DAS changes coming WDW May 20/ DL June 18, 2024

[jlundeen]

The bolded is a huge assumption, and in my experience wholly inaccurate on a large scale. I'm not saying that it's not true for some, but it's not a universal truth.

Yes, they need to provide accommodations for disabled people to be able to access WDW (and not just mobility accessibility). And yes, other places do so as well. Most theme parks have some kind of program - they all have different parameters. there are some that are more generous than Disney, others that are less. What they do, like disability, is a spectrum.

I agree - sometimes, "easier" is the difference between going and not going. If the whole trip is a struggle, sometimes it's just better to go somewhere else.

 

[gottalovepluto]

I personally know several a families who have used DAS, and it has absolutely made their trip more enjoyable and easier. But, did they NEED it? For them,no. Having DAS didn't make their trip possible- it made it easier and I'm happy for them that they had it.
We all know when we choose to visit a theme park what it entails. Is Disney held to a different standard?

I'm honestly asking since I know these families who have struggles don't even often choose to take their kid to Target, and certainly never a pro sports event due to issues with anxiety, ASD, IBS, etc.

I understand the accommodations make a Disney trip easier, absolutely! And it's a great offering by WDW. Do they need to do this, and why don't other places, if so?

Disney is held to a different standard because they met a different standard of their own accord. They gained some of our business for it, whether or not this holds we will see.

One of the things we do around here is we try very hard not to judge what other's "really need". If you aren't a member of that family unit there is going to be a lot you do not know about them including the extent of their issues or even co-issues that they don't talk about outside the family.

 

[only hope]

I personally know several a families who have used DAS, and it has absolutely made their trip more enjoyable and easier. But, did they NEED it? For them,no. Having DAS didn't make their trip possible- it made it easier and I'm happy for them that they had it.
We all know when we choose to visit a theme park what it entails. Is Disney held to a different standard?

I'm honestly asking since I know these families who have struggles don't even often choose to take their kid to Target, and certainly never a pro sports event due to issues with anxiety, ASD, IBS, etc.

I understand the accommodations make a Disney trip easier, absolutely! And it's a great offering by WDW. Do they need to do this, and why don't other places, if so?

Other entertainment (and places in general) do provide accommodations of various types. For example, the regional theater here will have occasional shows that are lower volume etc for people with autism, PTSD, etc. I’ve seen stores with grocery carts with a larger seat attached to accommodate older children who need it. Businesses are absolutely required to make reasonable accommodations that aren’t a significant disruption- it’s the law. The progress that has been made is hard-earned. Those who know their history know at one time within living memory people were protesting just to get curb cuts and accessible public transportation…

 

[SteveMouse]

Other entertainment (and places in general) do provide accommodations of various types. For example, the regional theater here will have occasional shows that are lower volume etc for people with autism, PTSD, etc. I’ve seen stores with grocery carts with a larger seat attached to accommodate older children who need it. Businesses are absolutely required to make reasonable accommodations that aren’t a significant disruption- it’s the law. The progress that has been made is hard-earned. Those who know their history know at one time within living memory people were protesting just to get curb cuts and accessible public transportation…

Curb cuts and accessibility transportation are still not a "given."

 

[Elephantay]

The bolded is a huge assumption, and in my experience wholly inaccurate on a large scale. I'm not saying that it's not true for some, but it's not a universal truth.

Yes, they need to provide accommodations for disabled people to be able to access WDW (and not just mobility accessibility). And yes, other places do so as well. Most theme parks have some kind of program - they all have different parameters. there are some that are more generous than Disney, others that are less. What they do, like disability, is a spectrum.

Apologies if my comment was confusing! I was only referring to the families I mentioned, that I know personally. In no way was this meant to be a statement of universal truth.

 

[notatallmagic]

Disney is held to a different standard because they met a different standard of their own accord. They gained some of our business for it, whether or not this holds we will see.

