It sounds like Disney may be finally starting to listen to disabled guests who have been writing the executive team. No changes have been announced, but slowly over the last week, I’ve heard of several guests who have emailed Bob Iger, Josh D’Amaro, Jeff Vahle, and others, receiving phone calls to get more information. We know that this is likely a testing period while Disney comes up with a more permanent plan for accommodating guests with various disabilities, and I think it’s pretty clear that they realized that this rollout isn’t going the way that they thought it would.

Since May, everyone from content creators and bloggers to “everyday” Disney-loving disabled guests on Facebook have been discussing what they’d like to see Disney do. Some suggestions have been questionable (such as a “DAS” modification to Genie+ that would eliminate the end of the reservation window and allow re-rides, but would still require users to have purchased Genie+ – now a somewhat moot point since Genie+ is going away later this month, more to come on that soon!) but others, especially combined would make for a better system for all park guests, while ensuring the integrity of the DAS system from “scammers”.

I’d like to propose sweeping policy changes in several areas, including

• transparency and communication
• inclusion in decision-making
• improvements to procedures, systems, and offerings, both in-park and in the DAS application process
• acknowledgement of the impact and effects the current system is having, with an emphasis on remediation
• re-training of cast members

The Current Situation

Back in April, Disney announced the DAS program would be changing, and then immediately cut off all communication with the affected individuals expressing concerns via their Disability Services email, beginning a pattern of only responding to inquiries with form letters that did nothing to address concerns. As the changes began to phase in, guests who questioned the ADA compliance of the new system or asked for credentials of the “medical professionals” they were being sent to were immediately disconnected from the chat. Guests who attempted to voice their concerns in the parks and to Guest Services at Walt Disney World have started being given a generic “Disney Central” business card with only the Guest Services email and a P.O. Box.

The approval and registration process has been fraught with anxiety and stress for guests with serious disabilities who have vacations and a lot of money on the line if they’re denied and unable to access rides and attractions. Approval and denial is extremely subjective, based entirely on whether you’re lucky enough to get a Cast Member or “Medical Professional” who actually grasps the reasons you need help. Due to lack of communication and the variability of approvals vs. denials, the disability community has come to believe the team doing these applications is operating on a quota system where they may be rationing passes, preventing those with valid reasons for being unable to wait in line from accessing attractions. The alternatives being suggested are often unreasonable, and at least one guest has reportedly been told that Disney can be fun without rides. In addition to these serious issues, the fact that the DAS registration is unavailable for most international guests (who save for years for these big, often once-in-a-lifetime, multiple-week holidays with their families) and those who don’t speak English (when a significant portion of the U.S. speaks Spanish, and American Sign Language is also a major language used by many disabled people here as well.)

Disney has cited many times that the changes to the system were to combat misuse of the service. We know that when the old Guest Assistance Cards switched over to the Disability Access Service, fraud and “unauthorized disabled tour guides” was the issue cited. No one is doubting that people have abused and misused the DAS program, but instead of penalizing disabled guests wanting to spend a fun day with their families and friends, more needs to be done to verify disability status and investigate fraudulent claims. And now, due to Disney’s claims of scammers and the media sensationalism (some still lingering from the 2014 change to DAS, some new) disabled guests are under attack on Disney-related social media, from able-bodied guests bestowing nicknames like “diarrhea crew” upon the disabled people who were denied, and threatening physical violence for guests trying to return to their families in the line. The policy changes surrounding the Attraction Queue Re-Entry (“AQR”) and the allowance of cane chairs in the lines were done quietly, after longstanding policies forbade them. The official Disney Parks rules still ban line-cutting, with no acknowledgement of AQR or any tangible in-park CM assistance to get back to family safely, at a time when physical fights have broken out in the parks for the last several years because of perceived “line-cutting”. And requiring disabled guests to speak to cast members, some of whom respond loudly and insensitively, at each ride queue to (hopefully) access some kind of help to get on the ride not only holds up access to the line for those that arrived after them, but makes them targets in the eyes of the frustrated guests that witness the discussion, as they are now perceived as scammers who didn’t qualify for the DAS and therefore don’t really need help.

