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

[SueM in MN]

The only thing they state that they offer the video calls only in English, no other languages. But to my knowledge, and what I can currently find on the website, it doesn't exclude other countries.

I'm quite sure that on my previous call I talked about being from the Netherlands and travelling from abroad.
It was no issue.

If anyone in this thread can tell me where it says that DAS video calls are not allowed for international guests and that they have to use in person, please let me know where I can find this information, as at this moment, I do not believe it ;-)

That's what it says now, but the website for Disney World previously said both that it was offered only in English and for guests in the US and Canada only.
The 'where' parts were taken off with the recent updates.

I also followed discussions on different Facebook groups where people doing the chat from overseas were discussing being able to get in with a particular VPN and location for one trip, but the next time, it was blocked.
A couple years ago, the Cast Member had trouble sending me the secure video link. She asks me if I was using a VPN - I have one on my iPad, but it should not have connected when I was at home on a secure connection. I turned it off, but had to turn WiFi off and use my phone as a hotspot to keep it from popping back on. The CM told me IT kept putting in blocks to keep VPN from working. I guess they stopped trying to block them.

 

[Gentry2004]

I suspect that this will be determined during the call with the disability team and is also why Inspire Health is being brought in.

They will have specific questions to help evaluate the need - with the goal being to try not to grant anyone DAS except those who really need it. The determination on who qualifies and really needs it is being made by Disney.

It certainly sounds to me that any group with more than 2 able-bodied members is going to be told one of the able-bodied members needs to wait in the standby line for the rest of the group, and then the disabled person can use rider swap with a couple people.

 

[Ash10]

Curious why you don’t think it will reduce abuse? Imagine a group of 6 healthy young people who have seen on TikTok that if one of them pretends to have IBS they can get LL return times for all 6 of them for the whole day. Don’t you think they would be much less tempted to do this if the accommodation was a rider swap system where 4 of them had to do the standby line for each ride after which the fake IBS person and one other could use the LL?

Because they will find the way to get it, just like they already have. Word spreads quickly on social media. Until today, I had no idea how many “influencers” have das on tt and how many people talk about das. Read the comments and you will see thousands responding who had no idea about das but are now applying. Maybe they need it, maybe not, not my place to decide. The distok folks, for the most part, want likes and followers, subscribers, and clients for travel. And some just want to be helpful. I did travel and had a specialty in special needs at WDW. No way I would announce on any public platform about ways to get das, wording, etc. But some of the younger generations and others want the clout not realizing the damage. That is not going away.

 

[Angel Ariel]

Someone who has the more specially designed medical strollers and has been since the update in rules years back should def. have a more in real life answer because after I hit post I wondered the same thing myself!

Kingdom Strollers has a special needs stroller available to rent that falls within the guidelines for WDW. We've gotten one from Scooterbug in the past as well, but that was 2 years ago so one would need to check to make sure they still offer it.

We are in the process of buying one for home, but even when we do we will be renting at WDW/DLR as long as there are special needs strollers available to rent. It's not worth the risk of them getting damaged on the airplane (given how many wheelchairs are damaged each year).

 

[tjmw2727]

This. I absolutely hate the fact that I will now have to either shell out $$$$ or be separated from my family for most of the day. Those are not great options.

This is me as well, I don't ride rides for my enjoyment but to be with family. As it is; I don't ride much anymore but I do enjoy being together for the attractions we can do as a family. We don't get more rides in with DAS but we do get to enjoy the day together. I had my video chat and got my DAS for our late April trip, so we are set for now.

Should I not qualify in the future, I will go back to waiting for the family elsewhere while they ride, which is how I found out about the DAS in the first place when talking with a helpful CM while waiting on a shady bench.

 

[Gentry2004]

Because they will find the way to get it, just like they already have. Word spreads quickly on social media. Until today, I had no idea how many “influencers” have das on tt and how many people talk about das. Read the comments and you will see thousands responding who had no idea about das but are now applying. Maybe they need it, maybe not, not my place to decide. The distok folks, for the most part, want likes and followers, subscribers, and clients for travel. And some just want to be helpful. I did travel and had a specialty in special needs at WDW. No way I would announce on any public platform about ways to get das, wording, etc. But some of the younger generations and others want the clout not realizing the damage. That is not going away.

