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

[PrincessV]

That's something I hadn't thought about but would for sure agree with. MK is great for having a good amount of rides but when you're not riding rides or doing something like a parade or show there's actually not as much meandering space if you will. There's spaces to get off of the crowded path but not really quite like AK and Epcot has.

I had time to kill waiting to see if Tiana’s would come back online the other day and wasn’t in the mood for more rides - I wound up sitting on this small rock bench next to the Treehouse that was 90% in full sun and too hot to sit on, and 10% shaded next to a tall rock. Parked myself there, set up my little fan on the big rock to point at my face, pulled out a snack and a book and read a few chapters in peace because the rest of the bench was too hot for anyone else to sit. It was one of my proudest moments as a WDW veteran. I find it SO hard to find much in the way of quiet, secluded spots to get away from the people and overstimulation at MK.

 

[Takket]

I keep seeing people say "RTQ being offered." Is this something you have to be granted by the interviewer to be able to use, or something anyone can use at the ride entrance and they are just SUGGESTING you use it?

 

[lanejudy]

I keep seeing people say "RTQ being offered." Is this something you have to be granted by the interviewer to be able to use, or something anyone can use at the ride entrance and they are just SUGGESTING you use it?

The only accommodation that needs to granted is DAS. Attraction Queue Re-entry is available to anyone. This is where usually the whole party enters the standby queue, then if someone needs to leave (disability or otherwise) that individual may do so and a CM will inform them how to rejoin their party (usually via the LL). Procedures may vary a bit but that’s the general idea. It’s recommended to ask the CM at the entrance what you should do if you think you may need to leave.

 

[jods]

Her *disabled* friends all agreed that it would be horrible to be with a group and have wait in a separate location alone or with only one other person.

Her non-disabled friends roll with it.

Diminished social standing is my own phrasing. (And was apparently a bad choice). So forget isolating or excluding or social standing or any of those buzzwords and simply look at it as having to missing out on part of a shared experience. Not Disney's fault or problem, but still unfortunate.

I got what you are trying to say. I get it too. She also feels like she's missing out. Her friends are all laughing and hanging out and she has to wait outside the line, away from them. I think many people would feel that way, especially around get age. I hope it works out and she gets the DAS.

 

[theMoreDisneytheBetter]

I got what you are trying to say. I get it too. She also feels like she's missing out. Her friends are all laughing and hanging out and she has to wait outside the line, away from them. I think many people would feel that way, especially around get age. I hope it works out and she gets the DAS.

Or perhaps she uses the desire to be with friends as motivation to try to start in the SB line and waits to exit until it becomes too much for her?

 

[mistysue]

I had time to kill waiting to see if Tiana’s would come back online the other day and wasn’t in the mood for more rides - I wound up sitting on this small rock bench next to the Treehouse that was 90% in full sun and too hot to sit on, and 10% shaded next to a tall rock. Parked myself there, set up my little fan on the big rock to point at my face, pulled out a snack and a book and read a few chapters in peace because the rest of the bench was too hot for anyone else to sit. It was one of my proudest moments as a WDW veteran. I find it SO hard to find much in the way of quiet, secluded spots to get away from the people and overstimulation at MK.

For real- MK is an excellent park for odd little nooks such as you found for reading. We've found it to be one of the better ways to deal with crowds there as it helps mentally escape and most people will completely ignore you.

 

[SueM in MN]

Given all the conversation about allowing the whole group to wait in line, I thought it would be a good idea to see what the ADA has to say about accommodating people with disabilities and their Caregivers.
Link to Factsheet The ADA and Caregivers. It's from the ADA National Network, which gives Information, Guidance and Training on the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Copied from website (my bold):

"How is the ADA relevant to caregivers and individuals with disabilities who need their assistance and support?​

State and local government agencies (called “public entities”) and private businesses like stores, restaurants, movie theaters, amusements parks, etc. (called “places of public accommodation”) need to do a number of things to make sure people with disabilities can access goods and services, including:

• Provide aids and services to communicate effectively with individuals who have hearing, vision, or speech disabilities (e.g., read labels or tags aloud, describe items, provide materials in large print, Braille, or electronic formats for individuals who are blind or have low vision; exchange written notes, provide assistive listening devices, sign language interpreters, or captioning services for individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing);
• Make “reasonable modifications in policies, practices, or procedures” to ensure equal opportunities.
  • This means public entities or businesses may need to do things a little differently or adjust rules, on an individual, case-by-case basis, so that a person with a disability can access services or participate in programs. This may include accommodating a caregiver who is providing assistance to a person with a disability.

 

[lanejudy]

Given all the conversation about allowing the whole group to wait in line, I thought it would be a good idea to see what the ADA has to say about accommodating people with disabilities and their Caregivers.

Thanks! And that goes along with reports that nobody has been told to wait outside the queue by themselves (unless solo).