One of the things we do around here is we try very hard not to judge what other's "really need". If you aren't a member of that family unit there is going to be a lot you do not know about them including the extent of their issues or even co-issues that they don't talk about outside the family.

Agreed.

I do understand the need to refine and improve. Every business does; and Disney is a business.

BUT - their implementation is IMO quite poor and amateur-ish for a company with their resources.

For example, THEY have created a business model where a great deal of pre-planning is required or at least optimal. For families with disabilities, even more so! But the short term nature of these changes and the unclear parameters have been a nightmare for those of us who NEED the accommodations, but have already planned and invested in our trips.

For Annual Passholders- we invested in passes with the implication that we could access the parks safely. And many with regular tickets have resorts, tickets, and airfare prepaid with no assurance that they can use the services that were available at the time of the booking.

A company with Disney's resources at the very least should have had a plan for those guests. Going forward, once we know how this might work, we all can make an informed decision on whether Disney is still accessible for us. But for those in limbo, this is an unnecessary and potentially very costly situation that should have been handled much better.

 

[Elephantay]

Disney is held to a different standard because they met a different standard of their own accord. They gained some of our business for it, whether or not this holds we will see.

One of the things we do around here is we try very hard not to judge what other's "really need". If you aren't a member of that family unit there is going to be a lot you do not know about them including the extent of their issues or even co-issues that they don't talk about outside the family.

Yes, I understand. These are close families to mine and I wholly encouraged them to look into DAS so they could have a better vacation- they were going anyway. And I'm very happy they were helped and had a good trip- they aren't just able to do some of the other things I mentioned so WDW offering this to them was amazing. My closest friend is one of these moms and they are wanting to go again. I'm trying to find out all I can to support her ( she has NO time to read through all of these posts with four young children).
My own child has a health issue- he cannot tolerate heat. There is much more to his/our story so I totally understand that I can only truly know my own experience. There is no judgement about other peoples situation in my mind, I'm just trying to clarify if things are getting trickier ( want vs need types of qualification, etc). My friend has decided to wait to see how this plays out, because despite the DAS for her son they still had many challenges and she doesn't want to go again without it.
While I also know that my neighbor totally took advantage of the system and it irritated me to no end- I appreciate that there are many people who have a legitimate concern.

 

[Disneychick75]

Agreed.

I do understand the need to refine and improve. Every business does; and Disney is a business.

BUT - their implementation is IMO quote poor and amateur ish for a company with their resources.

For example, THEY have created a business model where a great deal of pre-planning is required or at least optimal. For families with disabilities, even more so! But the short term nature of these changes and the unclear parameters have been a nightmare for those of us who NEED the accommodations, but have already planned and invested in our trips.

For Annual Passholders- we invested in passes with the implication that we could access the parks safely. And many with regular tickets have resorts, tickets, and airfare prepaid with no assurance that they can use the services that were available at the time of the booking.

A company with Disney's resources at the very least should have had a plan for those guests. Going forward, once we know how this might work, we all can make an informed decision on whether Disney is still accessible for us. But for those in limbo, this is an unnecessary and potentially very costly situation that should have been handled much better.

The planning part doesn't bother me- I think it's fun but I do understand that not everyone feels the same.
I agree Disney is not handling the rollout of the new DAS rules well. I think the company should have said this is what we're doing in 6 months or 1 year and not 30 days. The company is seriously going to make a major change right before Summer vacation when thousands of families, some impacted by DAS changes, choose to vacation at the parks?

IMO, if Disney was going to have a press release or change the verbiage on the webpage, they should have waited until all information pertinent to the guests in both Disney World and Disneyland was available. Of course had that happened, this thread would likely have been half as long because it would have knocked out the supposition, lol.
Both the timing and the lack of information by Disney look ill planned which is shocking because Disney has been in the theme park business for 69 years.