Why Disney Thinks DAS Requests Gone Up

Disney puts forth the reasoning that DAS use has increased in recent years because it’s being given to people who don’t actually qualify – scammers, and those who Disney claims were never the intended DAS recipients (which isn’t true if you consider the beginnings of this program, and its predecessors. DAS was intended to accommodate disabled guests who couldn’t access the standby attraction queues, period. There was no specific language excluding guests who weren’t autistic or developmentally disabled.)

I truly believe that the assumption the company is operating under is that it’s really a problem with an increase in DAS fraud, specifically sparked by social media influencers (both those sharing how to get the DAS and those discussing the perceived “abusers,” including stories about how they “know someone who lies about having…” something generic to “skip the line”).

The media sensationalism plays a role here too – clickbait sites dedicated to riling up Disney fans (I’m not calling anyone out specifically here, but I’m sure you can think of a few) share a story and next thing you know, 300 people are fighting in the comments about “fakers getting preferential treatment” and how unfair it is to the people who have to wait in the queue. There’s also a misconception about how the DAS actually functions, with uninformed guests believing that it’s a line-skipping tool, or that dining, watching shows, or riding rides with minimal waits via standby queue, constitute abuse. Guests utilizing DAS, as it was intended, are getting accused of cheating the system.

I guarantee you, disabled guests would much rather have the ability to stay in those standby queues and have the same experience as everyone else. And to be honest, in my personal opinion, anyone complaining that disabled people are “privileged” because they can access the rides in a different way, are either ignorant or spoiled brats. (I’ve even heard of people telling Make-A-Wish families using a Genie Pass – the actual “skip the line” pass given to kids staying at Give Kids the World Village – that it “must be nice”. Do with that what you will.)

Why I Think DAS Usage Has Actually Gone Up

I need to point out the many other variables contributing to the increased requests for DAS in recent years.

• There is an increased awareness that has led to more diagnoses in the areas of neurodiversity (for example, sexism in the 80’s, 90’s and early 2000’s led to many autistic children and teens, particularly those assigned female at birth, going undiagnosed until adulthood) and conditions like Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (“POTS”), Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (“EDS”), and other rare disorders. Not only has social media helped everyday people know what to talk to their doctors about, but it’s also helped doctors start to recognize the symptoms in their patients, learn more about some of the rare disorders, and help patients get tested and treated for these conditions.
• There is also an uptick in people becoming disabled – anyone can become disabled, through illness or injury, at any time. In the last few years, “long COVID” has become a serious issue, with ramifications to the nervous system, organ damage, and vascular conditions. An increase in POTS diagnosis, in particular, has been linked to COVID-19.
• Disabled people choose Disney over other destinations, over and over again. Until very recently, this was a place we could go to escape our day-to-day lives (which are typically full of medical appointments, therapies, and feeling like garbage). At the Disney Parks, we felt safe and valued, and were able to have an equitable experience – so we go back, we tell our disabled friends, we buy into the Annual Passholder, Magic Key, and Disney Vacation Club programs. We stay at the resorts, and plan our vacations around Disney Special Events. DAS usage went up because disabled guests were loyal to the Disney brand and the experience we expected at the Disney Parks.

