The girl is wheelchair-bound and can barely breathe on her own - how tone-deaf do you have to be to deny her every bit of available assistance as she shows up and just wants to forget her challenging real life for a few hours. Shameful.

It is absolutely heartbreaking. She's willing to pay more to be treated like a human being should be treated. Unfortunately I believe it would be a civil rights violation to charge disabled persons a fee for access. This has just gotten so far out of hand.

It's absolutely gross that a cast member who may not have training in any understanding of specific disabilities (which may not be visible) get to pass judgment on the "severity" of a disability.

People living with an actual disability don’t want to be labelled, put in boxes, have certificates or interviews judging their issues. They’ve had to put up with that shit all their lives. They just want to come to the park, join in and enjoy themselves. If they need a little extra help to get there, let’s give it to them. What kind of a society have we become.

The Idea that you have to agree to not sue them as part of a class action before you do your interview is all the information we need to know that the system is broken and Disney knows it.

This is flat out discrimination. What happened to their "diversity and inclusion" company policy? Total hypocrisy...

Amazing for a company that’s worried about inclusivity……this is shameful!

She isn't just in a wheelchair, she's on a ventilator. What is wrong with Disney?!

Disney needs to hire people who are living with disabilities to organize their new das.

This should go viral because the Bob Iger Company should be shamed into reversing course. This is beyond atrocious. Here we have a obviously disabled person, videoing at the park, in full Disney attire and donning merchandise. Vash said it right, if DAS is not for people in her situation, then who is it for? Bob Iger needs to issue a video apology to this individual. Greed, just plain greed.

She was on a breathing tube. Basic portable vent machine. So what part of disable does Disney not understand? This is wrong we need to speak out about this. This is immoral.

As a registered nurse myself, why can't Disney hire RN's for the das interviews? Believe me, a lot of deserving people would get the pass.

DAS has never been about addressing a wide range of disabilities. As a disabled man, I have inquired 2 times, once before and once after the changes. Both time I was told it was NOT for persons with mobility issues, that it was for people with cognitive issues that made it difficult to stay in line without being a disruption. For others like this woman, and me, we are instructed to 1) use handicap / wheel chair access entrances, where they exist for rides, and get a return time for boarding, 2) use rides that are ADA compliant (all in DCA, galaxy’s edge in DL), or consider paying for lightning lane if standing for long periods is an issue. I was told if I had issues standing, I needed to get a mobility scooter. That did not change. Please, don’t get me wrong, Disney does a VERY POOR job of addressing the needs of the handicap population by failing to provide adequate parking, refusing to enforce parking to those who have a valid need/permit, and making sure that handicap quests are not abused by others. I’ve seen many cars incorrectly parked in areas that were designated as handicap only, seen spots reserved for handicap vehicles that did not meet state requirements, and the entire Pixar Pals structure has zero handicap designated spots. Restaurants are not managed well to allow access to tables. Aisles have been reduced in stores to allow for more merchandise, and cast members who are rude or will only give helpful information about access if pressed to give details. The biggest change for DAS is the contracting it out to a 3rd party who has some medical training to evaluate verifications.

I had a conversation with Disney Client Services after the new policy was announced but before it was enacted. There are members of my party with orthopedic issues, and with coronary issues. Standing in line is difficult. I asked if I could get clearance ahead of time to avoid embarrassment and offered to supply supporting medical records, in an effort to have our account noted permanently or even yearly. I felt for the cast member. She understood the problem, had literally no training on how to handle the issue, and asked me to delay our trip until cast members could receive training. It is humiliating. And at this point, I'll just pay the money. And if it's still too difficult we have made a decision to just go elsewhere. One shouldn't have to beg. And by the way -- the "ban" threats that were made public when this policy change was announced are ludicrous. It's on Disney. They have to have clear and just guidelines published. And, although I am not a proponent of firing people, whoever came up with this insulting cash grab should be fired out of hand. This entire mess is unacceptable.

It’s so shady how Disney forces applicants to agree not to sue them

with narcissists, it's not about helping - it's about *appearing* to be helping

Disney should be absolutely ashamed of themselves for even letting such an unfair system be put in place and it’s completely ableist against people who need it most. Not to mention how greedy the price is.. Absolutely ludicrous. As someone with Autism, that is downright horrible and shameful.

