While I hope that Disney stays the current course with DAS, they have no one to blame but themselves for it getting out of control to begin with. They gave it to pretty much anyone who asked for it, even when other accommodations would have worked, so people came to expect it, and it became unsustainable as previously implemented.
But Disney does need to do a much better job of ensuring that the alternate accommodations are available for those who need them without forcing guests to explain their needs at every attraction. It would be very simple to add something to the app that indicates to CMs that a guest was denied a DAS, but is eligible for different accommodations.
The current course isn’t the right one either, there are many who need assistance that can no longer get the assistance they actually need. I am not saying that DAS is the only way to accomplish it, but I am saying the current system is not working. But I also think Disney would have been better served to call all accommodations that they can make Disability Access Services or something like that and then haver specific accommodations, such as the DAS or other options included within that. Going that route would have made it where anyone with a disability would qualify for Disability Access Services (which would have the same acronym, but be completely different from what it is now), but the accommodations made would be dependent on their disability. They even could have a modified version what is currently the DAS where it only worked in the locations where needed, for example if someone has a sun sensitivity, only work at attractions with outdoor queues and only during daytime hours as at night would not be an issue and indoor queues would not be an issue.
I agree 100% that Disney could do a lot more to limit how DAS is used…first on my list is to not allow someone with a DAS return time to be waiting in line for something else while they wait for their return time.
But I think Disney is 100% on track in limiting what it can be used for. For example, you mentioned sun sensitivity. I mean, come on – does the sun only shine in the attraction lines? Of course not. Someone with sun sensitivity is going to be encountering the sun much more as they move about the park than they are when they are waiting in line. No way should DAS be given for that.
Nor should it be given for the “well, something MIGHT happen” situations…”my blood sugar might drop in line”, “I might need a restroom while I’m in line”, etc.
We were Annual Passholders at Disney for 12 years. My husband is a disabled veteran with a medical service dog. He suffers with effects of Agent Orange. You wouldn’t really know by looking at him, but standing in long lines with crowds around him brings on seizures and a spike in blood sugar. At 78 there are not many things he enjoyed like going to the parks. He was deemed ineligible for the DAS pass so we dropped our passes and haven’t returned since 2024. Life SUCKS at Disney!!
I was in management of an organization for many years. The ADA is not that complicated to understand. It requires a reasonable accommodation and it spells it the type of disabilities it covers. Disney is currently not in compliance. It does not limit accommodations just for mental or emotional difficulties. They are getting ready to begin paying out on these suits. It’s not a board decision. Eventually a government official will make a decision for them they will not like. Better to make an acceptable accommodation up front before that happens.
Requiring accommodations is not the same as requiring DAS. People have no right under the ADA to get the accommodation of their choice when another accommodation will suffice.
I am a former top level pass holder for 13 years and now a stroke victim. I can barely walk with the help of a cane. I need a scooter to get around the parks or a wheelchair and someone to push it. It is now very difficult to go to Disneyland. DAS doesn’t help me. My disability doesn’t meet their definitions. However, I do see a very simple solution to the mess they have created. Simply have a qualification system that goes along with your annual pass or your Disney account and app that gives you a DAS equivalent of a Lightening Lane pass where you can request a return time without having to go to the attraction to request it. You then return at the designated time to go on the ride. The return time is based on the line wait time and you get one at a time. The only difference is that you don’t have to wait in the regular line. It all happens via the app. Your party is also grouped via the app and you put a limit on how many are in your group so you can’t keep adding people to fraud the system. Too easy.
I have multiple painful disabilities, and I use a mobility scooter or powered wheelchair to get around. the worst people are the guests. I have been spat on, physically assaulted, asked “what are you doing here? no-one wants to see your kind of people in public.”. all done because a castmember said I would need to step aside to let the line behind me flow and they would put me at the head of the line on the next cycle. I once waited 30 minutes to use a handicapped accesible bathroom. as I am opening the door of the stall, another very able-bodied person stepped up on the scooter between me and the handle bars of my scooter, to try and enter the stall ahead of me. when I stopped them their response was “I didn’t see you, why do you even need to use a bathroom?”. when they changed the rules for handicapped accomodations, I no longer qualified. I never demanded accomodations but it gave me the illusion of safety if I needed it. Now, having experienced the behavior of some guests when protection WAS available, I no longer feel safe to visit disney. Because guests know accomodations are only made for certain very narrowly defined disabilities.