Which is why I'm starting to think this is just a step, and not even Disney's final goal with regards to accommodations. If they more or less get rid of DAS altogether, I retract my statement that it won't help the LL waits.

 

[TXDisneyFan1]

Except it does vary by individual. DH is T2 but when he goes low it is extremely hard to bring back up. T1 is not the only type to go low. Yes, the underlying causes of the diseases are different but the impact to individuals varies.

Last post as I don't want to debate this because people with diabetes do have different reactions depending on the person, but I'm speaking in generalities. A type 1 person has zero use of his pancreas...it is non-functioning. They would die without injected insulin. Most type 2 diabetics still have some use of their pancreas as it still produces insulin, just a reduced amount.

This causes low blood glucose episodes to be MUCH more frequent and intense in type 1 diabetics and some type 2 diabetics. My son has become physically aggressive when he's low. I can no longer control him physically and it scares me when he's fighting me as I try to spoon sugar in his mouth.

I know this isn't a forum on diabetes, but I felt I needed to respond to your post.

 

[Ash10]

This was an answer to a non-disabled poster who asked how he and his disabled mom would work rider swap when he never wanted to ride without her b/c he's sick of most rides. He would likely not have to actually enter a ride vehicle and ride if he waited through the line and then spoke to the CM at the load area. The wait will be necessary. The actual enjoyment of the original ride - probably

Gotcha

 

[lowlight]

Disney either needs to fully commit, or go back to where it is now. If autism and related DD’s are the only thing to get a full DAS pass, then all the fakers will suddenly have autism. The way they’ve announced it harms those who actually have disabilities that aren’t covered any longer who would gladly prove it (I assume from reading here at least, sorry if I’m wrong), and doesn’t punish the fakers because no documentation is being required. Unless I’m misreading and the DAS pass as it exists now will be totally gone and only accommodations will be given in the future, meaning nobody at all gets a virtual waiting pass, even those with DD. Is there a reason I’m missing why people think autism can’t be faked, or the actual needs level for a real disability can’t be exaggerated? The only change I ever wanted to see for DAS was to punish the fakers, but I feel guilty that they’ve really gone and harmed people with actual disability without even affecting the fakers. It’s like the worst of both worlds.

 

[SueM in MN]

Yah, terribly annoying. But if you do use a VPN, it only says something about the language, not the country.
Even if it was the case that the website used to state that it was for North America / US only, no CM ever bothered that I was in a different continent.

Anyway, tomorrow I'll make my call for my upcoming DL visit.
Always found it funny that they didn't bother with different websites for Disneyland California. You can access DL's website and the call without any issue. (And there it doesn't even say anything about language)

It's been a while, but the explanation I had gotten was that it had to do with European Internet privacy rules vs rules in the US. I had heard California has more stringent rules than the rest of the US and that the California rules corresponded more with the European rules - it's not unusual for California to have more stringent rules than other parts of the US

 

[Gentry2004]

Disney either needs to fully commit, or go back to where it is now. If autism and related DD’s are the only thing to get a full DAS pass, then all the fakers will suddenly have autism. The way they’ve announced it harms those who actually have disabilities that aren’t covered any longer who would gladly prove it (I assume from reading here at least, sorry if I’m wrong), and doesn’t punish the fakers because no documentation is being required. Unless I’m misreading and the DAS pass as it exists now will be totally gone and only accommodations will be given in the future, meaning nobody at all gets a virtual waiting pass, even those with DD. Is there a reason I’m missing why people think autism can’t be faked, or the actual needs level for a real disability can’t be exaggerated? The only change I ever wanted to see for DAS was to punish the fakers, but I feel guilty that they’ve really gone and harmed people with actual disability without even affecting the fakers. It’s like the worst of both worlds.

