Plan to Roll Out Electronic Version of DAS at WDW?

[LadyJubilee]

After all, the sensory challenged will eventually have to move out of their parent's homes and be on their own and being patient and waiting in lines is part of life.

Oh, will they? As a parent of a child with Autism I think that is a very big, and uninformed, assumption. My son isn't going to ever "be on his own". Incidentally, a person doesn't just "learn" how to alter their brain structure... let's be honest, even brain mapping isn't going to change that physiology. Poor parenting, outside of RAD, doesn't show on an MRI.

But on a brighter note, organizations that serve children and adults with cognitive impairments always need volunteers. If you really want to get to know the people you make such assumptions about, opportunity abounds.


BTW, how do we catch that government gravy train? I'd love directions to that depot.

 

[unkadug]

Oh, will they? As a parent of a child with Autism I think that is a very big, and uninformed, assumption. My son isn't going to ever "be on his own". Incidentally, a person doesn't just "learn" how to alter their brain structure... let's be honest, even brain mapping isn't going to change that physiology. Poor parenting, outside of RAD, doesn't show on an MRI.

But on a brighter note, organizations that serve children and adults with cognitive impairments always need volunteers. If you really want to get to know the people you make such assumptions about, opportunity abounds.


BTW, how do we catch that government gravy train? I'd love directions to that depot.

According to Buzz, only his child is truly disabled. Just ignore him. He has been banned from this forum before.

 

[ford91exploder]

Respectfully have to disagree there. My son was diagnosed 8 years ago and all I've ever gotten out of the government was a 200 check to help buy a 600 ipad for him to facilitate communication at school. 5 years later he still uses that iPad 1 (yeah, that old) even though few apps work with it anymore. Hardly the windfall people think it is.

People jump to that conclusion because autism is such a spectrum that you will frequently run across people with a diagnosis and mild symptoms that you may not notice in brief exposure. But those mild cases are sometimes fraught with even more danger than those who must be taken care of every minute of their lives. The subtle issues that keep them separate from their peers while being identified as "normal" by others cause rampant issues with depression and high suicide rates as teenagers. My son will never be mistaken for typical, so it comes with a whole separate set of issues.

This is not to say someone who can't connect socially or who has severe learning of motor control issues, but is still high functioning is in a worse situation than someone who will never be able to talk or use a toilet. Just that different places on the spectrum have different issues. All worthy and deserving of help and compassion. Unfortunately, those on the moderate side are often accused of gaming the system because people judge based on only what they can see.

In my state at least the school districts are NOT ALLOWED to take into the cost of a special ed accommodation program for any student, Which in my town results in a special ed budget 1.5X the size of the the 'regular' education budget for a population of 1/40'th the size.

So up here it truly is a 'gravy train' for coded students and parents work very hard to get their kids 'coded'. The taxpayers are screaming because when you have a tax rate of $50 per 1000 valuation and unlike many states all properties are re-assessed every two years so people are indeed 'taxed out of their homes' it's not like CA where property tax is based on purchase price.

Up here you have mobile homes with $2000 property tax bills.

All that being said we do have far better than usual special ed outcomes mainly because problems are identified in K-1 and treated early - but there is massive fraud and abuse of the system as well.

 

[ford91exploder]

BTW, how do we catch that government gravy train? I'd love directions to that depot.

All that is required is to move to a state where cost is not allowed to be a factor in the special ed education decisions.

 

[Gomer]

In my state at least the school districts are NOT ALLOWED to take into the cost of a special ed accommodation program for any student, Which in my town results in a special ed budget 1.5X the size of the the 'regular' education budget for a population of 1/40'th the size.

So up here it truly is a 'gravy train' for coded students and parents work very hard to get their kids 'coded'. The taxpayers are screaming because when you have a tax rate of $50 per 1000 valuation and unlike many states all properties are re-assessed every two years so people are indeed 'taxed out of their homes' it's not like CA where property tax is based on purchase price.

Up here you have mobile homes with $2000 property tax bills.

All that being said we do have far better than usual special ed outcomes mainly because problems are identified in K-1 and treated early - but there is massive fraud and abuse of the system as well.

So, that sounds like a localized problem for you, not indicative of the population as a whole. Can tell you for certain, quite the opposite happens with special ed money elsewhere.