My Proposal

Changes to the DAS Approval Process

• Expanding advance registration to other languages (Spanish and ASL at first, and expanding from there) and all international guests.
• Adding in-person DAS registration booths at a dedicated location outside the Walt Disney World theme parks, similar to Disneyland Resort.
• Modifying the allowed number of guests on a DAS registration to include up to 9 guests in addition to the DAS holder, to allow for extended families, grandparents who want to ride with their disabled grandchildren (or the opposite), or groups of friends attending together. At the same time, modifying the number of guests on a DAS ride reservation to 4 guests in addition to the DAS holder, to accommodate the average family without having to advocate for an “exception” to be able to ride together. Addressing these two systems at the same time allows guests on larger family vacations to vary who rides with the disabled guest, allowing for greater inclusion in their family activities, while keeping the actual DAS lines lower than they were prior to recent changes.
• Allowing In-Park Guest Services, including at umbrellas, to attach new guests to an existing DAS holder, without requiring an additional chat with the registration team.
• Increasing the approval to 365 days, and providing that 365-day DAS registration window as the default, doing away with the “length-of-stay” version for guests on standard tickets. This allows approved guests who would like to return without having an annual pass or Magic Key the peace of mind to plan for trips within their approval window without worrying that they’ll be denied for their next visit, and allows annual pass and Magic Key holders to have the peace of mind that the will be able to receive the full value of their passes. ((UPDATE: September 2024, the approval window for annual pass and Magic Key holders has been updated to 240 days, from the original 120 days. There is still no change to the policy for length-of-stay ticketholders, and there have been some concerning reports that this 240-day window is being applied to the “application ban” that Disney instituted in August after two denials from the DAS team. This point has been updated to reflect that change.)
• Removal of the time-based “application ban” on new DAS chats after two denials. This doesn’t work – disabilities are not static, things change, and accommodation needs change with them. As of 10/29/24 the time period for this “application ban” is at least 120 days, but there have been recent reports in the last week that this “ban” has been increased to match the new 240-day approval window for AP and MK Holders.
• Modifying the criteria to determine eligibility to a system that provides the option to supply medical documentation via a system like the IBCCES, while retaining an alternative, symptoms-based discussion for guests without affordable access to medical care. International Disney Parks have options to submit specific documentation, determined by their country of residence, that verifies they have a disability that makes waiting in a conventional queue impossible or an undue hardship, and most disabled guests would be willing to provide this documentation (including medical or IEP paperwork). Due to the inequity of access to healthcare here in the U.S., leaving the option open to have the symptoms-based chat with Cast Member, allows for those guests who are still trying to get a diagnosis or are unable to afford healthcare to have a path to access the parks as well.
• Disposing of the Inspire Health Alliance team for these critical determinations. This team has been unprofessional, and has caused harm to disabled guests. Their refusal to provide credentials is a problem, as many of people on this team do not have the credentials required to understand physical medical disabilities and they should not be issuing judgments on disabled guests’ ability to wait in a queue with conditions they do not have expertise in. IBCCES vets disability documentation and is already utilized by many guests for accessing rival parks near the Disney Parks or those closer to their homes.
• Changing the DAS application window to 60 days ahead of the planned attendance date to allow guests who are denied DAS the option to try again or cancel their trip without forfeiting their deposits. Guests should not be locked into paying for a trip, or even paying a penalty on a trip that they cannot access.
• Refunding Annual Passholders who are locked into contracts but cannot access the parks safely due to DAS denial. This should be a prorated refund to account for time they were able to access the parks. Guests should not be locked into paying for passes they are unable to safely use.
• Discontinuing the requirement of having pre-purchased tickets linked to the My Disney Experience account before beginning the DAS application process. This is unethical, as tickets are non-refundable, and guests may not be able to use those tickets if they are denied accommodations.

