New DAS System at Walt Disney World 2024

[Angel Ariel]

I am simply making an observation there is certainly for some people, particularly those seeking to abuse the system, a hypocrisy at times. If I claim anxiety of being enclosed, leaves me u able to wait in a line, for any amount of time, I am sorry but how can someone take me seriously as I climb into a doom buggy that may break down mid ride and leave me sitting in that thing for over a half hour total (has happened many times).

As I said earlier, @Gomer had a much better explanation than I. If you read his post and come away with that being hypocrisy then I don't know that there's anything left to say

People with disabilities have the right to calculate their risk in every situation just as nondisabled people do. They may have to risk assess in more and/or different situations than nondisabled people do, but the agency to make that risk assessment for oneself is the same. Doing so in the context of their disability - which they and/or their caregivers understand better than anyone not living their experience - doesn't make them hypocrites or exaggerators.

 

[Angel Ariel]

Honestly, I think if das was limited to those with physical disabilities autistic neurological issues, then everybody would be fine with that. It's these very gray area anxiety ones where I think people are calling bull

The issues you're describing though, such as extreme anxiety, that you're calling gray areas often coexist with the disabilities you say you're fine with qualifying for DAS.

 

[Club Cooloholic]

The issues you're describing though, such as extreme anxiety, that you're calling gray areas often coexist with the disabilities you say you're fine with qualifying for DAS.

Ok, so what is your point? Some dogs are brown, but that doesn't mean all dogs are brown.
Some people with disabilities may have phobias that go with that, but a phobia to me is very different from a disability. If my only claim to getting an exemption is because I have a crippling phobia it makes no sense then that I can somehow able to overcome said crippling phobia to do a ride that puts me right in what I claim is my phobia

 

[Fido Chuckwagon]

I have a crippling anxiety around sharks and then I go to the aquarium and I say may I please now swim with the sharks

They'd better let you skip the line to swim with those sharks or they're going to have an ADA problem.

 

[Touchdown]

Something I’ve begun to notice from this thread is you are less likely to get DAS:
-If you go often
-If you are an adult asking for accommodations

I’m sure they will not come out and say it but Disney knows how often you visit and if you visit regularly they assume you can handle queues.

 

[natatomic]

I am confused why there can't be a card or something that a guest gets, from one central location where all the questions could be asked once and then correspond to a chart and if just then provides what the accommodations will be at each ride, maybe a print out maybe some app...and then the guest has that to take to each ride.

This is how they do it at Dollywood as far as I know (I once was with a friend with special needs, and she needed the card). She went to their guest relations, explained her needs/disabilities - I don’t know if proof was required - and then she was presented with a card that checked off which attractions/shows would need to provide her alternate access from the regular line (which is what she showed to the operators at those respective rides). That was my single experience with that method, but it seemed to work well for my friend.

 

[ditzee]

This is how they do it at Dollywood as far as I know (I once was with a friend with special needs, and she needed the card). She went to their guest relations, explained her needs/disabilities - I don’t know if proof was required - and then she was presented with a card that checked off which attractions/shows would need to provide her alternate access from the regular line (which is what she showed to the operators at those respective rides). That was my single experience with that method, but it seemed to work well for my friend.

We brought our grandsons to Dollywood last year about this time. Had my rollator and a staff member approached me about getting a card for attractions. I was just getting over an episode and did not feel well enough to ride but I did appreciate that staff member reached out to me. Reminded me of Disney World back in the day when the guests were treated with appreciation.

 

[seabreezept813]

See this is where I do find it interesting. If one is sensitive to heat(and we all are honestly to some level), how is one at the parks at all in summer? Enclosed spaces too...how can one then do Rise, so much of that is waiting in enclosed spaces once the "ride" so to speak begins unless they go right to the vehicles are...even then waiting in that small room to board.

