DAS Approval/Denial with New DAS Guidelines START 5/20 WDW & 6/18 DL

[Kerr84]

My daughter was approved today. She has a developmental disability and is 4 years old. They approved our ride party for 5 since it is me, my sister, and three minor kids (4, 9, 14). I’m very relieved to have that over with. I truly couldn’t take my daughter without another adult and my husband doesn’t love Disney.

 

[TXDisneyFan1]

My son was not approved for DAS. He has a physical condition that is aggravated by heat and exercise and could turn into a medical emergency quickly. I tried twice. The first cast member was younger and had a sour attitude from the start and didn't listen. The second CM was nice and listened, she agreed we had real medical concerns but said they are only approving autistic and people with developmental disabilities.

I'm glad we tried. We leave tomorrow and will have to take things very slowly as we go about our day...lots of breaks and AC.

 

[nursejackie]

Deleted - no more comments wanted!

 

[Grim Grinning Ghostie]

Can I ask how present the young person needs to be in the video. Please do not comment or judge, but my son was diagnosed with autism at age 2 years 3 months, and he is now 16 and has never been told of the diagnosis. He has had intentive ABA pre-school, and went through his school life with a specialist ABA teaching assistant. He attended mainstream school and will start college in September. He is very intelligent, but queuing and having patience in some situations continues to be a challenge, although we try not to let it stop us. We have visited Disney World 13 times with him, and from being 3 years old we have qualified for the DAS. We have GP and hospital letters as evidence of the diagnosis.

My question is, how present does he have to be in the video chat? Can he join at the end, after I have explained everything in private? This is causing me so much anxiety for next year's trip. There is only the two of us going. Any information would be gratefully received.

You can apply on his behalf since you are his caregiver. If approved, they will just need to take his picture when it comes time.

 

[theMoreDisneytheBetter]

Can I ask how present the young person needs to be in the video. Please do not comment or judge, but my son was diagnosed with autism at age 2 years 3 months, and he is now 16 and has never been told of the diagnosis. He has had intentive ABA pre-school, and went through his school life with a specialist ABA teaching assistant. He attended mainstream school and will start college in September. He is very intelligent, but queuing and having patience in some situations continues to be a challenge, although we try not to let it stop us. We have visited Disney World 13 times with him, and from being 3 years old we have qualified for the DAS. We have GP and hospital letters as evidence of the diagnosis.

My question is, how present does he have to be in the video chat? Can he join at the end, after I have explained everything in private? This is causing me so much anxiety for next year's trip. There is only the two of us going. Any information would be gratefully received.

Also Disney does not care about the diagnosis, only why he cannot wait in the SB line. So you do not have to talk about autism to talk about the challenges that he faces.

 

[lanejudy]

My question is, how present does he have to be in the video chat?

You can speak for him and bring him in probably just for the picture. I do know sometimes in the past the CM may or may not have asked a teen a couple of questions, usually just general "hi how you doing? what's your name?" stuff not necessarily needing to advocate for themselves.

And at the risk of offending...at 16 and heading to college, I strongly suggest you work with him on advocating for himself. I'm not sure you are US-based, but colleges here won't speak with parents. The student must do their own advocating. I have one starting college in the fall as well, and she did local community college this past year as part of a transition plan from high school; we've been working towards this for a while now.

 

[nursejackie]

You can apply on his behalf since you are his caregiver. If approved, they will just need to take his picture when it comes time.

Can I ask what time the service is available from/to? We travel from the UK so unlikely to reach Disney property until after 5pm.

 

[Grim Grinning Ghostie]

Can I ask what time the service is available from/to? We travel from the UK so unlikely to reach Disney property until after 5pm.

The service is available through 8pm Eastern time. If you are applying via one of the devices in the park itself, you will be given priority in the online queue.

 

[Karin1984]

Can I ask what time the service is available from/to? We travel from the UK so unlikely to reach Disney property until after 5pm.

I would suggest to get a VPN and apply via video before your trip. One less thing to worry about.

 

[lanejudy]

Pre-registration opens 30 days prior to first park day (tickets and park reservations must reflect this)

For WDW the Live video chat is available from 7:00 AM to 8:00 PM Eastern Time.

an in-park option to connect via mobile device (your own phone or possibly and iPad borrowed from Guest Relations) is available​

For DL/DCA the Live video chat is available from 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM Pacific Time.

an in-park option to connect via mobile device (your own phone or possibly and iPad borrowed from Guest Relations) is available​

OR there is an in-person option at the kiosk on the esplanade -- currently booths #3 and #4 closest to DCA​

 

[nursejackie]

The service is available through 8pm Eastern time. If you are applying via one of the devices in the park itself, you will be given priority in the online queue.

