New DAS System at Walt Disney World 2024

[TrainsOfDisney]

If it is, it seems there may be credibility issues.

Why is that?

 

[jennab55]

Why is that?

Do you truly believe a CM told someone they knew was blind to rent an ECV? I feel like there was something missing there.

 

[TrainsOfDisney]

Do you truly believe a CM told someone they knew was blind to rent an ECV? I feel like there was something missing there.

There have been multiple reports of CM’s recommending wheelchairs to blind guests.

I believe it’s possible, yes.

 

[jennab55]

There have been multiple reports of CM’s recommending wheelchairs to blind guests.

I believe it’s possible, yes.

Wheelchairs I could understand. Their companion could push the visually impaired person through the queue if navigating a queue is the issue. I could see recommending a wheelchair to help with that type of situation. Totally different.

 

[Chi84]

Thr one I’m thinking of was her grandkid, not her kid and she said she needed it because she couldn’t leave her grandkid alone in line. Maybe it wasn’t the same one. Either way, it’s hard to believe some of the stuff that was written on the fb pages in the beginning.

Like everything posted on the internet, credibility comes into play. The story I read was not something I believed.

 

[Chi84]

Wheelchairs I could understand. Their companion could push the visually impaired person through the queue if navigating a queue is the issue. I could see recommending a wheelchair to help with that type of situation. Totally different.

Right. That makes sense.

 

[DoubleSwitchback]

Why can't someone with visual impairment wait in a line?

 

[Chi84]

Why can't someone with visual impairment wait in a line?

The story I saw (and it wasn’t first-hand) was that it was just her and her 5-year-old granddaughter, and the person could not see well enough to get around safely.

I’m hoping there were other details left out because that sounds unsafe.

 

[TrainsOfDisney]

I’m hoping there were other details left out because that sounds unsafe.

There is nothing unsafe about visiting a theme park when you are blind.

 

[DoubleSwitchback]

There is nothing unsafe about visiting a theme park when you are blind.

Agreed. But why would someone be able to navigate everything but lines? Lines are particularly deterministic!

 

[Chi84]

Agreed. But why would someone be able to navigate everything but lines? Lines are particularly deterministic!

I meant being alone with a 5-year-old and not being able to navigate safely. Maybe there were facts missing.

Just seems unsafe for the child. Maybe the grandmother could manage everything but lines for a reason.

 

[Tigger&Pooh]

But vision issues don't qualify right? Maybe I’m thinking of another post.

Generally-speaking that’s correct, especially if the need is to sit close at a show or on a specific side (it used to be a GAC stamp). But individual situations may have challenges in a queue. Not all vision impairment means the individual is completely blind. DAS is based on individual needs and not straight diagnosis.

 

[bwr827]

I guess it boils down to how well the accommodations work and how consistently CMs on the phone and at the rides explain and implement them. I've seen plenty of people declaring that the accommodations they've been offered instead of DAS are completely unacceptable, but a lot of that is noise from people who haven't actually gone to the park and tried to use them. Change can be very difficult, and anxiety about change can cause irrational responses and catastrophizing, including perceiving things like being laughed at by CMs that never actually happened. I know that when I compare notes with my wife about situations where I had a disproportionate response, our perceptions of what other people said or did differ greatly. I also know that the CMs were unprepared for the change, that official training was insufficient, and that the procedures can vary so much from ride to ride that the resulting unpredictability can be a huge problem for anyone who depends on structure and consistency. As I've said, I'm doing my best to keep an open mind, and I think that a lot of the struggles will settle out over time through some combination of refinements to the process and CMs getting more experience with process.

I hope I can say this without coming across like a jerk: would you mind using more paragraph breaks?

I (and likely others) have to fight the urge to skip past your wall-of-text posts. And I’m interested in what you have to say.

 

[bwr827]

Is there any data for line times since the new DAS changes came into effect vs before? there’s nearly 500 pages to trawl through on here ha

Every ~67 pages or so there’s a post that includes useful updates on how things are going.

The rest is repetitive arguments.

 

[bwr827]

Universal's line-skipping system is far superior to WDW's in everything other than price.

And that’s why it’s superior. We couldn’t afford what WDW’s would need to cost.

 

[NotTheOne]

There have been multiple reports of CM’s recommending wheelchairs to blind guests.

I believe it’s possible, yes.

And I don't believe any of them. I have no doubt that there are plenty of people who will see an outlandish report of something and then say it happened to them too. Especially when you see how rabid some of these people are about being cut out from DAS.

 

[NotTheOne]

Agreed. But why would someone be able to navigate everything but lines? Lines are particularly deterministic!

Yep, just like people can manage the heat - except in a line, or they can handle sun exposure - except in a line.

 

[jennab55]

Generally-speaking that’s correct, especially if the need is to sit close at a show or on a specific side (it used to be a GAC stamp). But individual situations may have challenges in a queue. Not all vision impairment means the individual is completely blind. DAS is based on individual needs and not straight diagnosis.

Correct, but some thing still don’t seem to qualify even based on individual needs. Let’s use IBS/IBD for example. I haven’t seen anyone approved, have you? While they all have different individual needs that sort of diagnosis is not longer being considered for DAS. Disney changed what qualifies for DAS (for the most part, of course there are a few others that got approved for other things).

 

[Tigger&Pooh]

I haven’t seen anyone approved, have you?

That’s hard to say. Many who have been granted DAS haven’t posted their diagnosis, though I definitely have seen posts that state “physical disability” or mention something like not autism, not developmental, not cognitive. I don’t know all disabilities that may qualify, but I do think how one describes or explains their needs makes a big difference in DAS determination. And there may be individual circumstances where DAS is granted to one but not another. There are definitely reports of DAS granted for solo visits but not with others.

People are hung up on diagnoses and their own perceptions of how someone with said disability should be impacted. That may be true for 80% or even 95% of the time, but there are no absolutes when it comes to disabilities.

 

[John park hopper]

You can not lump all people with the same diagnosis into one pile--each individual will handle their disability differently --some requiring more accommodation than others.