I do wonder if Disney is just testing these alternate accommodations (Rider Swap and return to line) on one group of people and then they are planning to tweak them and then further restrict DAS to almost no one. Because, as you said, what they have proposed on the face of it doesn't really address the current problem much. As others have posted, DAS is just too attractive to not draw in fakers.

 

[mlggator22]

I wonder why Disney didn't just go the same route as Universal to get rid of the fakers. Then this would be more fairly applied.
Instead, they just bunched people into groups and made blanket proclamations about who would get DAS and who wouldn't, regardless of need.
I feel like, and this is just me, its not about need as much as it is about reducing G+/LL use by DAS so they are not ticking off the paying G+/LL customers. If it were about getting rid of the fakers, then moving more towards what Universal does would have made more sense.

 

[Gentry2004]

I wonder why Disney didn't just go the same route as Universal to get rid of the fakers. Then this would be more fairly applied.
Instead, they just bunched people into groups and made blanket proclamations about who would get DAS and who wouldn't, regardless of need.
I feel like, and this is just me, its not about need as much as it is about reducing G+/LL use by DAS so they are not ticking off the paying G+/LL customers. If it were about getting rid of the fakers, then moving more towards what Universal does would have made more sense.

Because the third party used by Universal and Sea World is just rubber stamping those documents. They are not verifying.

 

[CaliforniaGirl09]

Time will tell who will qualify for a DAS, but it sounds like to me that Disney wants to limit it to kids and adults that have a cognitive impairment that makes waiting in lines for long periods of a time, whether they are standing or sitting, impossible without having some form of a meltdown.

I agree, except that as I read more, I don't see why--theoretically--the cognitively impaired/autistic person with a group of 3-4 people couldn't do the return to line or rider swap thing. Maybe they are just giving a pass to people with developmental delays/autism? Which I'm fine with BTW, assuming level of impairment. The whole thing feels like trying to untangle an unwieldy mess with scissors ... and years too late.

 

[tjmw2727]

Disney either needs to fully commit, or go back to where it is now. If autism and related DD’s are the only thing to get a full DAS pass, then all the fakers will suddenly have autism. The way they’ve announced it harms those who actually have disabilities that aren’t covered any longer who would gladly prove it (I assume from reading here at least, sorry if I’m wrong), and doesn’t punish the fakers because no documentation is being required. Unless I’m misreading and the DAS pass as it exists now will be totally gone and only accommodations will be given in the future, meaning nobody at all gets a virtual waiting pass, even those with DD. Is there a reason I’m missing why people think autism can’t be faked, or the actual needs level for a real disability can’t be exaggerated? The only change I ever wanted to see for DAS was to punish the fakers, but I feel guilty that they’ve really gone and harmed people with actual disability without even affecting the fakers. It’s like the worst of both worlds.

This is what interests me -

background, I have DAS for a medical issue, I am not on the spectrum. I was on a bench at the studios and got into a conversation with a CM while my kids were riding, we got to talking about me waiting for my family the CM literally walked me into Guest Services and had me share my story with the CM and that is how I first got DAS.

Last October was a family reunion with 9 of my nieces and nephews, young adults 5 of whom are on the spectrum, some higher functioning than others. None of them had or needed DAS, so the idea that the only reason for DAS in the future will be only offered for Autism doesn't make sense to me.

Personally, I think they should go back to a face-to-face discussion so the CM can interact with the guest and determine the best way for them to enjoy the parks based on needs.

 

[lowlight]

Because the third party used by Universal and Sea World is just rubber stamping those documents. They are not verifying.

People fake documents that will put them in prison for a decade, those people would not bat an eye to fake a doctors note and risk a ban from a theme park.

 

[PrincessV]

I’ve not had to inquire about DAS for physical disabilities, so I have no insight or guesses on how they plan to handle that going forward.

But I’ve done the Q&A thing multiple times for two people with non-physical disabilities and I would be very, VERY surprised if the “right” answers and statements used to make determination change drastically. Our first time we hadn’t done any homework and were pretty stumbly and fumbly initially, so the CM took the lead and asked some fairly specific questions based on our experiences with queues without DAS - a couple short answers from us and it was approved. At renewals afterward, I knew what they wanted from us (and what they didn’t) and it was a 2-minute process to get it taken care of. Anyone who’s been through this before already knows what they’re looking for and I really do not think that’s going to change.