Changes to Park Systems to Make DAS Less Attractive to Scammers

• Implementing a DAS ride-count restriction based on the number of rides the average able bodied guest is able to experience in the parks. For example, if an able-bodied guest is able to ride 8 rides in a full day at the parks, the DAS could be limited to only work for 8 rides a day across parks. Another option would be to limit the top-tier attractions only, in this manner. If an average guest can only ride 3 top-tier (“E-Ticket” type) attractions in a day, then the DAS could be limited to only 3 of these more popular rides a day, without further limits on the less popular attractions. Most disabled guests aren’t able to experience more than a handful of attractions, even if they can remain physically in the parks for a full day, whereas able bodied guests are able to just keep moving, able to access many more attractions in the same amount of time.
• Implementing a system requiring scanning in to all attractions’ standby queues as a system to help identify and eliminate suspected DAS fraud cases. Disabled guests with DAS are highly unlikely to wait in a 45 minute standby queue, but someone who isn’t disabled and chose to “fake” a disability to use DAS as a way to get in extra rides wouldn’t have an issue doing this. Rides under 15-20 minutes standby have low to minimal waits, and therefore wouldn’t count.
• Keeping the ability to ban guests who are found to abuse DAS, but providing an appeal process for this ban with ability to submit proof of disability.
• Creating a length-of-stay Lightning Lane option available for purchase to Disney resort guests. Instead of having to pay for each day individually, allow for a bundled program similar to the Disney Dining Plan or Memory Maker. A one-time charge at a slightly discounted price, gets you Lightning Lane for your whole visit, enticing more able-bodied guests to see this as a better value.
• Implementing a rule that forbids cast members from requiring minors to be left without an adult. In the past, parents had full authority to make the call as to whether their minor children were responsible and mature enough to wait in a queue alone. With this current system of splitting up families with disabilities, Cast Members are forcing children to wait by themselves without an adult in their party. Minors are being told to wait in line alone while their disabled parent waits outside the line due to the Attraction Queue Re-Entry system, and disabled kids are being told to exit lines alone leaving their parents behind in the queue to hold their place. The cast members are operating on the park rules that allow kids as young a 7 to queue on their own, but this system fails to address some major issues regarding safety of those kids. Firstly, we don’t know the people in the parks around us, and there very well could be unsafe people around our kids. A parent being around could be a deterrent to any actions that may harm that child. Secondly, kids develop at different rates, and while one 7 year old who goes to the parks several times a year may know exactly what to expect and navigate the queue like a pro, a 14 year old with panic attacks may not be able to safely move through that line alone. Thirdly, and along those same lines, some families have multiple disabled individuals, and splitting them up when one has an issue may lead to a lack of help available from other family members when another has a problem. No one under the age of 18 should be required to wait alone in a queue to “hold a spot” or alone outside of a queue while they’re having a medical episode without their adult caregivers. Only a parent or adult guardian should have that authority to make that decision.

Clear, Open, Two-Way Communication with Disabled Guests

• Creating a Disability Access Advisory Board to provide input and recommendations on issues in the parks and future accommodation systems. Disabled guests deserve meaningful input on systems that affect us. There’s a reason that a long-running motto in the disabled community is “Nothing About Us Without Us.” Disabled people are often infantilized, and more input is often given to organizations with parents and caregivers at the forefront. This advisory board should include guests with a variety of disabilities, cast members with disabilities, and representatives from organizations and foundations focused on disabilities and chronic illnesses. Parents of disabled kids should have a place on this board as well, but should not represent a majority of the board, nor should it be overwhelmingly focused on autism or mobility-based disabilities. We need much more representation for chronic illnesses (including autonomic dysfunction, seizure disorders, type 1 diabetes, autoimmune conditions, neurological disorders, and GI disorders among others) to make this equitable. Representatives from Guest Services, Attractions, and Park Operations and Logistics should be part of this board as well.
• Adding clear language on the Disney Parks websites about requirements for qualification. A clear list of paperwork and documentation required, by country, should be posted in a similar fashion to the Disneyland Paris site, provided a documentation system is instituted. For guests using the symptoms-based discussion, a clear explanation of the process and criteria should be posted. And a full DAS FAQ should be posted regarding what happens with submitted or discusses medical information, what situations would lead to a permanent denial, how to appeal a decision or make a complaint, and other relevant information.
• Instituting an internal identification system, with a unique identification number for each cast member and “medical professional” in the application process. The “medical professionals” should be required to provide their first name, credentials, and identification number at the start of each call. An internal identification system would allow guests to cite problems with specific “medical professionals” when dealing with Guest Services, while still protecting the personal privacy of this team.
• Establishing and communicating consistent, expected routines for each attraction at the park for attractions-based “alternatives”. The full protocol at each park attraction should be published directly in the parks’ accessibility guides. There is no clear and consistent protocol, and guests denied DAS are being told to “ask at the attractions” and that it’s different at each one, and at the discretion of the Cast Member. This needs to be standardized, not at the whims of each individual cast member. The variables in the current system cause severe distress for some anxious or neurodivergent guests who rely on things like scripting or social stories to access the parks. Please note that a wearable lanyard is not a great solution here, as it identifies the wearer as a disabled individual to park guests as well and this is a safety concern.
• Reaching out to all the guests who emailed, called, and wrote to Disney’s executives, Guest Services, and Disability Services. Many of us poured our hearts into those communications and were dismissed without a second thought. Since early April, guests have received those unhelpful form letters in response to our concerns, then were simultaneously blasted by changes no-one was prepared for, due the lack of communication and consideration on the part of the Disney Parks team. The executive team is finally reaching out to guests who were emailing the executives, but Disney’s Disability Services and Guest Services have a responsibility to read, digest, and respond respectfully to the concerns raised by Disney Parks guests about this system’s implementation.