That issue is much different than calling it "trendy" which is quite insulting to those who deal with autism on a daily basis. Especially those with the mild symptoms who still struggle greatly, but get comments and judgment from people who are more comfortable thinking that its all a scam than that it might soon affect someone they love. Not saying that you are implying its a scam, but the sentiments you express are common and disturbing when taken to that next level. Its bad enough that these people struggle trough life, but then to be frequently told that their struggles are not real...well you can imagine the psychological damage that does to already fragile people.

 

[ford91exploder]

So, that sounds like a localized problem for you, not indicative of the population as a whole. Can tell you for certain, quite the opposite happens with special ed money elsewhere.

That issue is much different than calling it "trendy" which is quite insulting to those who deal with autism on a daily basis. Especially those with the mild symptoms who still struggle greatly, but get comments and judgment from people who are more comfortable thinking that its all a scam than that it might soon affect someone they love. Not saying that you are implying its a scam, but the sentiments you express are common and disturbing when taken to that next level. Its bad enough that these people struggle trough life, but then to be frequently told that their struggles are not real...well you can imagine the psychological damage that does to already fragile people.

In my field Aspies and ADHD absolutely ABOUND most of whom including me have advanced degrees, Having ADHD myself I really want to reach out and shake those who use those diagnoses as cop outs and reasons for 'special' treament because they are special snowflakes.

No one gives a D--- about my ADHD only what do I do for them and do I deliver a quality product, My ADHD is for ME to manage not expect others to tiptoe around it.

In the end you have to adapt to the world not the other way round. if you really don't think something is right work to CHANGE it.

 

[Gomer]

Funny that you want them to adapt to it, when one of the biggest difficulties in autism is the inability to adapt to new situations or environments. So, you are asking them to do the exact thing they cannot.

I'm sure there are plenty of successful aspies. But there are degrees and different issues for some rather than others. And career success isn't the only measure in life. I'm guessing the kid with mild autism who I met a few weeks who tried to slit his wrists didn't do so because he had bad grades in math or because he thought he'd never get a job. It was probably because he couldn't make friends or have any sort of typical social life. When dealing with mild autism, you are dealing with the social aspects as much as the academic. they may be able to do the work, but if no one will hire them because they don't know how to maintain proper hygiene, or because they have no understanding of social boundaries, then they won't find much success even if they are the smartest person in the world.

And as I type this i realize how far off topic we've gotten. All my point was....remember that what you see isn't always the entire struggle. There could be a lot more that they need to deal with than what you can discern in limited interaction. I'll stop rebutting now.

So yeah...add DAS to MDE. I'd be in favor of that.

 

[ford91exploder]

Funny that you want them to adapt to it, when one of the biggest difficulties in autism is the inability to adapt to new situations or environments. So, you are asking them to do the exact thing they cannot.

I'm sure there are plenty of successful aspies. But there are degrees and different issues for some rather than others. And career success isn't the only measure in life. I'm guessing the kid with mild autism who I met a few weeks who tried to slit his wrists didn't do so because he had bad grades in math or because he thought he'd never get a job. It was probably because he couldn't make friends or have any sort of typical social life. When dealing with mild autism, you are dealing with the social aspects as much as the academic. they may be able to do the work, but if no one will hire them because they don't know how to maintain proper hygiene, or because they have no understanding of social boundaries, then they won't find much success even if they are the smartest person in the world.

And as I type this i realize how far off topic we've gotten. All my point was....remember that what you see isn't always the entire struggle. There could be a lot more that they need to deal with than what you can discern in limited interaction. I'll stop rebutting now.

So yeah...add DAS to MDE. I'd be in favor of that.

DAS to MDE a good idea indeed one of the few good things about MDE.

 

[Section106]

I think this a great idea. My wife is wheelchair bound and can't wait in lines. She has MS, suffers from anxiety attacks, and has incontinence issues. She can't feel her hands most of the time and ruined one paper card when she spilled her water all over herself last trip. Now there is one less thing to worry about.