Ah okay so I can still go to guest services but I will be given a device for a video call? I have a while yet, so I will try to figure out how a VPN works. Thanks for your reply

 

[Jdavidm]

While I get where you’re coming from with this response, I feel like it’s important to take into account that we’re all trying to avoid going into too much detail when mentioning the reason(s) we/someone we’re advocating for needs DAS.

My guess would honestly be that PP was likely just giving a brief non-detailed description of their son’s challenges that would avoid providing a script for those looking to abuse the system.

I could be wrong, but I don’t want to assume the worst, especially since it’s a rule on this thread not to provide too many details that could be used by abusers.

 

[mistysue]

We don't know the full story. To be fair, my first thought was if you make it to 16 mainstreamed without even knowing you have a diagnosis... how bad is the need... but we aren't that individual or their family, so we don't know how much is being left out of the post.

 

[Ollivier]

We don't know the full story. To be fair, my first thought was if you make it to 16 mainstreamed without even knowing you have a diagnosis... how bad is the need... but we aren't that individual or their family, so we don't know how much is being left out of the post.

There are a lot of people that don’t know that they have ASD.

 

[nursejackie]

We don't know the full story. To be fair, my first thought was if you make it to 16 mainstreamed without even knowing you have a diagnosis... how bad is the need... but we aren't that individual or their family, so we don't know how much is being left out of the post.

I am sorry I ever shared it on here now. He made it through mainstream (in the UK) with intensive support. He made it because we didn't give up or give in, when education wanted him to go to a special needs school. We didn't give in when taking him on holiday is a challenge. The fact he doesn't know is our decision. I gave some background so people could understand, but clearly I have to bare my soul to be able to get a simple answer to a question - how involved does he have to be in the call. No more answers please, I will be deleting the original post.

 

[mistysue]

There are a lot of people that don’t know that they have ASD.

Fair, which is why the diagnosis isn't relevant in any of this context, and inserted to get a point across isn't very helpful.

 

[mistysue]

I am sorry I ever shared it on here now. He made it through mainstream (in the UK) with intensive support. He made it because we didn't give up or give in, when education wanted him to go to a special needs school. We didn't give in when taking him on holiday is a challenge. The fact he doesn't know is our decision. I gave some background so people could understand, but clearly I have to bare my soul to be able to get a simple answer to a question - how involved does he have to be in the call. No more answers please, I will be deleting the original post.

Please don't, your posts are completely fair. It's something I'm sure most of us haven't had to think about, so it raises questions but nothing you have done or said is wrong, and you should not feel that they are.

 

[Ollivier]

I am sorry I ever shared it on here now. He made it through mainstream (in the UK) with intensive support. He made it because we didn't give up or give in, when education wanted him to go to a special needs school. We didn't give in when taking him on holiday is a challenge. The fact he doesn't know is our decision. I gave some background so people could understand, but clearly I have to bare my soul to be able to get a simple answer to a question - how involved does he have to be in the call. No more answers please, I will be deleting the original post.

He needs to participate at the end of the call for the picture that they need to take.
I respect the choice you made. You clearly wants what is best for your son.

 

[happysavermp]

I had a very similar experience to one of posters above. My daughter who has an autoimmune disease was not approved for DAS. She had previously been approved every year since her diagnosis in 2016. I explained why waiting in line is a problem for her. The cast member was very empathetic but stated DAS was only intended for developmental disabilities. She offered the suggestion to speak with each cast member at the rides to see what they could suggest such as rejoining your party at a certain merge point or rider swap. Although I’m a bit nervous my family and I are going to go with an open mind and try her suggestions as needed.

 

[Karin1984]

I am sorry I ever shared it on here now. He made it through mainstream (in the UK) with intensive support. He made it because we didn't give up or give in, when education wanted him to go to a special needs school. We didn't give in when taking him on holiday is a challenge. The fact he doesn't know is our decision. I gave some background so people could understand, but clearly I have to bare my soul to be able to get a simple answer to a question - how involved does he have to be in the call. No more answers please, I will be deleting the original post.

I'm just curious. As you shared in your original post that he has been getting approved for DAS for the last 13 years, Disney never asked for a diagnosis as they can't in the US. Didn't you go through this before where you did the talking and explained his needs, and he was there to take his picture. Or was your last visit a long time ago?
The rules recently changed, but not the procedure.

For what it is worth, I got my official diagnosis for ASD today (40F), and I really wish that I knew in my teenage years and my twenties what I know now. It would't have solved all my problems, but I could have handled things differently and understood things better, understood myself better. You say your kid is smart, he might already know.