All About the DAS Pass - corrections
Two weeks ago, we wrote an article explaining the DAS Pass and the published changes to the pass, the most notable, according to Disney's website, being how many guests can ride along with the DAS pass holder and not have to wait in the queue.
Since then, we're learning there might have been some changes that were unwritten or were changes by omission. In this post, we want to explain what Disney has omitted when explaining new DAS pass eligibility, and what guests are saying their recent experiences applying for DAS Passes have been.
We're going to be honest here, we don't love depending on stories of what someone said happened to them for the truth. There are a lot of emotions right now about the changes to the DAS Pass, and it's unclear whether the emotions are affecting what people are posting as "a friend of a friend's" experience on online forums. BUT. There are enough stories like those we'll discuss that seem to indicate Disney has made a change to DAS Pass eligibility along with their other published changes, and we want to explore that and what that might mean. We wish we could explore this by citing reputable resources and facts, but this seems to be a developing story, so we're going to just be really clear about what we've heard that may or may not be true and what's in writing.
What is the DAS Pass?
Oh, hello! If you're just joining this discussion, the DAS Pass is Disney's Disability Access Service. It allows qualifying guests who can't stand in a queue for various reasons to wait their turn to ride somewhere other than the ride queue. The guest is given a return time, at which point, they go through the queue very quickly, often using the lightning lane line, and ride the ride. The guest who the DAS was issued to and three other guests can use the return time and not wait in queue.
WE'VE HEARD there may be exceptions made when a guests immediate family is more than 4 people to allow everyone in the immediate family to ride together. This does not include extended family or friends, though.
A Quick Review of Stated Changes
In addition to Disney placing a more strict limit on the number of guests that can ride with the DAS holder, Disney has also changed how the DAS is obtained and when DAS return times can be booked. This is all detailed in our previous post, and by all accounts, is accurate.
The Possibly Hidden Eligibility Change
While Disney has not advertised that they've made a change to eligibility for the DAS Pass, some guests are saying the change is in the wording on Disney's site based on what is now omitted. Disney has long been reluctant, rightly so, to define what constitutes a disability that requires a guest to wait outside the ride queue. This is not unusual. Because disabilities come in all shapes and sizes, most companies are more comfortable saying what is NOT a disability versus defining what IS a disability.
However, when announcing the changes to the DAS system, Disney posted the following wording on their site:
"DAS is one of the programs offered at Walt Disney World Resort theme parks intended to accommodate those Guests who, due to a developmental disability like autism are unable to wait in a conventional queue for an extended period of time."
The words that appear here that are new are "due to a developmental disability like autism". What is not listed here is a whole slew of other conditions other than mobility issues that guests were previously able to obtain a DAS Pass for. Some of the conditions we're HEARING guests were able to obtain a pass for that they can't now are:
Nerve conditions (Such as when standing too long or in heat too long, tissues get inflamed and a nerve attack results)
Gastrointestinal conditions, such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)
Circulatory conditions (Such as when standing too long, blood rushes away from the head and guests pass out)
Disney is usually careful with words, so adding a clause that the DAS is for developmental disabilities one their site, while not listing other potential disabilities is cause for concern. And now that the new DAS rules have been in effect for a week, online forums are exploding with guests saying they were not issued a DAS for a condition they previously were able to get a DAS for. But there's a grain of salt here, because on those same forums, guests who need a DAS for something other than a developmental disability are also sharing stories that they have been issued a DAS in the last week for the same condition. What, exactly, is happening is unclear, and that's hardly a comfort for someone living with a disability.
What is Disney Telling Guests Who Don't Qualify to Do?
Say you previously qualified for a DAS Pass due to IBS, and suddenly don't qualify. Guests are saying that Disney is offering alternative "solutions" such as:
Tell a cast member, leave the line, and then when you come back, you can come back to your place and join the rest of the party.
Purchase Genie+ so that lightning lanes can be used.
Wear a diaper.
Practice standing in line ahead of the trip.
Again, this is what guests are SAYING Disney is doing. We can't say what they're actually doing because there is no official information that says this. Understandably, though, these suggestions can come across as downright offensive. It reminds me of a conversation I had during a parent teacher conference. I was speaking to my child's teacher and sharing with them that my kiddo needs to psych herself up to give a speech so if the teacher can give her some warning, that would help because my kiddo has Anxiety. That is Anxiety with a capital "A" as in diagnosed, as in being treated with medication and therapy. The teacher's response? "All the kids have anxiety" (with a chuckle). You can only explain calmly to people in your life so many times that anxious feelings once in a while are not Anxiety, and that Anxiety as a diagnosable condition is quite different.
But I digress.
