Disney Launches New Disability Access Service Policy at Walt Disney World

May 20, 2024 in "Magic Kingdom"

Posted: Monday May 20, 2024 6:04am ET by WDWMAGIC Staff

Walt Disney World's new Disability Access Service (DAS) is now in effect and is only available to guests with a developmental disability such as autism or a similar disorder.

In-person registration for DAS at the parks has been eliminated, and all applications for the service must be done via live video chat available from 7:00 am to 8:00 pm Eastern Time

The new policy is aimed at addressing the misuse of this widely used benefit, which skips conventional queue environments at the parks, and tries to ensure that DAS is used fairly and only by those who truly need it, improving the park experience for all guests.

A major change is now in effect for the Walt Disney World's Disability Access Service (DAS)

DAS is intended for guests with difficulty tolerating extended waits in a conventional queue environment due to a disability. DAS offers return times for attractions, similar to standby waits, allowing guests and their party to enjoy other park experiences instead of waiting in line. Disney has dramatically narrowed the scope of eligibility and now says that DAS is for guests with a "developmental disability like autism or similar." The new DAS also extends the enrollment period from 60 days to 120 days, and reduces the DAS party size to four guests.

Disney is facing increasing abuse of the system, which, according to sources who spoke with WDWMAGIC, is the primary cause for extended wait times in the Genie+ Lightning Lanes and occupies a significant quantity of available Lightning Lane inventory.

Disney is teaming up with Inspire Health Alliance to help Cast Members determine eligibility.

How to Register for DAS at Walt Disney World

Registration is available via live video chat.
Speak with a Cast Member via live video chat to determine eligibility as soon as 30 days in advance of a park visit.
At this time, live chat is offered in English only.
In-person registration is no longer be available at theme park Guest Relations locations.
If DAS is provided after a conversation with a Cast Member to determine eligibility, the Guest with a disability (or a parent/guardian) will participate in the registration process. This requires having a photo taken of the DAS-registered Guest.
DAS registration maximum party size is the registered DAS Guest and up to 3 additional party members, for a total of 4 people.
DAS is valid for up to 120 days. Once the service has elapsed, Guests will need to re-register.

Disney says that, "If it is determined that any of the statements a Guest made in the process of obtaining DAS are not true, the Guest will be permanently barred from entering Walt Disney World Resort and the Disneyland Resort, and any previously purchased Annual Passes, Magic Key passes, tickets and other park products and services will be forfeited and not refunded."

DAS FAQs

How long is DAS valid?
DAS is valid for the length of the ticket or up to 120 days, whichever is shorter. Once the service has elapsed, Guests need to re-register for the program.

Is DAS issued at the Walt Disney World Resort valid at the Disneyland Resort?
DAS is valid only throughout the Resort at which it was issued. DAS issued at Walt Disney World Resort, for example, is not valid at the Disneyland Resort, and vice versa.

What happens if any of the statements made by a Guest in the process of registering for DAS are found to be not true?
If it is determined that any of the statements a Guest made in the process of obtaining DAS are not true, the Guest will be permanently barred from entering Walt Disney World Resort and the Disneyland Resort, and any previously purchased Annual Passes , Magic Key passes, tickets and other park products and services will be forfeited and not refunded.

Where do Guests utilizing DAS go to receive return times?
Guests utilizing DAS (and their party members) to make return time selections right from the My Disney Experience app during the day of their park visit. Registered Guests using DAS and members of their party will be able to book, redeem, change or cancel DAS return times using the My Disney Experience app via a smart phone or other smart device. If additional assistance is required, Guests can also obtain return times directly from a Cast Member at any Guest Relations or Guest Experience Team location.

What can Guests do during their DAS virtual wait?
Guests utilizing DAS can enjoy many other experiences throughout Walt Disney World Resort during a DAS virtual wait, such as other rides, shows, concerts, parades and Character Greetings. They can also take a rest in a break area, get something to eat or go shopping.

Does the Guest utilizing DAS have to be present to obtain a return time at a Guest Relations or Guest Experience Team location?
No. Any member of the DAS-eligible Guest’s travel party may obtain a return time, but the Guest registered for DAS must be present and experience the attraction with their party.

Does a Guest utilizing DAS have to ride the attraction at the exact return time listed?
No. DAS return times are not limited to a specific window and are valid until the park closes or an attraction closes for the day.

Can a Guest have more than one active DAS return time at one time?
No. A Guest may only have one DAS return time at a time. The Guest may obtain another return time for the same or different attraction 10 minutes after they redeem a return time.

Can a Guest with an active DAS return time receive a boarding group for one of the virtual queue attractions?
Yes. A Guest can hold one active DAS return time and one virtual queue boarding group at the same time. When a Guest utilizing DAS goes to the attraction with a virtual queue, they, along with their party, will speak to a Cast Member at the attraction about accessing the queue.

Discuss on the Forums

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RSoxNo13 days ago

I'm still baffled that approval for the DAS is behind a paywall. That part is absolutely ridiculous.

jennab554 days ago

Sounds like it was written with info from the people on the shady disability fb page…. Probably the only people who were actually surveyed and all of them believe they, or anyone else who claims any sort of disability, are entitled to DAS.

flynnibus4 days ago

“What is your concern with being in the line?” the park employee asked. “What do you mean, what’s my concern?” Steffen remembers replying. “My concern is I can’t be in the line.” Ergo... Disney's problem and the way entitlement works... The next day, she pulled out a card certifying her disability and needed accommodations. It said she needed frequent rest areas and may need to leave lines quickly. A cast member still asked her to read the card out loud. "certifying"?? "Acute Flaccid Myelitis" being handled like a chronic condition?? This seems like a poorly researched article

lentesta4 days ago

I spoke with the reporter. Haven’t read the article yet.