This is the last straw Disney. I took mom there several years ago when she could still walk, even though it was assisted, and we did not get a DAS pass for her. We stood in standby like everyone else, however, most of time, a cast member would pull us out of line and take us though a short cut and board immediately. Mom's disability was very obvious even to an untrained eye, and we were treated very well by everyone. That was back in 2016 before Disney lost their ever lovin' mind. We did not ask for special treatment, yet they gave it regardless. Even nicer, were the kneeling buses that leaned over so it lowered the steps and was easier for mom to board. Disney used to be the place to go if you had disabilities, because they accommodated and welcomed us. Disney, every day now in 2024, I hear and see something bad about y'all, but this is the last straw. Not another dime. I put all my Disney memorabilia away, all my Disney shirts packed up, and as one of Disney's loudest and proudest former supporters/promoters, I will shut up and not another word will support this evil Disney. Y'all wanted a villains park, you got it.

As a disabled person this situation and Disney response just pisses me off. I already shared this video

How far Disney parks have fallen. Back in the day being disabled in any sense of the word netted you fast access to rides, with zero questioning from staff. One time I went back in the very early 2010s I sprained my ankle and had to rent wheelchairs to get by the parks. I was allowed to enter the rides fast without questioning.

At this point, not only are we not ever going back to a Disney property, but I feel ashamed at having paid them thousands of dollars for years on family vacations.

I have severe anxiety and panic disorder. I was denied. My husband who has always been approved in the past, because he’s disabled and a wheelchair user, was denied. Went 2 weeks ago for a fun day out (WDW) and had a major panic attack in the line for Kali River Rapids. We left the line and left the park.

I cannot imagine agreeing to leave a friend or loved one by themselves in a bustling, crowded area, even if they weren't disabled. Anything could happen and they wouldn't have anyone with them. And they expect families and friends to leave disabled people off, by themselves, surrounded by strangers!? Absolutely NO WAY.

I’ve never written a comment before but I had to for this. I have multiple autoimmune diseases and a bunch of other bodily disorders that make anything physical very difficult and painful. Sometimes I can walk, sometimes I need mobility aids, I can’t stay in the heat for extended periods of time, and I can’t be in the direct sun for even moderate periods of time. My disabilities are already isolating enough, having to be separated from my family and or friends for what might be hours would be devastating and basically the opposite of the entire reason I would go: to enjoy the place I love with the people I love. I was a die hard Disney fan for years, annual pass holder for practically my whole life, I was raised on Disney and it still feels like a sacred part of who I am. My mom (who’d been going to WDW since it opened in 1971) and I cancelled our passes two years ago because of rising prices combined with cuts in budget and quality on Disney’s part. It was a hard decision and I felt crushed and disappointed in Disney. When news about the changes to the disability pass came out a few months ago I was disgusted with Disney, I understood that people were abusing the system but this was not a viable solution for those with physical disabilities. Use mobility aids and wait. What a poor understanding and lack of empathy they showed with these changes. I’ve been going to Universal instead and they seem to understand the importance of treating your guests right, even if they’re disability pass is a bit of a pain to get at least you can still get it! I never thought there’d come a day where I’d boycott Disney in any way but since their DAS pass changes I’ve cancelled all their services, unfollowed all their accounts, and will not be purchasing a single piece of officially licensed merchandise until they get their act together. It’s also shocking to me that it’s taken this long for their discriminatory changes against physical disabilities to be widely noticed.

I tried to get a DAS pass last month for myself. I have anxiety and a joint condition where if I stand for long periods of time, I am in such pain that I can’t walk. I was denied. The phone call was over an hour and one of the most invasive things I have gone through. The cast member kept saying “you don’t have to say anything that you don’t want to” but then would push for more information about my health. Also, if I don’t tell details of my condition, how would they know what my problem is so that they could give me a DAS pass? The call itself gave me anxiety because I had to say what happens when my anxiety rises and my coping mechanisms. By the time I got off the phone, I was in tears. The only accommodations they offered were a wheelchair (which my joint condition I have been advised by a doctor that I need to keep moving) or have someone in my party wait for me. The rest of my family also has various disabilities and would not be able to do that. They clearly did not plan for families that all have disabilities that need to be accommodated. They then said to go to each individual ride in the parks and tell the cast member there because each ride has various other accommodations based on how their line is set up. We did that. We were told by the various cast members that the DAS cast members online were wrong and that they could only offer us a wheelchair or the party member standing in line option. We felt as if we had just been handed off to the next person so that the cast member online wouldn’t have to deal with us anymore. We had planned our trip before the changes were made to DAS and when we told the cast member online that and that we might have to cancel our trip, she said in a very snide manner “well you won’t be refunded.” So we went. We paid thousands of dollars and my family was not able to ride one ride in Hollywood Studios due to the long wait times. We have been going to Disney World regularly for 20 years. Honestly, this was probably our swan song. So disappointing. If you read this far, thank you for listening.