Disney has much more indoor AC entertainment, shopping, etc than your average entertainment complex. So you could enjoy Disney even when it’s hot if you don’t overdo it.

 

[Angel Ariel]

Ok, so what is your point? Some dogs are brown, but that doesn't mean all dogs are brown.
Some people with disabilities may have phobias that go with that, but a phobia to me is very different from a disability. If my only claim to getting an exemption is because I have a crippling phobia it makes no sense then that I can somehow able to overcome said crippling phobia to do a ride that puts me right in what I claim is my phobia

It's not one or the other like that. I give up. You seem to want to boil it down to these easy distinctions, and it's just not. You can either accept that developmental disability just isn't this linear or not. You appear to be choosing the latter, and so I'm done trying.

 

[C33Mom]

Something I’ve begun to notice from this thread is you are less likely to get DAS:
-If you go often
-If you are an adult asking for accommodations

I’m sure they will not come out and say it but Disney knows how often you visit and if you visit regularly they assume you can handle queues.

They also (likely) have APs’ actual history of wait/ride data (measure from tap points to ride photos?) and know all the times they waited 30+ minutes for various A list attractions. Are you going to feel confident suing Disney over AQR if they can point to your actual history in the parks, and risk getting banned if they catch you lying?

There have been rumors that Disney had a huge problem with local APs and cast members liberally using DAS— we have seen this month that ride waits were lower on days when locals were blocked out at MK… so it makes sense they would get the highest benefit from increasing enforcement against the heaviest capacity users/abusers. If a family that visits 4 days every other year is approved for a DAS, it doesn’t impact Disney’s operations much. If a DAS holder local AP who comes 50 days a year with 4-5 friends gets approved, it’s at least 10x as much strain on the system.

 

[Club Cooloholic]

It's not one or the other like that. I give up. You seem to want to boil it down to these easy distinctions, and it's just not. You can either accept that developmental disability just isn't this linear or not. You appear to be choosing the latter, and so I'm done trying.

So you are saying that if you have an anxiety and phobia...you have a developmental disorder? Otherwise I give up trying to figure out what you are arguing? You only seem to want to use anecdotal evidence of something. And let me amend this I think your kid deserves every accomodation possible to make things as pleasant as it possibly can when she does anything. Disney is trying to figure out a way to cut down on abuse. Simply allowing guests to say I have problem X give me the line exception is not going to work to curb this. We know that as fact.

 

[lazyboy97o]

I'm not lumping in everyone as you seem to be trying to do and others try and do with with one word disabled. I am talking about people who claim to have a severe anxiety over an enclosed space or a dark space and then we'll go on a ride. That is just that very thing this is a kin to me saying I have a crippling anxiety around sharks and then I go to the aquarium and I say may I please now swim with the sharks
As for your analogy, if I had a severe fear of being exposed using a restroom in public, there's a good chance. I just may never use a restroom in public. I know people that do that.
Honestly, I think if das was limited to those with physical disabilities autistic neurological issues, then everybody would be fine with that. It's these very gray area anxiety ones where I think people are calling bull

You absolutely are lumping people together. How even one person experiences anxiety is not a uniform constant. Just like someone may not experience back pain in a uniform manner. Disabilities are not absolutely constant. There are variations. You just keep trying to say “this is disability is only this and any deviation is hypocrisy.”

 

[Angel Ariel]

So you are saying that if you have an anxiety and phobia...you have a developmental disorder

That isn't what I said at all.

Why do you keep responding with absolutes when I keep indicating quite clearly there are no absolutes?

 

[Fido Chuckwagon]

Why do you keep responding with absolutes when I keep indicating quite clearly there are no absolutes?

So you agree that not everyone who is on the autism spectrum, or has heat sensitivity, or has IBS, or uses a rollator needs DAS?

