As 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!
Yes, Disney has gone too far in limiting disabled people from having the DAS pass. This harms no one as there is no lines skipping, going to the head of the line, or getting through faster with a DAS pass. This is 100% about Disney making more money off of disabled people. If anything the DAS pass takes more time to utilize. Most disabled individuals can’t spend the amount of time in the parks that able-bodied people can. I know as my daughter is disabled and does not qualify for DAS now. She is blind. The so-called professional told her to rent an ECV. This is extremely cruel and uncaring, Disney is in the wrong and needs to revert back to a more equitable process of qualifying individuals for DAS.
Disney has shown who they are now. The lawsuit where the man lost his wife and the challenge with the disney plus clause you can sue disney. Doing away with Tom Sawyer island which is a place the disabled can go to unwind. The fact veterans can’t DAS and are being told PTSD is not a real disability by their call center reps. Disney has gone to far.
Couldn’t this be a violation of the ADA? Thank goodness this wasn’t the policy the last time we were there. Fastpass was still in practice and so much better than what they have now. We had two people in scooters and our trip would have been a total loss.
Yes Disney has gone too far! People with true legitimate disabilities are being denied and told to purchase the new lightening lane pass. This is not feasible for these folks and Disney needs to reevaluate the DAS changes and make decisions based on the evidence of disability not a limited list.
Despite people thinking those with DAS skipped the line, do they didnt, the app would give a time to wait to get on and virtual queue you depending on how busy the ride was / is. So there is no line skipping.
Disney has made it impossible for most disabled to actually feel comfortable there. Only acknowledging a fraction of disabled diagnosis’ is not fair to the person or the families that bring their family in hopes that one day a spotlight isn’t on the persons ability or inability to blend in w their peers awful
Unbelievable! After spending more than half of my life working with and standing for people with disabilities this is disgusting behavior by a company founded by a man (Walt Disney) who wanted a happy place for ALL people!!!! You should be ashamed of yourselves ! I ask myself if it were transgender would it be a different story? Disney has become so left, liberal, woke it is a sick sick time!
I have been an AP member for about 7+ years. About 3 years ago, my disabilities worsened to the point that I was no longer able to stay in lines more then 20-30 minutes without access to a restroom at times. The DAS was the key to being able to enjoy the attractions that I was physically able to do. I still waited the standby time but then could come in the LL lane and wait the much shorted time. It actually made for a longer total wait time, but I didn’t have to wonder as much if I would have an issue.
When I contacted the DAS rep, I was denied. Their answer was a Genie (can’t afford), have wife wait and meet me at the head of the line (she can not stand that long and can’t physically operate a wheel chair), leave the queue and then come back to my place (you can’t even walk out of a queue and back without getting yelled and cussed at – much less get a scooter out).
Their answer was basically, ‘sorry, then we can’t help you’.
We scrimp and save to do to the parks a few times a year. We do without other stuff to be able to go. To have to fork out another $200 a day for Genie borders on cruelty.
I never complain without a solution.
This is to do what Universal and Six Flags do. Require a doctors letter describing the need and apply to IBCCES for a validated accessibility card, which verifies a certified need. Disney is not allowed to even ask you about your disability under ADA laws. How they are getting away with this is beyond me.
IBCCES IS a HIPPA certified organization to review a persons needs and validate it with the medical facility that issued the letter of disability.
If this change is TRULY just to weed out the fakers to get a DAS, then this is the answer.
If not, then it is nothing more than yet another tool in Disney’s arsenal to separate you from more of your money
The ONLY reason they even allow Autistic people a DAS, is that they lost a lawsuit about it recently.
Shame on Disney. I will probably not renew my AP in February and never return to Disney after that. I have no reason to if all I can do it ride around the parks.
after reading all the disgusting stories re. the new rules for DAS I agree it’s shameful that Disney is acting this way ( Walt is definitely rolling in his grave) it’s all just a money GRAB. I think a boycott is in order it would serve them right if families stopped going the only way to hurt these people is in the POCKET…. wait who is conducting these interviews i have not seen or read anything on that ????? i am a disabled VET & DVC i can’t wait to go thru the process when & if we go next year..
Unfortunately, the Disney Corporation doesn’t care about all the complaints. My wife has been a Annual Pass holder since the APs were initiated and has had a DAS pass for years, due to several medical issues which inhibit her ability to stand for extended periods. She too was denied and told to rent a scooter or wheelchair. Both of which aren’t viable options as she often went alone to the parks and has neuropathy in her hands and loses feeling in them, which could lead to her losing control of the steering, possibly hitting or running other quests over. The cast member she spoke with told her basically told my wife to stay home and not visit the parks.
My Autistic son was denied and we were not even told that he was denied until we arrived at the park. The Zoom call with the DAS person she stated that we just needed to speak with a cast member at each ride and they will tell us how they could accommodate us. One cast member even asked to see him and then stated,”he looks like he can wait in the line…” After he got sick waiting in two of the lines, we just gave up. Universal was more than happy to accommodate him so we will simply chose to visit their parks. An email to Disney stating our experience simply was a prewritten response that obviously is getting used quite a bit these days. I also asked them to remove the qualification of Autism since they denied a letter from our sons MD stating he has been diagnosed as Autustic.