New DAS System at Walt Disney World 2024

[Drdcm]

Dreamfinders concern matches my girlfriend’s, she hasn’t done her call yet but she said she’s going to present her medical paperwork and doctors notes (that we still have from our DL Paris trip) and if she doesn’t qualify based on that she’s not even going to try to argue her case, she’s far more worried about getting banned than she is about keeping DAS.

I know it’s easier said than done, but I would not worry about being banned. I’m pretty confident they aren’t interested in sleuthing out liars. My guess is that statement is directed at extreme cases (like the tour fiascos) and cast members who deliberately lie.

I mean it when I say that the focus really should be on why waiting in line doesn’t work for you, and why the alternatives don’t work either. Connect the dots for them and see how it goes. If they are dismissive, push back but be polite.

Despite their statement that DAS is for autism and neurodivergence, I doubt that it is in reality diagnosis based because that’s not how accommodations work. If that is how they’re doing it, they’re going to get themselves into trouble.

 

[nickys]

Despite their statement that DAS is for autism and neurodivergence, I doubt that it is in reality diagnosis based because that’s not how accommodations work. If that is how they’re doing it, they’re going to get themselves into trouble.

DAS has never been diagnosis based, and isn’t under the new system either.

There are reports of guests with autism being denied DAS and also guests with non-neurodivergent conditions being granted DAS.

 

[Vacationeer]

Hope this helps put into context:

Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 § 302 “For purposes of subsection (a), discrimination includes--
(i) the imposition or application of eligibility criteria that screen out or tend to screen out an individual with a disability or any class of individuals with disabilities from fully and equally enjoying any goods, services, facilities, privileges, advantages, or accommodations, unless such criteria can be shown to be necessary for the provision of the goods, services, facilities, privileges, advantages, or accommodations being offered” 42 U.S.C.A. § 12182(b)(2)(i)


"DAS is intended to accommodate a small percentage of Guests who, due to a developmental disability like autism or similar, are unable to wait in a conventional queue for an extended period or time."

So what I did was bold the keywords from an applicable ADA section and also bolded main keywords in the new DAS change. So reading these bolded keywords above you should get a pretty clear understanding how Disney is discriminating developmental vs non-developmental disabilities by screening out those non-developmental disabilities. Specifically, Disney offers developmental disabilities the DAS privilege, advantage, or accommodation by screening out those non-developmental disabilities. Clearly, Disney has a program and policy to screen out developmental vs non-developmental disabilities who access and have DAS accommodation, thus the moving party's initial burden is easily met.

The burden would then shift to Disney to show that it is necesary that "[D]AS is intended to accommodate a small percentage of Guests who, due to a developmental disability like autism or similar, are unable to wait in a conventional queue for an extended period or time." It will be extremely difficult for Disney to meet that burden. The people abusing DAS argument will not be enough to meet this "necessary" showing.

Context is important. Interpretation of the law is very complex. There’s also the passages that describe how a business like WDW must conform, and exceptions (like where business is harmed).

Accommodations are still being offered. Does not have to be the preferred accommodation or the same accommodation for everyone.

If these changes violate ADA I’d expect some lawsuits to press forward And win.

 

[DisneyHead123]

Other than extreme situations, for the most part using RTQ part of the party will have to stay in line, so there really is no benefit to like there was with DAS.

Again though, not everyone is a big family. Plenty of people travel as couples, solo, or in small friend groups.

 

[Drdcm]

DAS has never been diagnosis based, and isn’t under the new system either.

There are reports of guests with autism being denied DAS and also guests with non-neurodivergent conditions being granted DAS.

I mean, I agree with you.

When this “DAS is one of the programs offered at Walt Disney World Resort theme parks intended to accommodate those Guests who, due to a developmental disability like autism are unable to wait in a conventional queue for an extended period of time.” is stated on their disabilities page, it reads like those are the only situation where you would qualify.

My point is that it probably isn’t true.

 

[flynnibus]

You’re still not understanding how this system works. There is no mule. Everyone is waiting in line. Someone has an emergency they can leave and join LL to meet the remaining party. If 10 people traveling with one person all have emergencies that’s going to be really easy to spot.

There are no defined limits to say only one person can leave… and they won’t do that either.

Because when dad needs to take little johnny to the bathroom… they both go. Or when he takes both his kids etc. Disney can’t police who should stay…

 

[flynnibus]

if you're gonna do all that why not just buy G+? Heck with how much all of that would cost might as well hire a VIP Guest tour and get all those benefits.

Because g+ can’t do re rides… mules can.

If people want to game the system, they will. Rider Switch is open for all. and you can game it to spend less time in line.

Rider switch has limits… and is better defined to prevent this kind of abuse. For instance… the entire party is present when getting a RS pass, and it limits the size of the return party to 2. This isn’t the case as described so far for this return to queue.

