wasn't worth it because if she became too frustrated and had a meltdown her day in the park was over and she was back at the hotel. She decided that she would try GR and see if they had a solution to her problem that she hadn't thought about. She also wanted to tell them that, in this situation, the DAS wasn't working. The CM who issued the DAS card to her told her that if she had any problems she could come back and tell them. My DD approached the CM in GR and told them she had a problem and explained to them what she had tried. The CM was very attentive to my DD and explained a couple of things to her. They worked back and forth with the situation and finally the CM gave my DD XX with instructions on who to give it to and what to say. He mentioned that he would make contact for her. It worked great! My DD made sure to go directly back to GR to thank them and to tell them it worked. Note: XX was not some kind of FOTL pass, or FP.

In our case we had something specific - one thing that didn't work when everything else about the DAS and FP was working.

I think if one approaches GR with the idea that DAS and FP just isn't going to work at all, then I think Disney has a hard time working with you because the DAS and FP is what they offer. However, I think that, like us, you approach GR with a specific situation where you tried and experienced difficulty and are open minded to solutions, Disney CM's can work individually with you. In other words, I don't believe that Disney is going to alter their entire DAS for you, all day, for every attraction, for your length of stay.

I don't believe that Disney would implement the DAS if they didn't believe that it would be successful 99.9% of the time. That is just my opinion because I certainly wouldn't implement something unless I was pretty sure of it's success.

Note: the use of "you" is a general "you" and not directed at a specific person.

Sounds like you (the specific you) have done a great job with teaching your daughter to advocate for herself.

Exactly, there may be legitimate individual needs, such as:

• needs to be in a certain spot in a theater due to limited vision
• cannot handle stairs
• Needs to be able to see the sign language interpreter, so needs a specific spot

The DAS does a good job at allowing those who need the assistance to be able to wait in a safe location, but it is not intended to bypass the wait times.

But there is still room for improvement.

One of the issues with the GAC was that it started out with giving specific accommodations for needs.
For example, people who could not handles stairs got a GAC stamp that basically said, "avoid stairs". It was only used on those few attractions that actually had stairs.
By the end, many of those same people were getting a GAC for alternate entry and using it for every attraction.

I think that is one of the things Disney was trying to get rid of by pulling those out of the DAS program.

Those things could be handled with more information to guests so they know what to expect and firm procedures for CMs.

I need to make it clear that our experience with the DAS was 99.9% successful. The situation that we encountered was with 1 attraction and only 1 time. We were given the additional accommodation for that attraction only. The other times we utilized the DAS and FastPasses.

To be specific, it involved the Haunted Mansion. We had a return time on the DAS. I don't believe that FP was available because it opened a day early from removing the overlay. My DD needed additional accommodation which she had asked for 3 different times and in 3 different ways. The alternate wait place was great, my DD just needs other accommodations (which is not stopping or slowing down the ride) to enjoy this particular attraction.

Just mentioning that this is talking about Haunted Mansion at Disneyland, so people don't wonder if HM at WDW is getting a holiday overlay.

Have you tried using a wetsuit?

That would probably be somewhat helpful.

It did give me a couple of hilarious mental images and a good laugh though.
My DD is 5 feet tall and about 75 pounds, so she would need a pretty little wetsuit. We have enough trouble getting her clothes on and off sometimes, so the idea of wrestling her into a wet suit was pretty hilarious.

 

[TulipsNZ]

It did give me a couple of hilarious mental images and a good laugh though.
My DD is 5 feet tall and about 75 pounds, so she would need a pretty little wetsuit. We have enough trouble getting her clothes on and off sometimes, so the idea of wrestling her into a wet suit was pretty hilarious.

My 5 year olds 3/4 wetsuit would fit her I think, she may do well in a full body junior wetsuit. She is tall but thin for most sizes but I think you could make it work.

 

[SueM in MN]

My 5 year olds 3/4 wetsuit would fit her I think, she may do well in a full body junior wetsuit. She is tall but thin for most sizes but I think you could make it work.

Thank you.

I think she would take one look at it and start signing, "No. All finished" and if we tried to get it on, she would be peeling it off as fast as we were peeling it on. She has sensory issues with some things that are tight feelings and if she doesn't like the looks of something, it's not going on.
I will look on the internet with her though to see if she would even be willing to try.

 

[DopeyDame]

My DD also has a cognitive disability. We went to Disneyland in January and used the DAS along with FastPasses. We were very successful and I felt it was better than the GAC. My DD is a planner and likes to know what she is doing next and when so this worked out perfect for her. She even stated such when she requested a DAS card.