It is heartbreaking to hear her speak. Disney has completely lost its moral compass. I wish it were just about profit. The movies are proof that it isn’t. It is all so sad to watch. Terrible leadership all the way to the top.

Disney denying this person access to DAS is truly awful and I hope the story goes viral and shames them. I think it’s also interesting to see how people react to people with very visible disabilities vs people with internal/psychological disabilities. It tells me we need more education and empathy about disabilities across the board. Also, this was less of an issue when EVERYONE got free access to the fast pass system. People with disabilities could plan their day accordingly and able bodied people had freedom to do the same… let’s not lose sight of the issue being Disney’s money grab!! We all should be pressuring Disney to do better by its customers across the board.

Vash nailed our situation exactly. We have had annual passes/magic keys for my disabled daughter about 8 times now over the last 20 years. We splurged this year and purchased the top key at $1750 each. My daughter has qualified for the DAS pass every time. I am pretty certain she will not qualify for the DAS pass under the new rules. Basically, instead of going to Disneyland 5 times per month for about 4 hours per visit, we will probably now only go once or twice for 4 hours per visit. We still have 8 months left on our passes. Disney changed the rules on us after we purchased the passes. Seems like we should be able to get a prorated refund on our passes.

It’s so horrible and shameful!!! Walt Disney himself would be outraged!!!! Disney needs to change their morals. They’ll give everything to the shills who praise Tiana’s bayou adventure but turn away this poor woman who needs DAS!!!

The ones who need it the most are the ones who suffer from a well documented history of people who knowingly abused the system by using a disabled person to bypass waiting in line.

I’ve gone to Disney world as a little kid and the accessibility for someone like myself with a severe disability was honestly part of the magic of the Disney experience. I didn’t have to worry about not being able to access rides or shows and being separated from my parents while waiting in line. I had been tentatively talking with my mom about taking a family trip to Disney world since we haven’t been there in over two decades. If the new disability service system is this flawed, though, I am concerned that I would pay for the expensive tickets and end up not being able to safely enjoy the parks. Please do better Disney. Most people with disabilities don’t have money to burn on a wasted trip if they are unable to get disability services.

My friend said he had problems with Disney and how they dealt with him. He does not have legs and uses a wheel chair, his boys are 8 and 10, so not going to wait in line by themselves even if dad will not go on ride with them. He did not tell me what ride it was but he was not planning on going on just supervising his kids in line. When they got to the point where the next ride would be his kids . He was told he could not ride by a cast member he said only his sons were going to ride and that cast member said no. The dad asked if his sons were not tall enough to ride by themselves he was told no . Another cast member came up pot his boys in their seat and help my friend get to the end of the ride to wait for his sons. My friend could not figure out why there was a cast member handling the situation one way that would exclude his son and another cast member dealt with it another way cause the parent with them is in a wheelchair.

All the more reason to bring back Fast Passes. Folks can't use DAS to skip line costs if it doesn't cost anything to skip the lines.

So people with disabilities should be separated from their families while on a family vacation? What? This is not a skip the line program. It's a wait somewhere else until it's your turn system. Families still need to wait the same length of time but separately? This is awful.

i have autism; i find this so gross. All disabled people should be able to have das. The fact someone who has medical documents is getting denied in general is horrible.

I think wheen we had the free pre selection some people who may have needed the Das pass would use that instead rather than jump through the DAS hoops. But once they started charging for this people who "managed" ended up asking for the Das pass. This makes Disney think there is a lot of abuse, when I think it was a relatively small number of people.

I don't quite understand, she has a wheelchair, she has a breathing tube, and she has a problem with her eye. But they denied her? It makes you wonder how they are going to accoundiate people with disabilities.

Was told that I could "Catch up to my party" as well. But was told tough luck if I don't come with someone else, which I usually travel alone with my service dog. I have a power chair, C-PTSD, and can stop breathing if kept in close quarters with common chemicals found in personal hygiene and laundry products. Wearing my respirator only helps for short times. After about half an hour, I will have absorbed enough through my skin and eyes that I still will start to react. But sure, let me wait in a 90-minute line and we will get to have EMTs try to resuscitate me.

I just wish they would let us pre-apply before we buy tickets. My wife has always qualified and she can’t handle the parks without it but we just can’t risk us buying the tickets first and then getting denied under the new system. (We think she should quality but they seem to be rejecting anyone but little boys with autism).

Disney is a terrible company. Disney needs to stop holding the general public in such disregard. This was entirely foreseeable and more videos like this are likely to come out.