 

[greeneyedchick]

Please understand that some of us have a family member that isolates them self due to a disability. Staying all day in there room. Having no friends and not going to party’s and not doing social activities that other people do.
And if its your child then this is very personal. And when you have time to spend together and let your child forget there issues in a magical place like Disney then it is very difficult to accept that there is a possibility that you will be split up because LL need to get more capacity.

You can always choose to buy lightening lane and genie+ to stay together.

 

[fabfemmeboy]

Having a stroke does not necessarily mean you cannot wait in the line. You need to explain what makes the line difficult to wait in and if its simply that you don't have the stamina they are going to suggest a wheelchair since DAS was not intended for that type of a need.

Right, but given the rules about not going into detail about our particular issues at the risk of people stealing stories or whatever, OP can't actually explain in a post what their specific issues are that make waiting in line so difficult. The only thing we can say are diagnoses, which as we all know doesn't express the specific challenges we face. So please don't assume that OP didn't express those concerns to the CM just because they didn't go into those needs here.

 

[oynk]

Given all the conversation about allowing the whole group to wait in line, I thought it would be a good idea to see what the ADA has to say about accommodating people with disabilities and their Caregivers.
Link to Factsheet The ADA and Caregivers. It's from the ADA National Network, which gives Information, Guidance and Training on the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Copied from website (my bold):

"How is the ADA relevant to caregivers and individuals with disabilities who need their assistance and support?​

State and local government agencies (called “public entities”) and private businesses like stores, restaurants, movie theaters, amusements parks, etc. (called “places of public accommodation”) need to do a number of things to make sure people with disabilities can access goods and services, including:

• Provide aids and services to communicate effectively with individuals who have hearing, vision, or speech disabilities (e.g., read labels or tags aloud, describe items, provide materials in large print, Braille, or electronic formats for individuals who are blind or have low vision; exchange written notes, provide assistive listening devices, sign language interpreters, or captioning services for individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing);
• Make “reasonable modifications in policies, practices, or procedures” to ensure equal opportunities.
  • This means public entities or businesses may need to do things a little differently or adjust rules, on an individual, case-by-case basis, so that a person with a disability can access services or participate in programs. This may include accommodating a caregiver who is providing assistance to a person with a disability.

I guess a big part of the problem is that we have gotten used to Disney going far above and beyond what is *required* (Not just in regard to ADA).

(Yes I know they still are and yes I know it led to abuse)

For families where every little trip, even to the grocery store, is a giant production and family vacations are extremely difficult, it was a relief to be able to vacation somewhere where things were made easy. Things (far beyond DAS) that most people wouldn't even notice made it more disabled friendly, especially for people with more significant disabilities. Even something as simple as extra curb cuts along the sidewalk or clearer directional signs make our vacation better.

It's not Disneys job to make our lives easier but it sure was nice while it lasted.

 

[theMoreDisneytheBetter]

I wish people would stop suggesting that disabled people visit at a less busy time as a way to accommodate themselves. I have a school- aged disabled kiddo and a hubby who has twice ended up being attended by the WDW EMTs when we visited in the summer. Our only realistic visiting times are during cold weather school breaks. If we want to go at all, it's going to be during a busy time.

Additionally, people can have legitimate disability-related reasons to want their family to stay together. Based on everyone's health issues, AQR has me concerned as a suggested accommodation. I'm the one in the best position to wait in line, but I'm also in the best position to be a caregiver to either of them.

Realistically if you can explain to Disney why AQR won’t work for your family, then DAS may be the appropriate accommodation. It could be that both your child and your husband need to apply for DAS, or you would need to explain why your husband cannot adequately care for your child (if you are the one that waits outside of the line) and cannot be left alone in line either.

Disney is trying to reduce the number of people who are granted DAS accommodations when something else might also work. But the program has not been eliminated, and has been granted to people with developmental and non developmental disabilities that have proven their needs.

 

[mhautz]

I’m curious how possible it would be to call them to reconsider after one gives it a legitimate try. Not ideal, but maybe after Day 1 one can do the DAS chat again and have more concrete needs to point to?

 

[PrincessV]

I’m curious how possible it would be to call them to reconsider after one gives it a legitimate try. Not ideal, but maybe after Day 1 one can do the DAS chat again and have more concrete needs to point to?

I’ve seen several people report that they did just that. Strangers on the Internet, so I can’t verify in any way if the reports are true, but I suspect so.

 

[LynJ]

Realistically if you can explain to Disney why AQR won’t work for your family, then DAS may be the appropriate accommodation. It could be that both your child and your husband need to apply for DAS, or you would need to explain why your husband cannot adequately care for your child (if you are the one that waits outside of the line) and cannot be left alone in line either.

Disney is trying to reduce the number of people who are granted DAS accommodations when something else might also work. But the program has not been eliminated, and has been granted to people with developmental and non developmental disabilities that have proven their needs.