 

[Vacationeer]

Reports have been up to 50% of a party could exit the line together. I guess that’s the limit for keeping someone company or whatever. Maybe certain circumstances they’ll allow exception?

 

[Drdcm]

Would people prefer scanning in at all rides every time with the limitation that you can’t be in two ride queues at once? (Excluding G+). That seemed to be shot down a while ago but appears to be the only way to accommodate the people who need to leave lines constantly and reign in incentivizing unscrupulous DAS use.

 

[flynnibus]

It's the exact same population of potential abusers, though. Just like with hypothetical AQR abuse, DAS prior to May 20 was available to anyone who claimed to need it.

The old system required going through a process - this one doesn’t. The old one required going on record for it… the new one doesn’t. The new one can be instigated on the fly with no prior decision.

This is not the same population. You’re basically starting a completely adhoc, no commitment, adlib system here.

AQR will be abused far less because there's far less to gain, and it's going to be inconvenient even in the best of circumstances.

Less to gain vs DAS… sure. Less to gain verse the person stuck in standby? No.

AQR doesn't let you and your family of six skip every standby line plus get two prebooked FastPasses every day of your trip just by telling someone over video chat that you have "bathroom issues".

No FPs…. But a standby user doesn’t get these either. You’re comparing the wrong scenarios. It’s not das vs rtq… its standby vs rtq

People have been rejoining their families in line for all sorts of reasons (some less legitimate than others) since the invention of the amusement park.

It also was very difficult to do and wasn’t really sanctioned publicly by disney. Those barriers will be removed.

The only ones who suddenly have an incentive to abuse AQR are former DAS users.

Wrong assumption

 

[flynnibus]

If you're a family of 5, 3 of you must stay in line while two leave.

Based on what?

Read the first line of my post

 

[flynnibus]

Reports have been up to 50% of a party could exit the line together. I guess that’s the limit for keeping someone company or whatever. Maybe certain circumstances they’ll allow exception?

How do you enforce this when the party splits up before they meet the CM to request a pass?

 

[Fido Chuckwagon]

?

I mean same aged friends. Not sure how rider swap would apply.

They’ve taken out the language that requires an undersized rider for rider swap.

 

[flynnibus]

The key difference is that RTQ makes abusing it a pain in the a*s. If you're a party of 4, two people in your group still have to wait

How will you enforce this when you don’t know who is in their party when they’ve already backtracked through the queue?

 

[Fido Chuckwagon]

Dreamfinders concern matches my girlfriend’s, she hasn’t done her call yet but she said she’s going to present her medical paperwork and doctors notes (that we still have from our DL Paris trip) and if she doesn’t qualify based on that she’s not even going to try to argue her case, she’s far more worried about getting banned than she is about keeping DAS.

If all she does is present medical paperwork then she will likely not be approved. This is a needs based system, not a diagnosis based system. She needs to be able to explain why she cannot wait in a queue and why they alternatives will not work.

 

[MickeyLuv'r]

I just can't imagine any world where Disney cast members are laughing at people or calling them liars.

There is/was an ENTIRE forum dedicated to the topic: CM's and former CM's laughing at the dumb things guests say.

Search, "stupid guest tricks" to find it. Making fun of Disney guests is literally the purpose of the entire forum, or was. I just checked, it still exists, but no longer appears to be active.

 

[Fido Chuckwagon]

There is/was an ENTIRE forum dedicated to the topic: CM's and former CM's laughing at the dumb things guests say.

Search, "stupid guest tricks" to find it. Making fun of Disney guests is literally the purpose of the entire forum, or was. I just checked, it still exists, but no longer appears to be active.

A forum dedicated to making fun of really bad guest behavior, not disabilities. Looking at it shows that it’s a lot of articles about people getting arrested at Disney for their bad behavior.

 

[DisneyHead123]

They’ve taken out the language that requires an undersized rider for rider swap.

Interesting, didn’t realize that. I still think Rider Swap sounds harder to use, and requires at least one person going all the way through. With RTQ, a small party wouldn’t need anyone to go all the way through. Not to mention, visibility will be higher because Rider Swap was a conversation with a CM before entry. With RTQ, everyone will see people leaving and maybe look into it.

 

[Jrb1979]

Again though, not everyone is a big family. Plenty of people travel as couples, solo, or in small friend groups.

Regardless of party size, I just don't see many abusing this system as it takes a lot of work to do it. You first have to get into a standby queue, then leave the queue, tell a CM you are leaving, then re-enter an LL queue.

Will there be guests doing it that sure but IMO it will a lot less than many seem to think.

 

[TrainsOfDisney]

Accommodations are still being offered. Does not have to be the preferred accommodation or the same accommodation for everyone

I think that remains to be seen legally - I personally don’t think it should be up to a business to decide what disabilities receive what accommodation.

If DAS is not a requirement of the law, Disney would be better off to not offer it to anyone in my opinion.