My husband is a disabled vet. He has horrible neuropathy, many other neurological issues (including MS) especially in his legs. He does use a cane and we do have to take breaks often while in a park setting such as Disney. We went to the MK at Disneyworld to get a DAS pass a few years ago. The lady said; well, he can use a wheelchair, can't he? The point is, he does not want to use a chair. He is a Marine, so he continues to walk so he doesn't lose use of his legs. It was like she (lady at Disney) totally miss the purpose of the pass? We left very frustrated, and he said he would never ask for help again like that. It was very sad. This young lady in the video on the vent definitely could have used a DAS pass. Disney needs to pay attention to Universal as it was not like this there (we did both parks 2 years ago). People with disabilities just need a little extra help, I don't understand Disney.

I'm with you on this. Who is this system for, if not the woman in the video? Not every line meets ADA/ABA requirements at Disney. They are going to have a bigger mess on their hands soon if they don't get a handle on this.

That young lady should not have to go wait on her own while he party waits in line. She clearly needs someone to assist her at all times. "Othering" indeed.

The whole disabled system is broken. A coworker of mine was able to get disabled tickets for his family because one of his kids has anxiety and doesn’t like crowds.

This is disgusting! I hope we see more videos like this exposing Disney’s heartless and greedy attitude. Implement universal’s disability system or everyone else will just go to universal! I’ve been a long time Disney goer and it was a wonderful clean and safe place for a disabled guest like myself. Not anymore. I swear I have never faced nearly as much ableism in my life than I have since they announced changes to Das. Disney treats us like garbage and now tons of Disney fans have followed their lead and jumped on disabled Disney fans like myself and others. If I had a nickel for everytime someone has said “wait in line with the rest of us if you want equality so bad”, “buy genie+”, or the big one “stay home”. It’s appalling! Thank god universal doesn’t treat us like shit.

I work in retail and under ADA I can’t even ask what disabilities a customer might have. Yet Disney gets to ask highly invasive questions about it?

In 2018 I took my parents. My dad has trouble walking/standing for long periods of time, and we asked about what their policies were. None of the cast members seemed to really know. Guest relations would give one set of instructions, then those at the attractions would say something else. Most didn't have a clue as to what to say. We took it in stride, but it was a bit frustrating. Some cast members were very accommodating, though, and when they saw him slowly making his way forward with a cane, invited him to be a "special guest" that took us through the FastPass lane.

I’m not going try and compare levels of disability here, but I went to Disneyland last fall with my senior mother. I am minorly disabled. i called DAS in advance, per instructions, got five words in and the person said, “ok, granted, you’re good to go!” Th is going on with Disney???

Just to be very clear. Disney would like these lovely people to show up to their theme park with their family and friends…then Disney is asking them to have their family and friends abandon them while they wait in line for them. Then, text/call them to come back to the ride and meet them before they get one. What a joke. Oh, but then you have an option to pay for normal Lightning Lane instead? Sorry, but I really REALLY hope this gets addressed as soon as possible.

Big difference from when my brother went as a kid. I mean how much worse do you have to get? Roll up in a gurney with a heart monitor beeping? A coffin and a mortician?!?

I feel so sorry for her. I wish her everything.

My husband and I went to Disney World for our honeymoon in 2021. I used the DAS Pass and we had a bit of a problem using it on our first day at Epcot. Long story short after talking to many cast members i was able to use the pass. I think their biggest problem was even through I have cerebral palsy, I can walk & I do have a walker/wheelchair. After a long discussion, we reserved a time to come back to the ride and that worked out just fine for us. If you do not have to legally disclose a disability on a job application, then what gives Disney to right to judge on the type of disability you have!!! It’s shameful that people have aboused this system to help people with disabilities enjoy Disney just like anyone else.

This is absolutely disgusting, Disney is monstruos for doing this and I know they’re not even ashamed and won’t be.

There are people who have said they were told by these interviewers they shouldn’t go to Disney. I think one of them had PTSD.

Thanks for bringing a greater spotlight to this situation and topic... While it's understandable that a company like Disney wants to avoid abuse of a system they are implementing, it is quite clear that a lawyer probably made up a highly complex set of situational rules and guidelines for this system... That is probably so complex and convoluted that the folks implementing the system on all levels are probably not on the same page, and while on the surface it seems like they are doing this good thing, it is in fact not so bright and shiny as advertised under its surface... I hope that video goes internet viral and shames Disney in some way... Because it sounds like they need to rethink that whole system...

Well I’d let her pass me in line if Disney isn’t going to help her out

I wonder if Disney denies Make A Wish wish recipients DAS.

Thanks for covering this.

Disney is lining themselves up for lawsuits. And I'm totally okay with that.