Communication of Changes to Park Systems to Non-Disabled Park Goers and Improved Training and Systems for Cast Members

• Acknowledging the impact of the current program. Acknowledging that these changes were rushed and did not take the impact into account. Sometimes, people (and companies) get things wrong. Acknowledging that the portrayal of people who ask for disability services as scammers causes harm. Acknowledging that Disney is a world-renowned company, known for their exceptional guest service and sets an example for other companies who are now using this moment as an example of supposed “disability fraud” thereby leading to a potential domino effect for disabled guests’ accessibility on a much more widespread level than just access to theme parks, but access to other services too, including airlines and travel.
• Educating typical park guests on the fact that the alternatives available to disabled guests aren’t cheating and are to allow equitable access to the park. A Disability Awareness campaign featuring disabled guests and social media focusing on ways that guests use strategies to mitigate their disabilities in the park (such as waiting near a restroom, finding space away from other guests to do medical treatments, or waiting for a popular ride in an air-conditioned building or less busy indoor ride to prevent a heat-sensitive condition from causing dangerous symptoms, like seizures) and how that makes it a safer, better experience for everyone.
• Fact-checking misinformation being spread by media and Disney itself, surrounding inaccurate portrayals of the DAS program. For example, calling the DAS program a “benefit [of] never having to wait in a standby line for most of our rides” in the form letter being sent out, or comparing it to a “free lightning lane” when it’s actually an alternative version of the standby, with an arguably even longer wait time, but in a different environment are both misinformation and create more ire for disabled guests.
• Implementing sensitivity training for all cast members. Some attractions CMs have begun asking disabled guests sensitive questions loudly in front of other guests. This causes embarrassment and fear for their safety, due to the perceived scamming and threatening language going around online recently. Cast Members interacting with disabled guests should not be singling these guests out in front of others.
• Implementing more effective systems and supervision in queues to address the problems the company has contributed to. These include, but are not limited to, cruel commentary from able-bodied guests, safety hazards due to perceived “line-cutting,” and photos being taken of disabled guests with the intent to ridicule the disabled person online.

Return of Discontinued Resort-Guest Perks, in a Modified Capacity

• Instituting a system of a set number of “free” Lightning Lane advance reservations for all resort guests or Annual Passholders. This would not only allow able bodied guests the option of “trying” the Lightning Lane before deciding to purchase it, but would allow local AP holders with disabilities who are only planning to be in the parks for a short period of time to plan ahead. A lot of local disabled guests would rely on FastPass and FastPass+ if they were only going to be in the parks a few hours, and may not have bothered to apply for DAS since they were able to meet their needs via another free system.
• Considering raising ticket prices across the board to allow for a return of the free FastPass+ or old-school FastPass system entirely. Ticket prices could be raised $10-15 across the board and that could make up the revenue generated by the Lightning Lane (and for now, Genie+) systems. This would be more equitable for all guests, and those guests who want to pay for an elite immediate-entry program can always pay for one of the Disney-run VIP tours.
• Reinstating the Extra Magic Hours for all resort guests. Many disabled guests can’t make it to the parks early enough for the Early Entry, and many heat-sensitive guests, in particular, may prefer late nights in the parks with the sun down. Many guests take breaks indoors midday, and the evening Extra Magic Hours allowed them to still experience a full day’s worth of fun in the parks. Guests who’s disability only impacts heat sensitivity may be able to access the parks without DAS if their disabilities are accommodated by later park hours. It was also a selling point for Park Hopper tickets, as some guests would start their day in whichever park was have morning Extra Magic Hours and hop to the park running the evening Extra Magic Hours at night. I know, because I was one of those guests.

