New DAS System at Walt Disney World 2024

[Angel Ariel]

It's really disheartening to see so much energy being spent to discredit posters' need for DAS in this thread. It should be about the changes to the system, and not about posters who know little about each other and little about the disabilities each experiences trying to suss out who really needs it and who is abusing it.

@wdwmagic @The Mom

 

[lazyboy97o]

Disney only needs to provide reasonable modifications to the extent they do not fundamentally alter their ability to provide services to all of their guests. That’s clearly what the current DAS system has affected.

What is the correct amount of disable customers? Which ones get priority for accommodation? Should Disney be able to prohibit people from using elevators if they’re getting more use than intended and it is costing them more in maintenance?

This is a problem that is going to keep coming up. As the population ages more people will be disabled. It’s something the parks have to deal with and just excluding people from accommodation

 

[Happyday]

Says who?

Why is it suddenly a necessity?

Disney only needs to provide reasonable modifications to the extent they do not fundamentally alter their ability to provide services to all of their guests. That’s clearly what the current DAS system has affected.



G+ is a marginal cost. If the marginal cost of G+ is too much - and we’ve never purchased it and haven’t gone as much since it was implemented - then that is a calculus each guest must make.

For some people this doesn't work. Some people can't know way ahead of time that a person in their family is going to be able to ride in the allowed hour. This is not just a cost issue, some people may have a medical or behavioral issue that lasts the whole time frame for Genie+.

 

[flynnibus]

So the way to avoid ADA complications is to make everybody join a private club to experience the parks. D23, for example, with different levels gating specific perks and accesses.

Not how it works…

 

[Ayla]

What is the appropriate percentage of guests who should be using DAS?

Disney obviously feels it is too many, which is why they are implementing changes.

 

[pdude81]

But again, what “other evidence”? If the person isn’t posting on social media or is private, then WDW has no way of gathering evidence.

WDW has facial recognition technology they've tested. There is the article someone posted earlier about them being able to track you via shoe, though I didn't read that. They have location pings on you all day long as you use your phone for MDE and MB+ for interactivity. And that is all just stuff they already have. If need be, they could investigate or gather evidence in other ways. But they can figure out with clarity if they want where you've been going and what you've been doing most of the day.

 

[flynnibus]

If someone is able to wait in a long line for something where DAS accommodation is not offered and chooses to do so anyway despite telling Disney that it is not possible for them to wait in line for attraction queues citing medical reasons, then it is only fair and correct for others to question and challenge the validity of their need for the DAS pass.

Dude… accessibility is not a topic of ‘if its humanly possible’

Could the handicap parking spots be put further away and the handicap person still be able to make the longer journey before they pass out? Yes…. But that’s not a justification to say ‘the spots don’t need to be so close’

Accessibility is not just the minimum to ensure something can be done - it’s also about INCLUSION

Maybe able bodied people shouldn’t be allowed to ride the trams. I mean… you CAN make the walk if you really had to…

 

[Jennynikki]

I think the “leave and return” policy would hypothetically solve problems for a huge number of people who currently use DAS… the only problem is that I can’t imagine what system they could implement that wouldn’t be an absolute circus. There aren’t natural points throughout most lines to enter and exit, and in addition, once you can easily leave the line you know everyone is going to start doing it like crazy. Kids are bored… time to “go to the bathroom” (and buy a pretzel, watch part of the parade…) That’s just human nature. Even if the re-entry point isn’t any further ahead, it’s still a little break from waiting.

I don't even know how it will work since there arnt CMs all throughout the line and like you said other people without a disability will want to use it so who do you even talk to to get it? No one wants to discuss their issues at every ride multiple times.

 

[SilverBerch]

I'm not up on which sites are linkable here and which aren't these days, so I'm not posting any (don't want to give them clicks anyhow) - but it looks like the rumor is already spreading like wildfire that like some other theme parks, Disney is moving from their current DAS system to one that includes a third party company that will handle verification, and will require documentation (doctors note, etc.).

UPDATE - April 9, 2024

Disney World announces new measures to address abuse of Disability Access Service​

Disney World announces new measures to address abuse of Disability Access Service

Disney World announces new measures to address abuse of Disability Access Service

www.wdwmagic.com

It's happening. It's only a matter of when and how the message is delivered.

Does this mean DAS is only for developmental disabilities now? Not for physical disabilities? What are those of us with the physical disability to stand in a line supposed to do?

 

[flynnibus]

The thing is - it doesn't create queue pressure. If the CM's are cycling the Genie+ LL folks and DAS holders properly, there should never be any queue pressure...unless of course Disney is overselling Genie+LL

You clearly don’t under Math.

The DAS load is not known ahead of time - hence they can’t account for its load when deciding how many genie or LL spots to sell for a time window.

Hence demand exceeds the predicted load…. Equals queue backups.

The CMs then need to run at higher LL rarios to relieve the buildup

 

[Tha Realest]

What is the correct amount of disable customers?

Thankfully, no one has to ask such a ridiculous question (except you).

Disney’s new policy has lawful accomodations for those with mobility issues, and has chosen to permit DAS usage to those with developmental disabilities. Those are reasonable accomodations.

Should Disney be able to prohibit people from using elevators if they’re getting more use than intended and it is costing them more in maintenance?

Silly question, again. Depending on the circumstances, they may have to provide the use of an elevator. It can be used by all - disabled and non-disabled alike.

 

[Splash4eva]

It's really disheartening to see so much energy being spent to discredit posters' need for DAS in this thread. It should be about the changes to the system, and not about posters who know little about each other and little about the disabilities each experiences trying to suss out who really needs it and who is abusing it.

