New DAS System at Walt Disney World 2024

[Angel Ariel]

This will still be tons of people. All the people who got DAS prior can probably submit documentation (plus many with mobility issues). This sounds like more of a hassle than not and even more people would apply then are now. Also, I do believe that lawsuit has a section about having to provide documentation, here’s a quote from an article I found,

“The lawsuit indicates that the ADA bars entities from asking about the nature or extent of a person’s disability or requiring documentation.”

Six Flags Sued Over Disability Access Policy

Six Flags is facing allegations of discrimination, with a lawsuit contending that the system its parks and several others use to provide disability accommodations violates the ADA.

www.disabilityscoop.com

Here’s another article

Class Action Says Six Flags Illegally Requires Guests with Disabilities to Register with Private Entity Ahead of Time

A lawsuit claims the requirement that guests with disabilities register with a private, for-profit entity ahead of a visit to any Six Flags theme park is a violation of federal law.

www.classaction.org

Thank you for sharing the disability scoop article, I was just going to find it myself! This is from that article:

"Because disabled persons must gather the necessary medical documentation and submit it with their application on the IBCCES website prior to their park visit, persons with disabilities do not have that same luxury afforded to nondisabled persons,” the suit states. “Defendants have therefore failed to implement policies, procedures, and practices respecting the civil rights and needs of disabled individuals.”

The suit against six flags absolutely includes the documentation aspect, @Splash4eva

 

[Angel Ariel]

Interesting. I’ve heard opposite here. Schools don’t want to give out IEPs because they are underfunded. Schools are required to cover special Ed services 100%, but don’t get reimbursed from the state and federal government at 100% so they have to pull the remainder of the funds from elsewhere in their budget.

Exactly. The federal government has underfunded the promises they made in IDEA the entire time the law has been in existence. IME, more often than not the family has to fight to get services at all, it's not the school being angry if services are refused.

 

[jennab55]

Exactly. The federal government has underfunded the promises they made in IDEA the entire time the law has been in existence. IME, more often than not the family has to fight to get services at all, it's not the school being angry if services are refused.

Yep, this was our exact situation! They wanted to push us into a 504 and I had to fight to get the IEP process instead.

 

[Angel Ariel]

Except as @jennab55 rightly said, not all kids with an IEP require DAS level accommodation. The kid who has an IEP for speech articulation needs - which is totally valid for school purposes - doesn't necessarily have any co-existing disabilities that impact their ability to be in line. There still needs to be a deciding factor, as simply having an IEP shouldn't be enough.

Also important to keep in mind only public school families who have agreed to district evaluation will have an IEP. Some families don't *want* that testing in school, but that doesn't mean the child doesn't have a significant disability. There are also private school students and home school students who won't have an IEP. So it's not a given that a school age child will have documentation from school.

 

[DryerLintFan]

I’ve heard a few things in another group. It’s really dependent on the ride, how long the wait is, and party size.. Person was told at one ride to just go through the LL since line wasn’t super long (rare, at another ride for a return time, and another to try to wait in line and if needed to leave come back and see CM. In all these cases the person stopped and asked the CM before entering the line.

i guess this is at least better than the blank looks the other person said they got from CMs

 

[nickys]

To go to a 3rd party and some form of documentation? No its really not. Other parks are already using such a thing

And after going to the 3rd party and getting your card you still have to go to the park guest services and explain your needs to a person who decides whether you qualify for the pass.

It isn’t automatic, I know 2 friends who didn’t get given the Universal pass when they arrived. (One of them did get DAS). Both had got their IBCCES card.

 

[jaklgreen]

I heard in another group that they asked a solo traveler to take a picture of where they were in the queue and then show a cast member the picture when re-entering.

What? Am I the only one that thinks that is nuts. What if you have to be gone for 10+ minutes, clearly the line would have move significantly by then. This is absolutely ridiculous. I HATE having to have to "excuse me, excuse me" through the line and back. We know that causes issues with other guests. Disney has lost their damn minds. SMH

 

[jaklgreen]

This will still be tons of people. All the people who got DAS prior can probably submit documentation (plus many with mobility issues). This sounds like more of a hassle than not and even more people would apply then are now. Also, I do believe that lawsuit has a section about having to provide documentation, here’s a quote from an article I found,

“The lawsuit indicates that the ADA bars entities from asking about the nature or extent of a person’s disability or requiring documentation.”

Six Flags Sued Over Disability Access Policy

Six Flags is facing allegations of discrimination, with a lawsuit contending that the system its parks and several others use to provide disability accommodations violates the ADA.

www.disabilityscoop.com

Here’s another article

Class Action Says Six Flags Illegally Requires Guests with Disabilities to Register with Private Entity Ahead of Time

A lawsuit claims the requirement that guests with disabilities register with a private, for-profit entity ahead of a visit to any Six Flags theme park is a violation of federal law.

www.classaction.org

I agree with this lawsuit. I don't think that it is fair or legal to require disabled people to go through this added expense and hoops just to get some accommodations anywhere. I don't know how this has gone on so long without someone suing before this. And the kicker is that places like Universal, even after you go through all of these hoops, can and will deny you if they want to.