 

[tdpolo26]

I will say I think das is a step in the right direction.... but as I go up to the mine train and see a 65 minute wait and watch a guy open the rope himself escort his family of 6 passed me and 30 other people in the fp line.. I lose a bit of sympathy he tells me he cant wait his son has severe adhd and mild autism... great... but at least ask... I am the funny guest who doesn't care to let people by... but then I see his green book, in it is his family has been 6 times on the mine train and they are now bragging about it...then the guy starts tell me how to work the system... how I just need to tell them my daughter has panic attacks waiting in line or what not... I toned him out... then he starts telling others.... now I can only get 1 mine train fast pass a day.. personally I think they need to limit it to 2 maybe a 3 for the das but 6 times by 2 pm is absurd to me..... I think with the 4 grown adults in there party someone could have waited in line... I know when we child swap we have to. basically they never waited in one line and some time later at the entrance to bog restaurant where they tried to use the das as an excuse for no reservations... now I know this is def not everyones story but people like that make me mad... he told me the rode toy story 5 times one day and had to get a new das for another one of there kids cause the lady "gave them ". ada rules are about fairness amongst everyone not getting to ride the main attractions as many times as you want well sitting in the shade... or going on no wait attractions... while the rest die in the heat
didn't mean to upset anyone and I wouldnt want to have to endure what many have to but i would feel very guilty if it i did have a child with disability and i had been on the main attractions 5 or 6 times a day when the average person maybe can do 2 times

 

[lnsemsf]

Here's the deal. I don't care what you think. Plusses and minuses and all. If they roll out an electronic version of this in Florida, I want the California simplicity and there is no reason they can't do it. No reason to traipse miles across the property to get a time when it obviously can be done electronically. If they keep the same rules with an electronic system, they're cutting corners. If California can issue a time for another park, so can Florida. Simple as that.

 

[Section106]

I will say I think das is a step in the right direction.... but as I go up to the mine train and see a 65 minute wait and watch a guy open the rope himself escort his family of 6 passed me and 30 other people in the fp line.. I lose a bit of sympathy he tells me he cant wait his son has severe adhd and mild autism... great... but at least ask... I am the funny guest who doesn't care to let people by... but then I see his green book, in it is his family has been 6 times on the mine train and they are now bragging about it...then the guy starts tell me how to work the system... how I just need to tell them my daughter has panic attacks waiting in line or what not... I toned him out... then he starts telling others.... now I can only get 1 mine train fast pass a day.. personally I think they need to limit it to 2 maybe a 3 for the das but 6 times by 2 pm is absurd to me..... I think with the 4 grown adults in there party someone could have waited in line... I know when we child swap we have to. basically they never waited in one line and some time later at the entrance to bog restaurant where they tried to use the das as an excuse for no reservations... now I know this is def not everyones story but people like that make me mad... he told me the rode toy story 5 times one day and had to get a new das for another one of there kids cause the lady "gave them ****". ada rules are about fairness amongst everyone not getting to ride the main attractions as many times as you want well sitting in the shade... or going on no wait attractions... while the rest die in the heat
didn't mean to upset anyone and I wouldnt want to have to endure what many have to but i would feel very guilty if it i did have a child with disability and i had been on the main attractions 5 or 6 times a day when the average person maybe can do 2 times

That guy was just cutting in line. When we used the DAS card this past June we had to wait in the FP+ line like everyone else. And for him to brag about his rule breaking tells you everything you need to know about his character.

We had to go to the attraction, obtain a return time which was the current wait time for standby, and then return to the FP+ line and wait our turn. Of course this was only for those rides that my wife could or would ride. I waited in standby for something my daughter wanted to ride but mommy didn't.

That guy sounds like a selfish jerk.

 

[tdpolo26]

That guy was just cutting in line. When we used the DAS card this past June we had to wait in the FP+ line like everyone else. And for him to brag about his rule breaking tells you everything you need to know about his character.

We had to go to the attraction, obtain a return time which was the current wait time for standby, and then return to the FP+ line and wait our turn. Of course this was only for those rides that my wife could or would ride. I waited in standby for something my daughter wanted to ride but mommy didn't.

That guy sounds like a selfish jerk.

Biggest thing for me was being abe to return multiple times...really should be a limit of maybe 3

 

[startraveler]

not to start up the debate again. Sounds like this guy just pushed his way through and was not using the DAS properly. You can't just butt in line. You get a return time, come back and then get in the fast pass line. For many of us that means that when we get to the front of the fast pass line we go and get into another line. This line could be quite long.
With regard to multiple visits to the same ride. Keep in mind that many of us can only ride a few rides even though we'd like to ride more, they just aren't accessible. So to spend a day at a park you might have to ride the same ride multiple times. For me a few of the inaccessible rides at MK are space mountain, big thunder mountain, mine train, pirates, peter pan, carousel in fantasyland, teacups, goofy rollercoaster, dumbo, gran prix, tree house, people mover, the spaceship spinner in tomorrow land, stitch (this is a personal physical problem with the shoulder bars but accessible to most), on occasion I can get in haunted mansion, but none of the main street vehicles. So if I get Buzz several times on my DAS card it could be for lack of anything else to do.
The guy you ran into is not representative of people who use this card appropriately.
I guess I did start up the debate again. Oops..

