As we previous reported, Disney announced that they were making changes to their Disability Access Service in order to reduce abuse and fraud. Well, these changes have gone into effect at WDW this past week, so now we have some real world feedback on the new system. In this article I will summarize some of the initial observations I have, based upon what I am hearing.
To put together this article, I read various stories that people have posted on different social media sites, message boards, and other forums. However, rather than basing my opinions on individual stories, I looked for trends in what people are saying, as well as official information coming out of Disney. My thinking is that if one person posts something, it’s just anecdotal and may not represent people’s general experience. However, if many people report the same thing, then it is likely to be a more reliable trend.
As a disclaimer, we are only one week into this new DAS era. Disney may make additional changes to tweak the system, hopefully for the better. So people’s initial experiences may not represent what you might encounter months from now after Disney has had a chance to work out the kinks.
But First… a Look Back
Let’s take a quick look at what DAS is, what these “new policies” are, and why Disney made these policy changes. I’m going to keep this section short and (mostly) sweet. If you need more information about DAS, you can visit Disney’s website.
What is DAS?
DAS stands for Disability Access Service. It gives individuals who cannot tolerate waiting in the regular standby line due to disability an option to wait outside the line. Basically, the person requests a return time based upon the current standby wait time. Then when it is their time to return, they enter the ride through the Lightning Lane. They are still waiting, but they are doing so outside the queue.
What Are These New Policies You Speak Of?
Previously, DAS was being given to people with many different types of disabilities. However, the new system is now generally restricted to those with autism and other development disorders which prevent them from waiting in the regular queue. Disney is introducing other methods of accommodation for those that may no longer qualify for DAS.
Why Did Disney Introduce This Change?
With the introduction of paid Lightning Lanes, many people figured out that they could essentially get Genie+ for free by “claiming” that they had a whole host of different disabilities. As this information became more widely available, more and more people started qualifying for DAS fraudulently, leading to backups in some Lightning Lanes, impacted those who genuinely needed to use DAS.
And now, on to the “meat and potatoes” of the article…
OBSERVATION #1: Fewer People Are Being Approved for DAS
This is not shocking in the least, as this was Disney’s stated goal all along. Generally speaking, most of the people who are no longer being approved those whose disabilities might require them to leave the line due to the sudden onset of their condition.
OBSERVATION #2: Disney Has Added Information About the “Attraction Queue Re-Entry” Accommodation
Disney had created an “Accessing Attractions Queue” website with tips on how to manage waiting in lines. This includes a listing of several options to assist guests with accessing the line. One new option is the “Attraction Queue Re-Entry” option. Disney had previously alluded to the fact that this new accommodation would be made available for those who might need to leave the line suddenly, but now we have some more details about what it entails:
There may be times when a Guest must briefly step out of the standby line and then rejoin their party in the line. Every location has a defined process to support this option based on a person’s disability while the rest of the party remains in line.
How to Use Queue Re-entry
Speak to a Cast member at the location for directions on how to re-enter the queue.
- A Cast Member will provide details about how to exit the queue and how to navigate back to your party.
- While the Guest who must leave the line is briefly away, the rest of the party will remain in line.
- The Guest reunites with their party to ride the attraction.
Note: Guests must meet boarding requirements to ride.
In an ideal world, this would appear to be a great way to accommodate many people who no longer qualify for DAS. However, there are still many potential gaps, which brings me to…
OBSERVATION #3: There Are Still Many Open Questions About Attraction Queue Re-Entry
As you can see, the details about Attraction Queue Re-Entry are very sparse at this time. Many people are still struggling to understand how to navigate this new accommodation. Here are some of the open questions / concerns that individuals have:
- How easy will it be to exit the line? This especially is a concern for people in wheelchairs or ECV’s for whom it might not be so simple.
- What if I need to exit with a caregiver? Will they be allowed to return with me?
- What if I am alone? How can I return to my party if there is no party to return to?
- How will other guests know that I am allowed to return to my party legally? Normally, line cutting is frowned upon so having someone moving past people in the line is likely going to cause conflict between guests.
- How will Disney cut down on abuse of this accommodation? It is certainly not beyond the realm of possibility that non-disabled people will now start cutting the line, claiming to have this accommodation. Is your account going to be flagged as being eligible for queue re-entry?
Not having answers to these questions is causing a number of guests to have anxiety over whether this new process will meet their needs.
OBSERVATION #4: There Are Varying Reports of Strict Limits On the Number of People Who Can Accompany the DAS Recipient
When reports came out regarding DAS changes, Disney stated that they were lowering the limit of the number of guests who could accompany the person with the DAS accommodation. The new limit was three additional guests (down from five). In addition, Disney said that they would make exceptions if the person’s IMMEDIATE family had more than three people (i.e. family of six with four children under 18).
However, reports have emerged that contradict this initial announcement. And many of these reports themselves appear to be inconsistent:
- Some people have reported only having DAS approved for themselves, meaning no additional guests can accompany them
- Other have said that they were approved only for one, two, or three additional people, even though their overall party was larger
- Still others have reported that their entire immediately family was approved, consistent with the original announcement
While there doesn’t seem to be a strong pattern that I can discern yet, it is clear that Cast Members appear to be applying this rule on a case-by-case basis.
In cases where not everyone is approved to accompany the DAS guest, Cast Members reportedly are telling guests that they can try to align their group by either using Genie+ (that way everyone can enter through the LL) or splitting up and meeting at the LL merge point. In other words, have part of the group enter the standby line and then, at the appropriate time, have the DAS group enter through the LL and meet up at the LL merge point. Obviously, these suggestions add a fair bit of complexity… not to mention cost.
OBSERVATION #5: Guests Now Need to Agree to Certain Terms and Conditions Before Entering the DAS Video Chat
Specifically, there are two interesting clauses in the terms of conditions:
- Guests agree not to record the conversation with the Cast Member, and
- Guests agree not to take part in any Class Action lawsuit against Disney with regards to their accommodation decision. Guests can still sue on an individual basis.
I am not a lawyer, so I am not sure how enforceable these terms and conditions are. However, Disney’s lawyers are anticipating some sort legal fallout from their changes.
Wrap Up
Change is always hard. Anytime there are new policies and procedures, there will be growing pains.
However, the current uncertainty about specific aspects are causing many in the disability community to have a lot of anxiety about what their Walt Disney World experience is going to look like. As we learn more, hopefully that will help quell people’s fears. Or maybe it will expose some gaps that Disney will need to continue to look at.
Disney is in a hard spot. They are trying to balance trying to provide reasonable accommodations to those who need them with eliminating fraud and abuse. There is always going to be problems trying to figure out how to best do that. All we can do is monitor the situation and be advocates for those who may feel left behind. But regardless, it is a different world.
Have you applied for DAS under the new system? What has been your experience? Leave us a comment and let us know.
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