@wdwmagic @The Mom

Whats going to be even more fun are the ones who may now be denied and still
Need it… these boards will be ferocious on them lol

 

[jaklgreen]

Yet an awful lot of people who swear they're unable to wait more than a few minutes for anything manage to do it multiple times a day. And somehow the post-apocalyptic scene of queues littered with bodily waste and fainted bodies that some claim awaits us if they can't have this specific accommodation has never materialized at the Magic Kingdom bus stop after Happily Ever After.

I can answer for me. I hit the last bathroom on my way out the parks to the busses. I never travel at peak time. I get to the parks late and leave early. There have been plenty of times where the bus was late and I had to run back to the restroom. And many times I could not even make the walk back to my room and had to stop at the lobby bathroom. Oh, and I have not watched a parade in well over a decade because it is impossible for me. Your comments are starting to get insulting to those with medical issues.

 

[flynnibus]

But again, what “other evidence”? If the person isn’t posting on social media or is private, then WDW has no way of gathering evidence.

This is not about active policing - but setting a clear expectation up front. So when a situation does present itself, disney has a clear and uncontested policy in place they are able to enforce.

 

[lazyboy97o]

Disney obviously feels it is too many, which is why they are implementing changes.

So? Disney has data to support every decision we consider a negative. According to the CDC, we’re still looking at a sizable percentage of the population (up to 17% of children) with developmental disabilities, a number that will double with just one accompanying guest.

Increase in Developmental Disabilities Among Children in the US

Pediatrics has published a new study that describes how often developmental disabilities were diagnosed among children in the United States, and trends over time.

www.cdc.gov

WDW has facial recognition technology they've tested. There is the article someone posted earlier about them being able to track you via shoe, though I didn't read that. They have location pings on you all day long as you use your phone for MDE and MB+ for interactivity. And that is all just stuff they already have. If need be, they could investigate or gather evidence in other ways. But they can figure out with clarity if they want where you've been going and what you've been doing most of the day.

So we shouldn’t want people to be honest and only use DAS as they decide they need it? Aren’t you now encouraging abuse?

Thankfully, no one has to ask such a ridiculous question (except you).

Disney’s new policy has lawful accomodations for those with mobility issues, and has chosen to permit DAS usage to those with developmental disabilities. Those are reasonable accomodations.

You can’t say there’s too much of something without first having an established normal range.

Silly question, again. Depending on the circumstances, they may have to provide the use of an elevator. It can be used by all - disabled and non-disabled alike.

There are elevators that are restricted only to those needing accommodation such as though in attraction load and unload areas.

 

[Dis Dragon]

I can answer for me. I hit the last bathroom on my way out the parks to the busses. I never travel at peak time. I get to the parks late and leave early. There have been plenty of times where the bus was late and I had to run back to the restroom. And many times I could not even make the walk back to my room and had to stop at the lobby bathroom. Oh, and I have not watched a parade in well over a decade because it is impossible for me. Your comments are starting to get insulting to those with medical issues.

This is about our experience as well. Bathroom issues are just part, but the most prevalent of the disability. I can tell you the closest bathroom in any park from any location. With DAS it's go right before an attraction and make a b-line straight to it as soon as the ride is over. People that don't have these issues can't understand what the big deal is...

We have not watched the fireworks from a crowd in over 5 years...

 

[Trauma]

How? This is the unwarranted panic I'm talking about.

There's absolutely nothing about this system (that's been revealed so far, at least) that will make it easier (or the same) for liars to get access while making it harder for people with legitimate disabilities to get access. That's just not real.

It's bordering on wild conspiracy theory takes at this point, with people throwing out crazy speculation about what's going to happen with absolutely no logical reasoning behind it.

Your last line fully encapsulates why this is bordering on flat earth territory, by the way, because that would be clearly illegal and Disney would get absolutely hammered over it in the legal system.

If the system does turn out that way, then I'll be the first to denounce it. But nobody knows that yet, and people are foaming at the mouth over literally nothing because nothing has actually happened. Everyone should just calm down and wait and see how the new system plays out instead of getting themselves into a frenzy over imagined scenarios.

Still flat earth territory?

Disney has confirmed it’s only developmental disorders.

 

[Ayla]

So? Disney has data to support every decision we consider a negative. According to the CDC, we’re still looking at a sizable percentage of the population (up to 17% of children) with developmental disabilities, a number that will double with just one accompanying guest.

Increase in Developmental Disabilities Among Children in the US

Pediatrics has published a new study that describes how often developmental disabilities were diagnosed among children in the United States, and trends over time.

www.cdc.gov

So we shouldn’t want people to be honest and only use DAS as they decide they need it? Aren’t you now encouraging abuse?


You can’t say there’s too much of something without first having an established normal range.


There are elevators that are restricted only to those needing accommodation such as though in attraction load and unload areas.

It's Disney's business. They get to decide how it's being implemented and used. What's that old saying that gets trotted out here frequently? Oh yes ~ if you don't like it, don't go.

 

[Horizonsfan]

Whats going to be even more fun are the ones who may now be denied and still
Need it… these boards will be ferocious on them lol

You can’t demand sympathy from people. Good lord, the entitlement.

If you’re afraid of pushback for complaining about not receiving a benefit, you absolutely do not have to post about it.

 

[Touchdown]

Also way to go everyone on crucifying the recentry pass before it’s even rolled out. Have you considered that RotR has had one since opening? The process is to hold you in the grouping room off to the side until the rest of your party reaches merge. That’s probably going to be how it works with most attractions, as merge in most lines has free space to hold a few extra people. Now will there be exceptions? Yes, but a vast majority of rides will likely function like that.