 

[DisneyHead123]

Actually your example I would say that one couldn't go to a Disney park at all if that's their worried of being trampled. Have you ever tried walking around the park? It's unavoidable that you might bump into somebody. Honestly given your example I could explain to the people around me if I was in a line that I have a phobia and please give me a few feet in front and behind me. But if I'm stuck in that dune buggy no it is not like being in a restaurant because I can't get out. You're not allowed to just hop off if the ride stops.

When it comes to anxiety there’s a big difference between being physically restrained and having to break a rule. My point was that in a Doom buggy you are usually not physically restrained (depending on the position of the lap bar) and it’s an open vehicle.

Ditto for being in a crowd of people in a small space where they could easily start to press in on each other, and an open area (although some people are afraid of both.)

Anyways, to the general point you’re making - sure, if I saw someone who had DAS for claustrophobia reride Mission Space 4 times, I would have questions. But even there, just that - questions. Maybe they have a fear of very specific small spaces due to PTSD where a traumatic memory can get triggered, for example. You can’t just apply a simple metric like “A person with X condition can never ever do Y thing.”

 

[Chi84]

When it comes to anxiety there’s a big difference between being physically restrained and having to break a rule. My point was that in a Doom buggy you are usually not physically restrained (depending on the position of the lap bar) and it’s an open vehicle.

Ditto for being in a crowd of people in a small space where they could easily start to press in on each other, and an open area (although some people are afraid of both.)

Anyways, to the general point you’re making - sure, if I saw someone who had DAS for claustrophobia reride Mission Space 4 times, I would have questions. But even there, just that - questions. Maybe they have a fear of very specific small spaces due to PTSD where a traumatic memory can get triggered, for example. You can’t just apply a simple metric like “A person with X condition can never ever do Y thing.”

I'm not sure what good it does to establish all of the variances in disabilities unless the argument is that Disney has to accommodate everyone with DAS because no one can ever exactly match each various disability to the correct accommodation and no more. And I'm pretty sure no one is saying that; if they are, it's a useless argument since they have already decided not to do so.

 

[jaklgreen]

But then it would also be needed for solo guests, those where the only other adult in the party is needed to assist the person needing to leave the line and so on. That could apply equally to any disability.

And at that point, it is basically DAS anyway, so why deny those people? When someone is going solo and has a disability, why even tell them to do the RTQ with the cast member when DAS does the same thing?

 

[Chi84]

And at that point, it is basically DAS anyway, so why deny those people? When someone is going solo and has a disability, why even tell them to do the RTQ with the cast member when DAS does the same thing?

If they’re the same thing, why would the person need DAS?

 

[flynnibus]

Sorry I could have said that better. I was thinking required in terms of accurately conveying what they are offering. Disney is expressly stating the service is for those who are unable to stand in line due to a disability (now a developmental disability).

Of course they can choose to leave out the word disability but it would seem unwise.

I think using 'disability' is part of their woe... you literally create conflict when you label something broadly, and then tell someone who identifies with that label 'oh, but not you'. It would be better IMO to have a program labeled completely from left field.. or name it based on the type of change it brings if you wanted a functional label. That would focus it on the accomodation, and not the 'audience'. Right now people are wound up over something 'for the disabled' and then having something everyone agrees as 'disabled' being excluded.

Like so much of these changes... its literally Disney setting themselves up for conflict and failure (IMO) with their choices. It's not just 'change is hard...' it's 'these changes are self defeating'...

 

[Chi84]

I think using 'disability' is part of their woe... you literally create conflict when you label something broadly, and then tell someone who identifies with that label 'oh, but not you'. It would be better IMO to have a program labeled completely from left field.. or name it based on the type of change it brings if you wanted a functional label. That would focus it on the accomodation, and not the 'audience'. Right now people are wound up over something 'for the disabled' and then having something everyone agrees as 'disabled' being excluded.

Like so much of these changes... it’s literally Disney setting themselves up for conflict and failure (IMO) with their choices. It's not just 'change is hard...' it's 'these changes are self defeating'...

Like what?