Upgraded Mobility Services and Ride Queues to Accommodate Disabled Guests

• Instituting an advance registration program for park ECVs, open 72 hours before the day a guest plans to visit each park. This would eliminate the current first-come first-served system, allowing disabled guests who many not be able to make it first thing in the morning access to the park.
• Investigating the feasibility of a length-of-stay program of park-owned ECVs. This would allow users to pay once on the day of arrival or first day in the parks, with a scooter reservation each day within the advance registration system discussed above. Alternatively, allowing more off-site companies to resume deliveries of ECVs to bell services at the Disney Resort hotels to allow disabled guests several options in choosing a DME rental company.
• Acquiring several heavy-duty manual wheelchairs for guests over the weight limit of the current park chairs. These should be wider-width and able to hold at least the same weight that the in-park scooters hold, so that guests who must transfer have an accessible option to enter the queues that are not able to accommodate an ECV. At least one of these chairs should be available at each attraction with a queue that requires transfer from an ECV.
• Acquiring more ECV/scooters to ensure supply meets the demand on an average park day in peak season. Currently, park ECVs sell out rapidly at park opening, and the wait lists run well into the double-digits. A guest who arrives later in the day may have no chance of getting an ECV, and those who arrive early may still be waiting until late afternoon or later to get a notification that one’s become available.
• Adding in-park ECV charger stations to several areas of each park for guests utilizing third-party scooters or bringing their own.
• Widening all queues to accommodate multiple, wider mobility devices, like ECVs, in the same queue, so that guests can turn around and exit, providing enough clearance to pass each other safely. Alternatively, creating an additional “lane” in the queues running parallel to the standby line to allow for guests to enter and exit the queues safely for access to restrooms or emergencies.
• Installing built in bench seating running the length of the longer queues (typically over 30 minutes long), to allow for guests to sit within lines when they need to. This would benefit, not only disabled guests, but also elderly park visitors, young kids, and anyone else who is tired and needs a short break. Since these would be built-in alongside the queue, they wouldn’t pose a safety hazard in the way that folding chairs do.
• Creating a single-rider line at the more popular attractions across the parks. This is more relevant to Walt Disney World Resort, as there are only 4 rides on the entire property that offer a single-rider line. This would create an alternative option for both able-bodied and disabled guests who desire a shorter wait, but don’t mind sitting next to strangers. For disabled guests who travel alone, the single rider lines were an even better system than DAS in many cases, but there aren’t enough for this to be a viable alternative, and it doesn’t do anything for families to ride together.

Forward Thinking Considerations

• Investigating the feasibility for moving to more virtual queueing systems throughout the parks, in a system similar to Walt Disney World Resort’s Dumbo attraction. In the current state of the parks, it would be difficult to implement this due to capacity reasons, but more entertainment options and open and indoor play spaces would allow for many, if not most, rides to move toward a virtual queue program. To be clear, I’m not talking about the “virtual queue” reservation system running at TRON Lightcycle/Run or Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind, requiring guests to be on their devices first thing in the morning – I don’t know anyone who thinks this system is optimal. But some sort of system where you’d go to the attraction and wait in a short queue to get a pager assigned, or check in. Some areas are already equipped for this kind of program, including Mission: SPACE or the Seas Pavilion, and others have opportunities to build them in in the future.

In conclusion

There is a lot of room for improvement to the current Disability Services. There’s a LOT going wrong right now and there’s an overwhelming feeling of betrayal in the disabled community, but there’s a lot that can be done to start to repair the Walt Disney Company’s relationship with disabled Disney Parks enthusiasts, while still cutting down on scammers, and improving the park experience for all guests.

What changes would you like to see to the disability services at Walt Disney World parks? Comment below with your ideas, or to share feedback on one of mine!