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Credit: DisneyAs many Disney theme park guests are aware, back in April, Disney announced major changes were being made to its Disability Access Service (DAS). Instead of anyone with a disability being able to use the service and wait in a shorter queue, only guests with developmental disabilities like autism would be able to use the service. Everyone else would have to either purchase the Lightning Lane MultiPass (formerly Disney Genie+), or wait outside the attraction by themselves while the rest of their party waits in line.
Related: Disney Just Told Thousands of Guests With Disabilities That They Don’t Count
The changes went into effect at Walt Disney World Resort in May and at Disneyland Resort in June. Since then, the company has been receiving a lot of backlash, with many saying they just can’t visit the parks anymore if they don’t have a DAS pass. A group called DAS Defenders even purchased mobile billboards and drove them around Disneyland Resort during Disney’s massive D23 Expo, which took place this past weekend.
One family that is reconsidering how often they visit the Most Magical Place on Earth is ToniLynn McElreath and her two young children. They all love visiting the Magic Kingdom, but they have always relied on the DAS pass because of her son’s condition.
Ms. McElrath’s three-year-old son, Luke, is on a feeding tube and, because of this, is prone to vomiting when he becomes overexcited. With the DAS pass, they were able to make sure that he could have something to eat and that his stomach was empty before going on a ride. Unfortunately, because of the changes to DAS, Luke no longer qualified.
Related: Tempers Flare as Disney World’s Disability Changes Begin
The family visited the Magic Kingdom recently and tried to wait in the traditional queue. However, Luke ended up getting sick while they were waiting.
They were told that they could spend the extra money on Lightning Lane MultiPass, but that doesn’t work for Luke and his condition. With a DAS pass, guests are given a return time, but they can use the pass any time after the start time. But with the Lightning Lane MultiPass, they are required to return within a certain time frame.
Related: Guest Claims Disney Made Child Sick After Disability “Interrogation”
Having Luke wait outside the attraction while Ms. McElreath waits in line is also not a possibility. Luke is only three years old, and his sister is the same age. Ms. McElreath is the only adult who takes them, so it is not safe for them to wait by themselves.
Ms. McElreath spoke to local news station WFLA about how devastating the denial was for her and her son. She also said that she thinks Walt Disney would be disappointed to learn that so many people are unable to enjoy the parks because of their disability.
This is not the first time that a guest has gone viral for their shocking DAS denial. Earlier this summer, Charisma Mangahas shared her story as well. The young woman — who suffered from a terrible case of Guillain-Barré syndrome — primarily uses a wheelchair and has a tracheostomy (a tube that helps her breathe). She was told that she was not the right kind of disabled for Disney’s disability service.
Ms. Mangahas was very kind in her video and, like Ms. MCElreath, said that she understands that Disney wanted to eliminate fraud in its DAS program. However, it is simply not feasible for disabled Magic Key Holders like herself to afford to purchase the Lightning Lane MultiPass each time they want to visit a Disney park.
Despite sad stories that we have heard, and thousands of people with legitimate disabilities being denied, Disney has not indicated that it intends to change its disability policies. It also has not commented on stories like Charisma’s or Ms. McElreaths.
Do you think Disney is taking its disability changes too far? Let us know in the comments!
This post originally appeared on Disney Dining.