 

[Angel Ariel]

The company is seriously going to make a major change right before Summer vacation when thousands of families, some impacted by DAS changes, choose to vacation at the parks?

I'm willing to be they're making it because of Tiana opening this summer and needing to remove either TRON, GotG or both from virtual queue.

 

[SueM in MN]

The planning part doesn't bother me- I think it's fun but I do understand that not everyone feels the same.
I agree Disney is not handling the rollout of the new DAS rules well. I think the company should have said this is what we're doing in 6 months or 1 year and not 30 days. The company is seriously going to make a major change right before Summer vacation when thousands of families, some impacted by DAS changes, choose to vacation at the parks?

IMO, if Disney was going to have a press release or change the verbiage on the webpage, they should have waited until all information pertinent to the guests in both Disney World and Disneyland was available. Of course had that happened, this thread would likely have been half as long because it would have knocked out the supposition, lol.
Both the timing and the lack of information by Disney look ill planned which is shocking because Disney has been in the theme park business for 69 years.

I don't know why Disney did/is doing the change the way they have done.
They gave more notice than Universal when it switched to requiring medical documentation and using third party IBCCES to collect the documentation. The announcement was made on July 13, 2023 for visits starting July 24, 2023.
They definitely had issues - both IBCCES and Universal told people with wheelchairs, blind people using canes,/guide dogs, deaf guests who needed ASL interpretation, guests with Service Animals that they needed to provide proof of disability/get IBCCES card to use these accommodations in the park. It's specifically against the law to require proof for any of those

 

[Disneychick75]

I don't know why Disney did/is doing the change the way they have done.
They gave more notice than Universal when it switched to requiring medical documentation and using third party IBCCES to collect the documentation. The announcement was made on July 13, 2023 for visits starting July 24, 2023.
They definitely had issues - both IBCCES and Universal told people with wheelchairs, blind people using canes,/guide dogs, deaf guests who needed ASL interpretation, guests with Service Animals that they needed to provide proof of disability/get IBCCES card to use these accommodations in the park. It's specifically against the law to require proof for any of those

Wow, 11 days - that's crazy!
I don't guess there's been a judgment yet on the suits against Universal on demanding documentation? I can see asking guests to volunteer it if they choose to but demanding it is another case entirely!

 

[OurBigTrip]

Wow, 11 days - that's crazy!
I don't guess there's been a judgment yet on the suits against Universal on demanding documentation? I can see asking guests to volunteer it if they choose to but demanding it is another case entirely!

If they aren’t going to require documentation, which they aren’t, then there is no point in allowing people to voluntarily provide it.

 

[Angel Ariel]

Wow, 11 days - that's crazy!
I don't guess there's been a judgment yet on the suits against Universal on demanding documentation? I can see asking guests to volunteer it if they choose to but demanding it is another case entirely!

Is there a lawsuit against universal? I know there's one against 6 flags (which also uses IBCCES).

 

[nalababybear]

The planning part doesn't bother me- I think it's fun but I do understand that not everyone feels the same.
I agree Disney is not handling the rollout of the new DAS rules well. I think the company should have said this is what we're doing in 6 months or 1 year and not 30 days. The company is seriously going to make a major change right before Summer vacation when thousands of families, some impacted by DAS changes, choose to vacation at the parks?

IMO, if Disney was going to have a press release or change the verbiage on the webpage, they should have waited until all information pertinent to the guests in both Disney World and Disneyland was available. Of course had that happened, this thread would likely have been half as long because it would have knocked out the supposition, lol.
Both the timing and the lack of information by Disney look ill planned which is shocking because Disney has been in the theme park business for 69 years.

Most theme parks don't do accommodations ahead of the visit. Disney switched to video a few years ago and that was a significant surprise. It's still only 30 days ahead, so those planning months ahead, it's ALWAYS been a crapshoot to know if an accommodation of DAS is being offered.

