New DAS System at Walt Disney World 2024

[Chi84]

Things like not being allowed to just group all wheelchair seats together. Or having to disperse hotel rooms across a facility and view types. Or parking spaces having to be dispersed across lots. Not being allowed to have separate accessible restrooms. The main entrance being the main accessible entrance. Over and over again in the existing regulations there is an emphasis on integration. That’s a primary purpose of the law. Just because it’s not specific to line accommodations doesn’t mean everything else will just be ignored.

Those are all permanent structures likely based on impact studies and therefore quite different.

I think the only way to analogize from a legal standpoint would be to plug the current fact situation into the legal analysis of A.L. v. Walt Disney World Resorts, 50 F.4th 1097 (11th Cir. October 4, 2022) and PGA Tour Inc, v. Martin, 532 U.S. 661 (2001). That way you would have the legal structure of the analysis already in place, with the court's statements of ADA accommodations in the light of Disney's business as well as relevant Supreme Court authority.

ETA: Other than that, it seems the closest analogy would be the DOJ regulations on service animals.

 

[ConfettiCupcake]

The waiting room concept IMO is a non starter and something Disney would not do and is a product of people trying to boil DAS down to ‘you literally just asked for an alternate place to wait so here you go’ when that isn’t productive or helpful to either it’s users or Disney.

It’s solving a problem that nobody is needing to be solved by creating more issues.

 

[Club Cooloholic]

The waiting room concept IMO is a non starter and something Disney would not do and is a product of people trying to boil DAS down to ‘you literally just asked for an alternate place to wait so here you go’ when that isn’t productive or helpful to either it’s users or Disney.

It’s solving a problem that nobody is needing to be solved by creating more issues.

I think its trying to boil it down to being a deterrent to those that are trying to cheat into DAS. If that was the option, you would see the number of users greatly decrease.

 

[Chi84]

I think its trying to boil it down to being a deterrent to those that are trying to cheat into DAS. If that was the option, you would see the number of users greatly decrease.

But at the expense of those who legitimately need it.

 

[TrainsOfDisney]

The main entrance being the main accessible entrance. Over and over again in the existing regulations there is an emphasis on integration. That’s a primary purpose of the law.

This is one of the reasons I am 100% against the Florida Security checks separating wheelchair users from the rest of their party at the entrance - it shouldn’t be legal.

I’m also against them separating families with strollers but that’s not an ADA issue, just poor customer service.

 

[lazyboy97o]

Those are all permanent structures likely based on impact studies and therefore quite different.

I think the only way to analogize from a legal standpoint would be to plug the current fact situation into the legal analysis of A.L. v. Walt Disney World Resorts, 50 F.4th 1097 (11th Cir. October 4, 2022) and PGA Tour Inc, v. Martin, 532 U.S. 661 (2001). That way you would have the legal structure of the analysis already in place, with the court's statements of ADA accommodations in the light of Disney's business as well as relevant Supreme Court authority.

ETA: Other than that, it seems the closest analogy would be the DOJ regulations on service animals.

The impact studies have to do with ergonomics and prevalence. Those studies don’t result in something like prohibiting the accessible entrance from being around back.

 

[Chi84]

The impact studies have to do with ergonomics and prevalence. Those studies don’t result in something like prohibiting the accessible entrance from being around back.

That wasn't the crux of my post, though. Omit "impact studies" and my take would be exactly the same.

The closest thing I can find in the ADA/DOJ is the section on service dogs, which aren't limited in some way like wheelchair seats or hotel rooms.

My overall take is that there is nothing analogous to line accommodations, so the best way to predict what would be required legally is to look at the two cases I cited above and reason using them as a starting point. Everything else is too different to provide a valuable comparison.

 

[ditzee]

Has anyone emailed Disney Disabilty Services with their concerns? Will probably get the canned response but I will keep trying.
disability.services@disneyparks.com

 

[Purduevian]

An air-conditioned room we can sit in, with a bathroom nearby and then brought to the front of the line when our time is up? Sign me up!

Boy do I have the rides for you (not sure if these have bathrooms)

 

[natatomic]

This is one of the reasons I am 100% against the Florida Security checks separating wheelchair users from the rest of their party at the entrance - it shouldn’t be legal.

I’m also against them separating families with strollers but that’s not an ADA issue, just poor customer service.

I suppose I don’t see the issue here. Wheelchairs and strollers cannot go through the metal detectors, so unless they just automatically send ALL those guests to be bag checked, it’s their way of making it as efficient as possible for everyone. 1-2 people from the wheelchair/stroller party pulled aside and then quickly duck in line, as opposed to the whole party being shoehorned in. Seems the most efficient way for all parties involved.

 

[Fido Chuckwagon]

Boy do I have the rides for you (not sure if these have bathrooms)
View attachment 789225View attachment 789226

It's a shame both WDW & Universal moved away from this model after opening those two attractions. It was a great idea.

 

[Chi84]

This is one of the reasons I am 100% against the Florida Security checks separating wheelchair users from the rest of their party at the entrance - it shouldn’t be legal.

I’m also against them separating families with strollers but that’s not an ADA issue, just poor customer service.

Maybe you could start a new thread for that since it’s off topic here

 

[lazyboy97o]

It's a shame both WDW & Universal moved away from this model after opening those two attractions. It was a great idea.

They moved away from it because it didn’t work.

 

[TrainsOfDisney]

It's a shame both WDW & Universal moved away from this model after opening those two attractions. It was a great idea.

Agreed - they also did a trial at rock n rollercoaster where you could wait in the courtyard and they had a DJ entertaining.

The concept is good and solves many problems and can increase food and merch sales if done correctly.

 

[Fido Chuckwagon]

They moved away from it because it didn’t work.

It worked fine, it just required more space and manpower.

 

[Angel Ariel]

I think really for me, I need to get off of the clock app. Going off of there you would think it was the literal end of the world. I understand completely the amount of anxiety that comes from having to navigate something completely new and still not well defined.

The amount of people on there that seem to think DAS is literally the only accommodation in the entire world that will meet their needs, that Disney is not ADA compliant, and telling everybody to sue them is really alarming.

Most people haven't even tried any alternative accommodation and they're automatically assuming they're not going to work.

I think that's what it gets me a little bit. The sheer amount of doom and gloom regarding newer systems that very few people have even tried yet.

There's a reason I haven't and won't download that app.

 

[KrzyKtty]

There's a reason I haven't and won't download that app.

I know . It's a bad addiction at this point. It's like watching a train wreck, Just can't look away.

 

[Purduevian]

It worked fine, it just required more space and manpower.

Most big E-tickets could find the space at WDW if desired. I'm surprised food/bev merch inside the waiting area wouldn't be enough to offset the cost of some things. Inside each "lounge" could have areas with minimal stimulation which would help a lot of people.

 

[TrainsOfDisney]

Seems the most efficient way for all parties involved.

Courtesy > Efficiency

 

[lazyboy97o]

Most big E-tickets could find the space at WDW if desired. I'm surprised food/bev merch inside the waiting area wouldn't be enough to offset the cost of some things. Inside each "lounge" could have areas with minimal stimulation which would help a lot of people.

They really could not. A lounge space is at least triple the square footage per person of any queue space it is replacing (15 SF per person in an unconcentrated assembly occupancy versus 5 SF per person standing space in a queue). That’s not even getting into other impacts to things like exits.