I apologize if this has been posted before. There are 404 pages of posts. I have read many of them, but I admit I have not read them all.
I have discussed the following idea with several people who have DAS. Although my sample size is small, they all agree that the following idea is fair and it would work.
We already have the reservation system on both coasts. That's here to stay. Yes, APs in FL don't have to make reservations on certain days, but the reservation framework is still in place.
Disney should make the following changes:
1. Disney should remove itself from deciding who qualifies for DAS. They should do what Universal and Six Flags do, which is to have a third party verify disabilities (IBBCES). If a disability is not solely mobility-related, Disney should provide the DAS service as it existed prior to the recent changes. No changes should be made other than letting a third party verify a disability. This will eliminate some fraud. It won't eliminate all of it, but it will have an effect.
2. Disney should create a new reservation bucket that includes DAS. For example, there would be a certain number of DAS reservations for one park per day tickets, park hopper tickets, and AP tickets. People staying at hotels would be guaranteed DAS access during their visit. This would be a HUGE motivator for people with DAS to stay on property during their visit, which means more $$$$$ for Disney.
Here's how this would work. Guests would need to go through IBBCES to get their disability access card. Disney would grant DAS access to everyone who had this card, unless the disability was mobility-related, which is what they did prior to the changes. Once a guest had DAS access, they would need to make reservations on days that included DAS availability if they wanted to use DAS.
This would not prevent anyone from going to the parks. People with DAS could still go to the parks on any day a reservation was available. The change is that if they wanted to use their DAS, they would need to go on a day where a DAS reservation was available.
If Disney implemented this, they would avoid their current PR, and soon-to-be-legal, nightmare. Disney could provide a better experience for everyone with DAS by limiting the number of DAS reservations available on any given day and park. They would completely avoid the mess they created for themselves with this new system.
My idea is 100 percent legal. Companies are NOT required to have unlimited accessible parking spaces in their parking lots. Stadiums are not required to have unlimited space reserved for people with disabilities. Companies are only required to provide reasonable access to their services. It's 100 percent reasonable to limit the number of people that have access to DAS on any given day.
I'm certain that Disney already thought of this. Disney knows they can do it, but, as usual, they have chosen poorly and they have created a mess for themselves. It was completely unnecessary.