There are Wrongs on Both Sides of This Issue
It's no secret to those who've been familiar with the DAS system for a while that there were abuses. On one hand, you had people who were legitimately eligible for a DAS Pass posing as unofficial "tour guides" to take basically strangers along with them bypassing ride queues as part of their tour perks. Then you had people who have no disability at all PRETENDING to have disabilities to qualify. Along with the stories online of people speaking to guests services and not qualifying, these people also relate that they could hear the conversations around them and that most of the people asking for a DAS Pass had no disability at all and simply refused to wait in a line because either a) they paid a lot or b) they had a large family. So there's that.
But then we have stories of people with legitimate medical reasons they can't wait in a traditional queue being denied a service they previously had access to. Then, sometimes to add a little lemon juice to that paper cut, being told trite things like "practice standing in line ahead of the trip" as if disabilities wouldn't be disabilities if only they could be tamed with practice (so, SO wrong, and if true, we're very alarmed someone representing Disney would say such a thing).
What We Would Do, If We Needed DAS, to Protect Ourselves
This is a trip planning blog, so while the situation right now is murky, there seems to be something affecting DAS eligibility afoot. Disney is clearly trying to eliminate people who previously said they needed a DAS Pass, but in reality do not. The problem arises when an entity which has no insight into a person's medical issues, conditions, or treatment thereof, starts dictating what is a need and what is a want.
We would be sure our condition has been diagnosed by a medical professional. No, Disney can't ask for medical records. But does it help to have proof? We would think it would be nice to have something to fall back on should Disney indicate they don't believe you have a condition.
We would do everything we can to avoid making our condition worse during our trip. All impressions seem to be point to the DAS is for a condition that can't be controlled. If your condition CAN be totally controlled, even if that's through lifestyle changes, consider doing that during your trip. To be clear, we are not saying that if you take your ADHD medications, then there's no reason to have a DAS Pass. We get it, even medications don't totally control certain conditions. But let's say you have IBS that is triggered by certain foods (We know not all IBS has a defined trigger), then don't eat those foods. Case in point: We once had a co-worker who had fibromyalgia. It would be triggered by physical activity. Said co-worker was always out on FMLA when we were expecting to have busy day because said co-worker would plan to garden the day before the busy day to thus trigger her fibromyalgia so that when she said she was having a flare-up, she was not lying. This was not one time. This was a pattern. And it's a jerk move. Like we said before, there are wrongs on both sides.
We would find out if we have protections under ADA. Speaking of IBS, and we're sorry to pick on this one, but it comes up in forums a lot - It's important for YOU to know whether you have legal protections or not under the ADA. Even so, those protections include only "reasonable accommodations" and it may be "reasonable" for Disney to ask you to leave the line and return should you need to with a condition like that.
ASK Disney what they would need to prove your condition is real and prohibits you from standing in line. If I really could not stand in a traditional queue, I would be offering doctor's notes, information about the condition, and anything else to help educate Disney and prove it's legitimate.
We would enlist the help of a Cast Member if we have to leave and come back, and we would be polite to other guests about it. If you do not qualify for DAS and Disney suggests instead leaving the line and coming back, you should be the only one leaving and coming back. Unfortunately, butting in line is also a growing issue at Walt Disney World, so many guests will not let you back in if you're coming back with a whole party of people. If a kid needs the bathroom, kid and adult should go. If an adult needs the bathroom and can leave any kids with other adults in line, then the adult should go. In no circumstances should other guests be asked to tolerate 2-3 adults shoving their way back to a spot in line (possibly holding Mickey pretzels?). Please be polite, and enlist the help of a Cast Member when you leave and when you come back.
If denied, we would purchase Genie+. Or, if I'm really made and think Disney is just trying to trick me into additional purchases, I would not go. We know, not everyone can purchase this, especially with larger party sizes because the cost for each guest adds up. But this cost is a small portion of each guest's tickets and food. A Disney trip is expensive. We find it hard to imagine a scenario where we couldn't give up something to be able to afford Genie+ on such a trip, and if a shorter line is that important to you, then perhaps it is important to prioritize funds for Genie+.
If your condition does not prohibit you from standing in line, but perhaps standing in line makes you uncomfortable, understand that the DAS Pass was probably never meant for you. People have varying levels of tolerance for discomfort and many of the conversations people are saying they overhear with Guest Services are guests who can stand in line, but do not want to because of any number of ridiculous reasons such as:
Forgot sunblock, don't want to buy it, and will sunburn.
It's too hot. No, I don't have a condition. It's just too hot and I don't want to.
Pregnant. We get it, pregnancy is uncomfortable. It's not a disability.
Plantar fasciitis. Yep, it hurts. One could stand in line with the pain or rent a scooter.
Nobody likes a line. But some people really can't stand in a line without lasting or serious consequences. That's who DAS is for.
Do you have opinions about this controversial topic? We know you do. Come on over to our Facebook page where you can comment on our post and follow us if you want to see more. One note, though, given that this particular topic causes emotions to run high: We will remove any comments that resort to name-calling and put-downs. We will advocate for those with disabilities and educate in response to any comments containing false or discriminatory views about disabilities. And ultimately, we expect everyone to be civil or else the School will be handing out detentions. Until next time...
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