 

[jaklgreen]

It's a pretty bad look in a thread where you are complaining that you aren't getting your preferred line-skip pass at a theme park due to a disability to turn around and complain about children who are receiving accommodations for their education in a school system due to a disability... Unlike riding Big Thunder Mountain without a wait, an education is actually a fundamental right.

No, I am saying that not all kids the have an IEP are actually disabled. My daughter being bad at math in no way makes her either disabled or incapable of waiting in the standby line. I am not sure how that was lost in translation to you. You have numerous times intentionally "misunderstood" people's comments and have been confrontational. Why? Why are you so nasty to people on this forum?

 

[Chi84]

I agree with this lawsuit. I don't think that it is fair or legal to require disabled people to go through this added expense and hoops just to get some accommodations anywhere. I don't know how this has gone on so long without someone suing before this. And the kicker is that places like Universal, even after you go through all of these hoops, can and will deny you if they want to.

Those provisions of the ADA assume people will be honest. I know the one concerning service dogs is widely disliked because many people are abusing it.

 

[jaklgreen]

Those provisions of the ADA assume people will be honest. I know the one concerning service dogs is wildly disliked because many people are abusing them.

I agree there is abuse. But this needs to be addressed at the Federal level, not at a theme park level. And I don't like that this third party company is asking for medical documentation.

 

[jennab55]

What? Am I the only one that thinks that is nuts. What if you have to be gone for 10+ minutes, clearly the line would have move significantly by then. This is absolutely ridiculous. I HATE having to have to "excuse me, excuse me" through the line and back. We know that causes issues with other guests. Disney has lost their damn minds. SMH

I don’t know this for sure, but I think the picture was to actually prove the person was in line and about how far. Then I thought when the person came back they would be directed to the LL instead of back to standby. That was my understanding, but I’m sure it’s not the same for every ride.

 

[jaklgreen]

I don’t know this for sure, but I think the picture was to actually prove the person was in line and about how far. Then I thought when the person came back they would be directed to the LL instead of back to standby. That was my understanding, but I’m sure it’s not the same for every ride.

I can see them going to the LL. I would hope that they didn't expect people to work their way back into the line somewhere. Imagine have a stock of pictures in your phone of the lines of every ride to show the cast member. That will be the next "hack" that people will do. SMH What a mess.

 

[DryerLintFan]

I don’t know this for sure, but I think the picture was to actually prove the person was in line and about how far. Then I thought when the person came back they would be directed to the LL instead of back to standby. That was my understanding, but I’m sure it’s not the same for every ride.

Someone is going to start selling photos, if this is true $54 gets you digital copies of phone size and resolution photos from the inside of all the most popular ride queues

 

[Chi84]

I agree there is abuse. But this needs to be addressed at the Federal level, not at a theme park level. And I don't like that this third party company is asking for medical documentation.

How would you expect abuse to be addressed other than by requiring documentation?

 

[jaklgreen]

How would you expect abuse to be addressed other than by requiring documentation?

I am saying that they should not be going through some random third party, that has no oversight. As I said, this needs to be changed in the laws. There should be a Federal certification process, like they do in every other Country.

 

[jennab55]

Someone is going to start selling photos, if this is true $54 gets you digital copies of phone size and resolution photos from the inside of all the most popular ride queues

Still better than giving everyone and 6 of their friends DAS for every ride on every trip

 

[Chi84]

I am saying that they should not be going through some random third party, that has no oversight. As I said, this needs to be changed in the laws. There should be a Federal certification process, like they do in every other Country.

There isn’t a federal certification process, which puts businesses in a difficult position if they want to accommodate disabilities right now. Unless and until the law is changed, third parties will be used by those theme parks asking for documentation.

My suspicion is that Disney decided against requiring documentation because it would not have made a big enough difference. They had to significantly limit the impact of the DAS program. Just requiring people who previously received DAS to prove they needed it wouldn’t have achieved their purpose.

I suppose it’s possible that if the current program is still resulting in overuse, they may go even further and ask for documentation. But I doubt they want to do this.

 

[DoubleSwitchback]

My suspicion is that Disney decided against requiring documentation because it would not have made a big enough difference. They had to significantly limit the impact of the DAS program. Just requiring people who previously received DAS to prove they needed it wouldn’t have achieved their purpose.

I suppose it’s possible that if the current program is still resulting in overuse, they may go even farther and ask for documentation. But I doubt they want to do this.

Yes, many of people advocating for a documentation requirement seem to think that if Disney did that, they'd go back to accepting any disability. More likely is that they'd keep it restricted to "intellectual disabilities that make one unable to wait in line" and furthermore, require documentation of that, not just the ability to give a good spiel on the DAS call.

 

[Tigger&Pooh]

I don’t know this for sure, but I think the picture was to actually prove the person was in line and about how far. Then I thought when the person came back they would be directed to the LL instead of back to standby. That was my understanding, but I’m sure it’s not the same for every ride.

I've seen a few of those posts as well, but no report of anyone who actually did take the photo or needed the photo to re-enter. And yes, re-entry is via the LL, not pushing your way through standby back to where you were.