That said… apparently the influencers or tokkers or whoever out there also know what to say, right? IDK how Disney can ask the proper and appropriate questions, receive the proper and appropriate answers, and then be able to tell who’s for real and who’s not. Which is why I’m reasonably sure that the bulk of this is about deterring whoever’s using their DAS to bring large numbers of people through the system and/or profiting off of it. I date back to the World Before FP - I’ve seen some things lol! - and can be very critical of Disney, but truly, I do not think the aim is to make things more difficult for people who need and use DAS legitimately.

 

[LSUmiss]

I addressed this early but to repeat ... I travel mostly just DS and I. He is nonverbal. I spend much of my trip watching, observing, listening, talking to CMs etc. It is very obvious who is using DAS.

Usually someone is guiding someone to the front - as I do with my son so he scans first OR you'll hear a party member say "wait I have to scan first", there are your first red flags.

Then the scanner turns blue. Instead of the CM saying "you are too early or you are the wrong ride or you don't have Genie+" and asking them to step out - they look at the screen, then look at the guest to match the faces. Then they override for the rest to scan. Then usually they will say "enjoy the ride Billy Bob" when they normally say nothing to other guests.

We have gone 4-6 weeks a year for the last 15 years. It is rare that there isn't at least one other group with DAS in front or behind, very common to be several groups going in with us. Especially when they are not regulars they are not efficient at scanning and holding up the line. The increase in these folks around us has gone up considerably since COVID and FP+ going away.


Park Capacity is calculated by adding ride capacity, queue capacity, store capacity, dining capacity, etc. If you eliminate queue capacity you in effect reduce park capacity. That is a large $$$ loss.


The second scan is really only needed when the SB and LL lanes are side by side at any point and folks can jump the line. I've seen folks try to jump and when they get to the second scan .. and it doesn't work they are sent out of the ride.

Why is “wait I have to scan first a red flag”??? I say that all the time because I have DS’ magic band because I can’t trust him with it & the rest of the party has no clue how it works so I’m constantly telling them the rules. I think it’s more of red flag if everyone knows how it all works.

ETA: I see you said “red flags” as in who’s using it not abusing it. Sorry!

 

[Evita_W]

I suspect that rider switch as a disability accommodation will be something that needs to be registered in advance, just like DAS, based on the interview about medical needs. As you say, groups of people being able to randomly say to the CM at a ride entrance “my friend has IBS, we need a rider switch” would be much too open to abuse.

Not just that, but then you have to explain to every CM about the issue.

 

[Gentry2004]

I’ve not had to inquire about DAS for physical disabilities, so I have no insight or guesses on how they plan to handle that going forward.

But I’ve done the Q&A thing multiple times for two people with non-physical disabilities and I would be very, VERY surprised if the “right” answers and statements used to make determination change drastically. Our first time we hadn’t done any homework and were pretty stumbly and fumbly initially, so the CM took the lead and asked some fairly specific questions based on our experiences with queues without DAS - a couple short answers from us and it was approved. At renewals afterward, I knew what they wanted from us (and what they didn’t) and it was a 2-minute process to get it taken care of. Anyone who’s been through this before already knows what they’re looking for and I really do not think that’s going to change.

That said… apparently the influencers or tokkers or whoever out there also know what to say, right? IDK how Disney can ask the proper and appropriate questions, receive the proper and appropriate answers, and then be able to tell who’s for real and who’s not. Which is why I’m reasonably sure that the bulk of this is about deterring whoever’s using their DAS to bring large numbers of people through the system and/or profiting off of it. I date back to the World Before FP - I’ve seen some things lol! - and can be very critical of Disney, but truly, I do not think the aim is to make things more difficult for people who need and use DAS legitimately.

And yet that is collateral damage of what is happening, so I think this is just a step to something more.