They aren't. They have decided what types of disabilities they think make sense for DAS going forward. Everyone else is able to request accommodations as needed at each attraction and based on your situation, your party, etc. they will come a some resolution to help that guest.
To point out they aren't denying people accommodations, they are offering alternative accommodations.
Seems completely logical.
Disney is also really leaning into the "if your party has enough people over the age of 13, you can meet them when ready to board," from what I am hearing anyways. Sounds like even if approved for DAS or a single attraction LL accommodation, the bare minimum number of people will be attached to that.
any ideas what this could be?I don't know for sure, they just said a change to wheelchair tags is going live tomorrow to make the system less loose for abuse.
Good! I’m glad Disney is finally fixing these issues.
But they are. On their website they said DAS is for those with Autism. But several people have already said that their autistic child have been denied. How do you explain that? How do they decide who is autistic "enough"?
Should be interesting if they completely ban wagons. I think that most of us have seen more and more wagons be approved and not actually have a child in them or medical equipment. I wonder if they will ban them altogether.
It’s not about being “autistic enough” or even having autism. That’s serving as a guide for who is typically approved. In reality, they don’t ask or care about specific diagnoses. It’s about the challenges one faces that are distinctly unique to attraction queues. If you have an issue where you will also face it outside the attraction queue, it will likely be denied.
Do you think every autistic person is incapable of waiting in line? I can guarantee you that's not the case. There are plenty of autistic people who function very well in their daily lives and you wouldn't even know they were autistic unless you know them very well.
I think that parents of autistic children know what their children can and can not handle. That is why they ask for DAS. I think that many, probably even Disney, don't fully comprehend how these medical issues manifest. It is easy for someone to say, "well, if your child can't handle the line anymore, then just leave for a while". But autistic children/adults are not like typical people. Many times they can get too worked up and it can take a long time for them to calm down. Some even have to leave the parks for the day.
But you have to give them credit for at least trying to continue to provide DAS to those who really need it. Will they sometimes make the wrong decision? Most likely, but the program is being continued and alternate accommodations are being offered to those who don’t get DAS.
Where I think Disney is going to get in trouble here is the anecdotal recommendations of medical advice. Things like suggesting noise canceling ear coverings can be construed as medical advice.
I don’t think anyone disagrees with this. But Disney CMs ask pretty specific questions and when answered a certain way, may disqualify someone from DAS. They are looking for other solutions and accommodations before offering DAS and if the parent/caretaker suggests or indicates that those may work, DAS will be off the table. At this point, it appears to be a last resort.
Saying that Disney has to do whatever the guest says they need without question is not reasonable. That was established when Disney won the lawsuit over the switch from GAC to DAS.
But they do “blindly accept” other needs such as hearing loss, service animals, allergies, etc.
