I was shocked today to receive a phone call from Disney Disability Services. It was based on an email I sent them about registering for
DAS for an upcoming trip to
Disneyland in June (first day is 6/17).
My original question was about needing to register twice for DAS as some on this board had suggested (which has since been debunked I think) that if your trip crossed over the 5/20 (for WDW) or 6/18 (for DLR) boundary that your previously approved DAS would be invalidated and you would need to re-apply.
The CM I spoke with was very clear I would not have to re-register and my DAS would be valid for the length of my trip (or presumably 30 days for AP or Magic Keys).
While I had her on the phone, I asked about the change in eligibility for DAS. I specifically asked about the wording on the website which said "developmental disabilities". What I asked was whether that would impact eligiblity for DAS if the person did not have a developmental disability.
What she told me was that it is just an example of something that might qualify for DAS and that every discussion will be handled on a case by case basis just like it is today. She said they do not want to list all of the disabilities that qualify for DAS.
She said the only difference is that instead of talking with a CM that the Video calls starting on 5/20 for WDW and 6/18 for Disneyland would be with someone from their "Accessibility Services Team". I presume this still means CMs that are trained by medical professionals and not actual medical professionals, but it sounds like it is a different group of people (or possibly the same people doing the video calls today just under a different name and no longer the people at Guest Relations like it is today).
Anyway, I thought it was very interesting that she said there would be no changes to eligibility for DAS and it would be handled on a case by case basis. I suspect the devil is in the details and there will be changes to who qualifies for DAS but it will not necessarily be limited to developmental disabilities, which I think is the good news based on the conversation I had.
I know this is very much the same thing our awesome mods have been saying time and time again but I hope it also helps others feel a little better.