 

[Section106]

Biggest thing for me was being able to return multiple times...really should be a limit of maybe 3

So if you are disabled you are only allowed to ride an attraction three times? I don't think you understand what the DAS program is and are simply angry at someone who is abusing the rules. If I had experienced that guy I would have alerted the CMs to his plans.

The DAS doesn't give a disabled person front of the line access on demand. You still have to wait. But due to the disability the wait isn't in the actual Standby line. You can't obtain a time and then go get another time for another ride. You can however, sit and wait in a more open, comfortable area with access to a bathroom. I couldn't imagine trying to get out of the middle of a packed line with my wife in a wheelchair having an anxiety attack or having soiled herself with our 6 year old in tow. That would literally ruin our vacation.

And it's not like when we get to the boarding area we get a choice of which car to ride in. As a kid growing up I had BG Williamsburg season tix every year. I always rode in the front and I waited for the privilege. I love the front of a roller coaster. But with the DAS card and a wheelchair bound wife we have to ride in the back like at EE or 7DMT. We also have to wait for a wheelchair accessible car like at TSMM, LM, or Buzz. It is a long, drawn out process. But my wife gets to ride and participate with her husband and daughter. That is very important for her, to try and live as normal a life as possible.

 

[tdpolo26]

So if you are disabled you are only allowed to ride an attraction three times? I don't think you understand what the DAS program is and are simply angry at someone who is abusing the rules. If I had experienced that guy I would have alerted the CMs to his plans.

The DAS doesn't give a disabled person front of the line access on demand. You still have to wait. But due to the disability the wait isn't in the actual Standby line. You can't obtain a time and then go get another time for another ride. You can however, sit and wait in a more open, comfortable area with access to a bathroom. I couldn't imagine trying to get out of the middle of a packed line with my wife in a wheelchair having an anxiety attack or having soiled herself with our 6 year old in tow. That would literally ruin our vacation.

And it's not like when we get to the boarding area we get a choice of which car to ride in. As a kid growing up I had BG Williamsburg season tix every year. I always rode in the front and I waited for the privilege. I love the front of a roller coaster. But with the DAS card and a wheelchair bound wife we have to ride in the back like at EE or 7DMT. We also have to wait for a wheelchair accessible car like at TSMM, LM, or Buzz. It is a long, drawn out process. But my wife gets to ride and participate with her husband and daughter. That is very important for her, to try and live as normal a life as possible.

I fully understand the policy and it's more the abuse of it all. Honestly was not attacking anyone....I understand there are people that genuinely need assistance I work in health care... but regardless I am done with the topic before there are 20 more posts about peoples life stories I only can't stand the abuse, boils my blood

 

[TubaGeek]

If everyone were honest, the new system is infinitely better than the old. Unfortunately, it's amazingly easy to cheat the system and make it an instant FP.
Hopefully this electronic system will roll out quickly.

 

[Mouse_Trap]

I'm confused. Does this mean to get a DAS return time, you need to visit a FP+ kiosk now? Or can it be done with the MDE app? Also, I thought DisneyLand wasn't using Magic Bands yet. That's only in WDW.

MagicBands aren't needed, they can use the RFID chips that are in the KTTW cards (or whatever they call them there). In some ways the MagicBand is no more than a KTTW card with a sting clipped around your wrist.

 

[BuzzKillington]

If everyone were honest, the new system is infinitely better than the old. Unfortunately, it's amazingly easy to cheat the system and make it an instant FP.
Hopefully this electronic system will roll out quickly.

It didn't take those who are eligible for this pass but about a year to run the current DAS system into the ground just like they did the GAC. I give the new electronic system 6 months before they figure out how to manipulate it to their advantage.

 

[TubaGeek]

It didn't take those who are eligible for this pass but about a year to run the current DAS system into the ground just like they did the GAC. I give the new electronic system 6 months before they figure out how to manipulate it to their advantage.

Quit living up to your name.