Now, it's a more stratified accommodation hopefully meeting the need where it's at. The timing hasn't changed. Announcing it 3 or 6 months ahead would make no difference. Even this announcement and lead time has folk on edge. I would have simply put out an announcement that a change is coming in 14 days to give proper notice. And then make the huge PR presentation at 14 days.

 

[Disneychick75]

Most theme parks don't do accommodations ahead of the visit. Disney switched to video a few years ago and that was a significant surprise. It's still only 30 days ahead, so those planning months ahead, it's ALWAYS been a crapshoot to know if an accommodation of DAS is being offered.

Now, it's a more stratified accommodation hopefully meeting the need where it's at. The timing hasn't changed. Announcing it 3 or 6 months ahead would make no difference. Even this announcement and lead time has folk on edge. I would have simply put out an announcement that a change is coming in 14 days to give proper notice. And then make the huge PR presentation at 14 days.

Had me on edge because our trip starts May 26th and until about a week after the annoncement, no one realized that the new rules chat would not begin until May 20th. It sounded, at first, like the new rules themselves would begin in the parks on May 20th.
14 days is fine for those who don't have packages because that type of reservation must be canceled 30 days in advance of a trip. I canceled the DDP because I didn't want to be caught up w/in the 30 days.

 

[Angel Ariel]

Even this announcement and lead time has folk on edge

What has people on edge isn't the announcement, it's the lack of information and clarity that surrounded it.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

What has people on edge isn't the announcement, it's the lack of information and clarity that surrounded it.

Well it's both because of the way that Disney does it (number of days in advance for registration) a long lead time would lead to a long time of uncertainty if you qualified for it even if other people shared their stories it doesn't mean when it's your turn what you're hearing if what you'll be offered. Plus there's the timing of when someone's trip is and if an accommodation would work given what they are requesting DAS for. No lack of clarity in information is going to take that away unless you're asking Disney to just tell people what they want they won't get in which case I see that side of where a person can cancel their trip with enough notice if they felt they needed to.

 

[Angel Ariel]

Well it's both because of the way that Disney does it (number of days in advance for registration) a long lead time would lead to a long time of uncertainty if you qualified for it even if other people shared their stories it doesn't mean when it's your turn what you're hearing if what you'll be offered. Plus there's the timing of when someone's trip is and if an accommodation would work given what they are requesting DAS for. No lack of clarity in information is going to take that away unless you're asking Disney to just tell people what they want they won't get in which case I see that side of where a person can cancel their trip with enough notice if they felt they needed to.

What would help take away some of the anxiety re: the uncertainty of qualifying is of people didn't have to rely on Disney making an exception to their refund policy if they didnt qualify for accommodations (or the family decides the accommodations provided don't meet their need and then want to cancel the trip).

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

What would help take away some of the anxiety re: the uncertainty of qualifying is of people didn't have to rely on Disney making an exception to their refund policy if they didnt qualify for accommodations (or the family decides the accommodations provided don't meet their need and then want to cancel the trip).

I get that, don't disagree (there was that comment I made many pages ago to that same line of thinking about already paid for trips). ETA it was in response to a poster's comments being taken completely differently that it should have been read by a different poster.

 

[SueM in MN]

Most theme parks don't do accommodations ahead of the visit. Disney switched to video a few years ago and that was a significant surprise. It's still only 30 days ahead, so those planning months ahead, it's ALWAYS been a crapshoot to know if an accommodation of DAS is being offered.

Now, it's a more stratified accommodation hopefully meeting the need where it's at. The timing hasn't changed. Announcing it 3 or 6 months ahead would make no difference. Even this announcement and lead time has folk on edge. I would have simply put out an announcement that a change is coming in 14 days to give proper notice. And then make the huge PR presentation at 14 days.

Disney began doing Advance Video Registration for DAS on October 19, 2021 for WDW. Disneyland began after that - I don't remember the exact date, but it wasn't much after.
Prior to that, guests were only able to register for DAS in person at a park.