Comments for The Battle for Accessibility: Why Disney is Urging Shareholders to Reject the DAS Transparency Proposal
JustMe
While I hope that Disney stays the current course with DAS, they have no one to blame but themselves for it getting out of control to begin with. They gave it to pretty much anyone who asked for it, even when other accommodations would have worked, so people came to expect it, and it became unsustainable as previously implemented.
But Disney does need to do a much better job of ensuring that the alternate accommodations are available for those who need them without forcing guests to explain their needs at every attraction. It would be very simple to add something to the app that indicates to CMs that a guest was denied a DAS, but is eligible for different accommodations.
Chris
The current course isn’t the right one either, there are many who need assistance that can no longer get the assistance they actually need. I am not saying that DAS is the only way to accomplish it, but I am saying the current system is not working. But I also think Disney would have been better served to call all accommodations that they can make Disability Access Services or something like that and then haver specific accommodations, such as the DAS or other options included within that. Going that route would have made it where anyone with a disability would qualify for Disability Access Services (which would have the same acronym, but be completely different from what it is now), but the accommodations made would be dependent on their disability. They even could have a modified version what is currently the DAS where it only worked in the locations where needed, for example if someone has a sun sensitivity, only work at attractions with outdoor queues and only during daytime hours as at night would not be an issue and indoor queues would not be an issue.
JustMe
I agree 100% that Disney could do a lot more to limit how DAS is used…first on my list is to not allow someone with a DAS return time to be waiting in line for something else while they wait for their return time.
But I think Disney is 100% on track in limiting what it can be used for. For example, you mentioned sun sensitivity. I mean, come on – does the sun only shine in the attraction lines? Of course not. Someone with sun sensitivity is going to be encountering the sun much more as they move about the park than they are when they are waiting in line. No way should DAS be given for that.
Nor should it be given for the “well, something MIGHT happen” situations…”my blood sugar might drop in line”, “I might need a restroom while I’m in line”, etc.
KimJump
We were Annual Passholders at Disney for 12 years. My husband is a disabled veteran with a medical service dog. He suffers with effects of Agent Orange. You wouldn’t really know by looking at him, but standing in long lines with crowds around him brings on seizures and a spike in blood sugar. At 78 there are not many things he enjoyed like going to the parks. He was deemed ineligible for the DAS pass so we dropped our passes and haven’t returned since 2024. Life SUCKS at Disney!!
Chris
I was in management of an organization for many years. The ADA is not that complicated to understand. It requires a reasonable accommodation and it spells it the type of disabilities it covers. Disney is currently not in compliance. It does not limit accommodations just for mental or emotional difficulties. They are getting ready to begin paying out on these suits. It’s not a board decision. Eventually a government official will make a decision for them they will not like. Better to make an acceptable accommodation up front before that happens.
JustMe
Requiring accommodations is not the same as requiring DAS. People have no right under the ADA to get the accommodation of their choice when another accommodation will suffice.
Jimbo
I am a former top level pass holder for 13 years and now a stroke victim. I can barely walk with the help of a cane. I need a scooter to get around the parks or a wheelchair and someone to push it. It is now very difficult to go to Disneyland. DAS doesn’t help me. My disability doesn’t meet their definitions. However, I do see a very simple solution to the mess they have created. Simply have a qualification system that goes along with your annual pass or your Disney account and app that gives you a DAS equivalent of a Lightening Lane pass where you can request a return time without having to go to the attraction to request it. You then return at the designated time to go on the ride. The return time is based on the line wait time and you get one at a time. The only difference is that you don’t have to wait in the regular line. It all happens via the app. Your party is also grouped via the app and you put a limit on how many are in your group so you can’t keep adding people to fraud the system. Too easy.
Fiona
I have multiple painful disabilities, and I use a mobility scooter or powered wheelchair to get around. the worst people are the guests. I have been spat on, physically assaulted, asked “what are you doing here? no-one wants to see your kind of people in public.”. all done because a castmember said I would need to step aside to let the line behind me flow and they would put me at the head of the line on the next cycle. I once waited 30 minutes to use a handicapped accesible bathroom. as I am opening the door of the stall, another very able-bodied person stepped up on the scooter between me and the handle bars of my scooter, to try and enter the stall ahead of me. when I stopped them their response was “I didn’t see you, why do you even need to use a bathroom?”. when they changed the rules for handicapped accomodations, I no longer qualified. I never demanded accomodations but it gave me the illusion of safety if I needed it. Now, having experienced the behavior of some guests when protection WAS available, I no longer feel safe to visit disney. Because guests know accomodations are only made for certain very narrowly defined disabilities.