Thank you. I'm planning to apply, but I'm anticipating being told that kiddo no longer qualifies. In the past, kiddo had DAS, so we've never considered applying for hubby. With DAS, we were all together in line when hubby's medical needs occurred. By traveling in winter, hopefully we can avoid a recurrence of that issue, at least, so we are trying to self accommodate.

I mostly wanted to point out that there may be legit medical reasons for wanting your family to keep together. Multiple disabilities in the same family add an additional level of complication.

And having it repeatedly stated in this thread that disabled people should travel at a less busy time grated a bit. That's not always an option. Many of us are limited to school breaks, etc.

 

[PrincessV]

And having it repeatedly stated in this thread that disabled people should travel at a less busy time grated a bit. That's not always an option. Many of us are limited to school breaks, etc.

Just want to add that in suggesting visiting at a slower time, we’re not always talking about time of year - in my experience, wait times drop enormously in the last couple hours before park closing, especially when parks are open later. And parks tend to stay open later during busier times of year. That plus different parks are busier on different days of the week, so looking at crowd calendars can also help you avoid the busiest parks on a given day. So while you may need to visit the resort at a busy time, there are still ways to visit the parks at less busy times.

 

[Disneylover99]

Just want to add that in suggesting visiting at a slower time, we’re not always talking about time of year - in my experience, wait times drop enormously in the last couple hours before park closing, especially when parks are open later. And parks tend to stay open later during busier times of year. That plus different parks are busier on different days of the week, so looking at crowd calendars can also help you avoid the busiest parks on a given day. So while you may need to visit the resort at a busy time, there are still ways to visit the parks at less busy times.

I agree. Sometimes busier days are better. And cooler days are better than hot ones.

Some of the less crowded times of the year to travel are also the hottest times (like August). Yeah the parks might not be too busy, but ride wait times can still get high because rides aren’t always running at full capacity.

And If you have difficulty waiting in lines, that August heat can zap you. Waiting in line becomes intolerable quickly for everyone.

 

[theMoreDisneytheBetter]

And having it repeatedly stated in this thread that disabled people should travel at a less busy time grated a bit. That's not always an option. Many of us are limited to school breaks, etc.

Please don’t take the suggestion personally. Many people choose to pull school aged kids out of school precisely to limit wait times/manage their family’s needs that may have nothing to do with disabilities. Otherwise Disney would have a LOT more downtime than it does now.

Just because you may feel that it isn’t a choice you want to make for YOUR family doesn’t mean it isn’t a valid recommendation.

 

[mistysue]

Thank you. I'm planning to apply, but I'm anticipating being told that kiddo no longer qualifies. In the past, kiddo had DAS, so we've never considered applying for hubby. With DAS, we were all together in line when hubby's heat exhaustion/diabetic crash occurred. By traveling in winter, hopefully we can avoid a recurrence of that issue, at least, so we are trying to self accommodate.

I mostly wanted to point out that there may be legit medical reasons for wanting your family to keep together. Multiple disabilities in the same family add an additional level of complication.

And having it repeatedly stated in this thread that disabled people should travel at a less busy time grated a bit. That's not always an option. Many of us are limited to school breaks, etc.

Try not to get too up in arms until you've had the discussion. I completely get you with the one person's DAS really covering for a host of issues spread across a group, I think that is more common than is openly discussed. But that is also why accommodations need to vary by need, because every group has different dynamics which can significantly alter the need to be addressed.

As PrincessV said, those "go at a less busy time" comments really can also be about time of day/day of week while you are there. 11AM and 7PM are different in a million little ways. This is the same advice given to everyone - and able bodied families also have to deal with school breaks and work schedules too.

I’m curious how possible it would be to call them to reconsider after one gives it a legitimate try. Not ideal, but maybe after Day 1 one can do the DAS chat again and have more concrete needs to point to?

I'm certain they expect this. There are going to be people who didn't explain well enough for the initial screening, and will have insights from experience that will make needs more clear.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Please don’t take the suggestion personally. Many people choose to pull school aged kids out of school precisely to limit wait times/manage their family’s needs that may have nothing to do with disabilities. Otherwise Disney would have a LOT more downtime than it does now.

Just because you may feel that it isn’t a choice you want to make for YOUR family doesn’t mean it isn’t a valid recommendation.

I agree with you but I do understand what the PP is talking about. Choice doesn't really play as much role as we'd like if you're bound by state laws then school district policies. It's not about disabled vs not (so I don't agree with how the PP was making it about disabled people should just visit at different times of the year) but at the same time it's also not always a choice one can make. I do agree with several other posters that it doesn't have to solely mean visiting at a different time of year, it can mean making adjustments here and there while you're there to try getting in less crowded times. One of the main strategies for FP+ was using your pre-selected FPs for the afternoon when crowds were typically higher for example, you could either try not to ride rides or even go into the parks during this time or try and coordinate your Genie+ selections for around that time.