We came up with a situation that it was just not possible using the DAS and FP wasn't an option. My DD tried 3 times to solve this situation and she was beginning to get frustrated. I told her it wasn't worth it because if she became too frustrated and had a meltdown her day in the park was over and she was back at the hotel. She decided that she would try GR and see if they had a solution to her problem that she hadn't thought about. She also wanted to tell them that, in this situation, the DAS wasn't working. The CM who issued the DAS card to her told her that if she had any problems she could come back and tell them. My DD approached the CM in GR and told them she had a problem and explained to them what she had tried. The CM was very attentive to my DD and explained a couple of things to her. They worked back and forth with the situation and finally the CM gave my DD XX with instructions on who to give it to and what to say. He mentioned that he would make contact for her. It worked great! My DD made sure to go directly back to GR to thank them and to tell them it worked. Note: XX was not some kind of FOTL pass, or FP.

In our case we had something specific - one thing that didn't work when everything else about the DAS and FP was working.

I think if one approaches GR with the idea that DAS and FP just isn't going to work at all, then I think Disney has a hard time working with you because the DAS and FP is what they offer. However, I think that, like us, you approach GR with a specific situation where you tried and experienced difficulty and are open minded to solutions, Disney CM's can work individually with you. In other words, I don't believe that Disney is going to alter their entire DAS for you, all day, for every attraction, for your length of stay.

I don't believe that Disney would implement the DAS if they didn't believe that it would be successful 99.9% of the time. That is just my opinion because I certainly wouldn't implement something unless I was pretty sure of it's success.

Note: the use of "you" is a general "you" and not directed at a specific person.

I obviously don't know your daughter's issues, but it sounds like you are doing an amazing job of empowering her and helping her learn, while also helping her enjoy her vacation! And that you all have a great attitude about trying to work WITH Disney instead of fighting against them. Kudos, momma.

 

[asc]

My DD also has a cognitive disability. ....

unfortunately my daughter has a limited ability to articular her needs with us let alone with a third party that she does not know - even using an alternative communication device. i am glad it worked out.

 

[2tinkerbell]

unfortunately my daughter has a limited ability to articular her needs with us let alone with a third party that she does not know - even using an alternative communication device. i am glad it worked out.

That has to be hard to constantly be guessing and playing what we used to call "twenty one questions" over what your DD wants. It also puts more pressure on you to advocate for your DD. Hang in there. We all have our areas of challenge. ((HUGS))

The biggest point of posting our personal experience is that Disney worked with my DD's individual needs with one specific issue where she was experiencing difficulty. We approached Disney with a specific issue and not a general issue such as "the DAS won't work for us."

 

[Aladora]

That has to be hard to constantly be guessing and playing what we used to call "twenty one questions" over what your DD wants. It also puts more pressure on you to advocate for your DD. Hang in there. We all have our areas of challenge. ((HUGS))

Ahh yes, the "what are you trying to communicate to me" game. I remember it well.

There was a point in time where my son had some pretty severe speech issues and we could only understand 50% of what he was saying. At the time he was only 4 or so but could spell words he could not pronounce. He would get so frustrated when we did not understand the word he was saying that we ended up asking him to spell the word!

It's amazing the work-arounds that we parents have to come up with.

 

[2tinkerbell]

I so remember the time my sister, who was babysitting my DD, called me at work. My co-worker came running over and said, "You have an emergency call. It's your sister and your daughter is crying." I picked up the phone and my sister said, "What is a toodie?" I said, "A cookie." My sister then started laughing and said, "No wonder she is standing there with her hand up towards the cookie jar. I thought she wanted something in the cupboard because that is what it looks like. I have gone through everything in the cupboard that she could possibly want." We laugh about it now.

We used to say, "Can you give me a clue" when we didn't understand my DD. My DD got really good at giving clues and we got really good at the "21 Questions".

 

[Aladora]

I so remember the time my sister, who was babysitting my DD, called me at work. My co-worker came running over and said, "You have an emergency call. It's your sister and your daughter is crying." I picked up the phone and my sister said, "What is a toodie?" I said, "A cookie." My sister then started laughing and said, "No wonder she is standing there with her hand up towards the cookie jar. I thought she wanted something in the cupboard because that is what it looks like. I have gone through everything in the cupboard that she could possibly want." We laugh about it now.

We used to say, "Can you give me a clue" when we didn't understand my DD. My DD got really good at giving clues and we got really good at the "21 Questions".

It sounds like your DD had the same speech issue as my DS, replacing the hard "k" sound with a "t" sound. I remember when DS was 2 1/2, hearing him trying to grab a balloon and saying "trap, trap" over and over. I had no idea what he was trying to say until I remembered that he always said "tat" instead of "cat". Turns out that my child who barely said "mommy" had picked up my habit of saying "crap" when frustrated.