I concur! I think some of the DAS (former GAC) users are scared because they don't realize how well they can ameliorate those waits with a little bit of forethought and planning. Those of us who've never had access to anything but Fastpasses and rope drop to shorten our waits are used to it: former GAC users haven't had to develop those skills before, and may not realize how effective they can be. I have attempted, as much as I could, to reassure startled DAS users that it is possible to minimize your wait times with nothing more than a few simple planning tools -- the same tools that the non-disabled population uses constantly at WDW. But it's still unfamiliar territory and it's natural to be scared of change: until people try it out for themselves, some will undoubtedly continue to worry that DAS is going to "ruin" their vacation.
That's why many people are monitoring the GAC/DAS reports across the internet and asking for information from those who've had the chance to use it. Disabled people (or the parents managing disabled people) want to know as much as they can about how it works so they can make plans on making it work for them. Right now the biggest uncertainty (and source of the biggest anxiety) is the determination of who will be approved to have a DAS card. Not all the parks are making those judgments the same and a policy that says staff will be making determinations on a "case by case" basis invites inconsistency. (One CM saying DAS if for autistic kids only and another saying it isn't for the autistic just makes your head spin.)
DAS works out fine for me. I only used GAC for up to 7 possible rides (3 at MK, 1 at AK, 1 at DHS and 2 at EPCOT) and of those only 2 did I do every trip. The other 5 were often skipped or just done when the crowds were so light Standby times were under 20 minutes. I don't use the FastPass system because I have problems both getting a ticket from a machine and getting to a park early enough to get a time that doesn't exceed my stamina limit (i.e. I cannot get to a park at 11am and guarantee I'll be able to come back and do the ride at the 7:30pm FP time I'm assigned.)
My last trip I was not staying at a resort participating in the MagicBand/FP+ trial. (My resorts started the trial a week or two after I left.) But my next trip I'll have both available to me. Provided I can get the MDE app to work (that thing is dog slow on Android), I expect I'll probably be relying more on FP+ than DAS for those two rides.
But that's me. Get me out of a crowded queue and let me wait somewhere else safe and I'm content. Factor in my frequent trips and AP and it doesn't matter to me if I miss a ride.
Going back to the graphic I shared on equality vs. justice, that puts me in the middle height kid group. As long as I can get a DAS and a return time, my single box is all I need to have an equal chance of having a good time.
The people I worry about are the ones who are not able to handle waits, don't have FP+ available to them and aren't able to last long enough to utilize a FP return time. That would be the folks with severely limited stamina and the cognitive-impaired. (I was just reading a story today of a mom who went to WDW Sun-Tues. Her son is autistic and is put off by waits and certain stimuli. They started the day getting a Return Time for the Character Meet & Greet at EPCOT. They had time to kill so decided to go on Figment, then opted to go into the Standby of Finding Nemo. Standby there was 20 mins. The autistic boy thought he could handle it, but the Standby line moved slower than they expected and the dark interior with all those ocean sounds & dark lighting pushed him to the edge of his control. By the time they got up to go on the ride, he was worn out and didn't enjoy it. They left the park right after instead of going back to the Meet & Greet. So abiding by the system and utilizing DAS as it was intended did not lead to a successful day for that family.)
The old GAC system was designed to provide different accommodations based on different needs. There were many different stamps to cover visual impairment, deafness, using strollers as wheelchairs, mobility impairment, sun intolerance and line intolerance.
The new DAS system provides just one accommodation. And that is all based around line intolerance. Even mobility-impaired folks are being given the same accommodation at inaccessible attractions with the wheelchair return time tickets. They aren't tracking who needs an accessible vehicle and staging the returns so no one has to wait longer. Instead they are sending people away (so it is "equal" to the people with no needs) and dealing with the need later.
These are all things I think need to be tweaked. From who qualifies for a DAS, to what that provides. One change Universal CA made is that card holders are allowed to walk right on their first ride so they don't begin the day waiting. And we all know about Universal FL's 30 minute rule.
If I'm disgruntled about anything it is Disney's timing in launching this new program. They've done so without doing their proper research on GAC usage and before there is a widely available FP+ system available to disabled guests. I think they launched it now as a social experiment and a reaction to bad publicity over the summer. It shows a lack of regard to the people it most affects. Not well done by Disney.
(Mind you as a DVC owner I've been on the receiving end of Disney's corporate indifference many times before. Just ask anyone who bought Bay Lake Towers then had the point requirements altered in a reallocation 6 months later. Much griping and wailing then too, and a "correction" issued a year later.)