DoubleSwitchback4 days ago

I'm surprised they call what Burgess-Lefebvre did as "research", as she only made an effort to contact those most aggrieved about the changes. Saying "X% of former DAS users" is highly misleading, implies she has some sort of representative sample.

RSoxNo14 days ago

Posting this here: https://www.disabilityscoop.com/2024/12/18/changes-at-disney-bring-challenges-frustration-for-those-with-disabilities/31227/?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR1KOG_8k3nhGc8Thhr-zNSFwVvXtZOYmbvcNBkO9b3uf3ZsFc4du3XOO4k_aem_H2Fg105PimygXcvhMJZ1Sw I'm curious, @lentesta, did they approach you for this article or were these quotes from things you put out in your podcast.

jennab559 days ago

Yep, this is what we do too! I can’t deal with the afternoon crowds and we all need a break to chill by then!

Vegas Disney Fan9 days ago

Good advice, our typical day is now rope drop, afternoon break at the hotel, and return at sundown. We’ve had decent luck avoiding the worst of the lines with this plan, it stinks to miss 3-5 hours of afternoon park time but we find we get more done in the first 3, and last 3, hours than we’d get done by sleeping in (or leaving early) and staying through the day. This is the biggest thing I miss about FP+, we’d book them for 1, 2, and 3 and it would make our afternoons super easy to navigate. Now we typically spend that time sipping cocktails poolside.

jennab559 days ago

Couldn’t you plan ahead of time and pre-book the LLs with LLMP? Wouldn’t that make it easier to coordinate with DAS knowing what ride you have planned when? Other than that I suggest going to early hours if you can, as lower crowds for the first few hours.

peter114359 days ago

Your experience is the exception. That is not how it’s supposed to be handled at most attractions.

Comped9 days ago

Correct. I didn't have to reason with the CM over why I should get it, simply said I needed one and got it for my group of four.

Disstevefan19 days ago

Totally agree, never said it had anything to DAS. The terrible changes to DAS should have improved all wait times but since the LL system in inherently BROKEN, all wait times will be abnormally high and opened the door for LLPP.

RSoxNo19 days ago

We will be purchasing LLMP as well. We have always done both since the original GAC was retired. Even when the GAC was a thing, we would supplement with paper Fastpass. This was easier because they didn't enforce the end time on the Fastpass back in the day. We've always managed to adapt and always had larger groups. For the most part it has always been transparent to Matt. The issue now is that LLMP has less same day / flexible availability and the DAS accommodates less members of our party. It absolutely unequivocally should not be this complicated. It was always complicated to navigate with a larger party, but having to fuse together multiple systems shouldn't be this difficult. Honestly, if they wanted to say that they would accommodate 6 people on the DAS if we also paid for LLMP for everyone I'd do it because I was already buying LLMP. You're not wrong. To paint a picture here, my mother is 5'2", my brother is 6'1". While he's not particularly strong, he can be when he wants to be. It's been years since he's ever had to be restrained in a theme park. What's more likely now is that he has an itch and his arm goes elbow deep into his pants to address it. Forcably removing his arm from his pants is something that really only I'm strong enough to do. Can you clarify this. Were you able to get a return time by visiting the attraction without having a DAS? If that's an option, that would absolutely work as a means of complimenting this. I'll be honest, the biggest thing I'm worried about is Matt's favorite attraction, Jungle Cruise. I'd like to do as many family friendly attractions with all 7 of us as possible, so I'm hoping that when we're in our booking window I can book that as a LLMP for our two MK mornings. Failing that, my expectation is that two adults (probably myself and my father) will wait standby while the rest of the family uses the DAS. You hit this on the head here, and it's the crux of the argument against me. Determining what is a "fair accommodation" is a difficult task. I would argue (and have made the case on podcasts) that the previous accommodation was probably too generous. With that said, we were eligible for it and I don't feel guilty for utilizing it. Previously, Disney had a very soft cap of 6 guests and they allowed you to pre-book 3 DAS reservations ahead of your trip. I have no way of proving this (perhaps @lentesta knows), but I suspect that they instituted the pre-booked DAS reservations as a means of further amortizing the initial cost of the Fastpass+ infrastructure. Fastpass+ was retired around the same time as advanced DAS was introduced. Because of the soft cap, poor enforcement, and the pre-booked experiences, the system was remarkably advantageous and a target for abuse. I recognize this will come off as somewhat self serving, but I think they largely corrected this with the exception of two MAJOR flaws: The approval process has to take place before tickets are required to be purchased. The tickets are non-refundable and if Disney is truly limiting this accommodation to guests with a "developmental disability like autism or similar" then that group needs to know definitively what the accommodation will be. The reduction of party size from a soft 6 person cap to a hard 4 person cap is a significant over correction. If folks are waiting 30 minutes in the LL queue for this A ticket ride THE SYSTEM IS BROKEN! That has nothing to with DAS and everything to do with a ride being broken. That happens daily.

Comped10 days ago

Or those of us who do qualify but don't want the hassle. I noticed it was significantly shorter for a bunch of lines while walking through Epcot over the weekend, than previously.