She is "severely" disabled! What did they even mean by that?? Someone who is completely paralyzed or in a vegetative state?? I doubt someone who is completely paralyzed isn't getting on rides!! Ooof🤦‍♀️

They’ve already lost our business we’re going elsewhere on vacation this year. I have stomach problems and without the DASI will not be able to do it. We’re currently booking another vacation for September somewhere else, until they roll this back I’m not coming back. Looking at Vegas or a non-Disney cruise.

Wow. I was a cast member at Disney World for 3 years in the early 2000s and I cannot fathom that they are doing this. It is completely antithetical to how I was trained by them. My guess is that Disney will make it very public gesture for this particular guest but will continue to do the same crap to everyone else. In recent years I became disabled and also a disability Advocate and I can tell you that the procedure that they put them through and then making them sign something that they won't file a lawsuit etcetera well I'm pretty sure it's illegal in violation of Title II of the ADA. I'm still astonished as Disney of old this would have been unthinkable. Seriously what the hell Disney? What skin off of your ass is this? The vast majority of your guests now think you're cruel and heartless. That can't be good for your stock prices and considering that's all you seem to care about nowadays I would think you would do something different.

Bless her, offering to pay for a service when she really shouldn't have to - I know people have been taking advantage of the service, but she obviously qualifies for DAS!

My daughter has spina bifida and uses a wheelchair. We went to disney world in 2012 when she was 4 and they were very helpful and inclusive. We went to disneyland in 2018 and got a fast pass which did not seem to cut down our wait time at all and one swap where we only had to wait in line once for soaring and took tirns waiting with her because we wwre afraid the ride wasnt safe enough for her.

The optics on this are awful. As a Universal pass holder who doesn’t visit Disney, I just have to ask; is Disney intentionally trying to kill itself???

People seem to be conflating Federal ADA with Disney's DAS. Disney is ADA compliant and does not need to even offer DAS if it chose not to.

HIPAA auditors where are you? Need to check the new DAS policy.

My total guess here is that she seems smart. Not significantly cognitively impaired, at least. They might be trying to limit das to people who lack appropriate social judgement due to significant cognitive impairment. In asd, you can have tantrums and elopement behaviors in which you can't reason with the person. Though, i think PTSD can have the same result due to emotional impairment without cognitive impairment. Just as one example i can think of. I have to agree that requiring people with disabilities to be isolated in a theme park is a discrimination. Isolating people with disabilities is cliche discrimination.

Unfortunately too many people scammed the system and that ruined it for people who really need it.

Because a few people abused the wheelchair system, now anyone with GENUINE disabilities is treated like dirt. And sadly, some of the guests, (namely Disney Adults) think this is great. People have become so cold hearted and cruel. I can no longer go to Disney, because even though I have visible physical disabilities, I was told to rent a $70 wheelchair and get over it. Yet I watched people with supposed "Autism or PTSD" have no issues at all getting a pass. So...if I'm MENTALLY ill, I can have a pass. If I can barely walk or breath, no go. Yeah. Nice. Thanks. But no...taking my money and family elsewhere.

at Tokyo disney, a whole group with a disabled person can wait together.

Perhaps someone here who has gone through a DAS interview with a cast member can shed some light on this, but I'm extremely curious to know whether or not the person(s) conducting the interview have any medical and/or psychological training to support their decisions. And I don't mean someone who took an 8 hour "on-the-job" training class on "how to recognize severe physical and/or cognitive disabilities". I mean someone with an actual degree. Otherwise the decisions on who is granted access to DAS is purely subjective. One "cast member" may make a determination to grant DAS access in a given situation, but a different cast member may have a different opinion and deny. If I had to guess, I would say they aren't using anybody with actual schooling, which is why they are making people sign waivers stating they won't sue if they are denied access. For the record, I'm not someone who needs access to DAS, but I am someone who has seen the increased abuse of the system over the years, which is what led Disney to making these changes. I say shame on Disney for taking the "cop out" route with the sweeping changes, denying access to people who legitimately need the service, then telling them they are more than welcome to "pay for lightning lane" when what they should have done is crack down on the people abusing the system. We can lay blame on the people who abused the system, because they certainly deserve part of the blame, but we can also blame Disney for turning a blind eye to the abuse. Kudos to that young woman for her idea, but what Disney should really offer is a free system where the decisions are made by a third party of trained individuals with no affiliation to Disney.

Why couldn't they let them wait out of line and send a notification when it's their turn?

I know how it goes, I know a relative of mine who has autism, and they’re not giving him the needs he got before the policy change.

"Wait alone" what if the line is a 2 hour line?

This is a money grab pain and simple

Disney doesn't need goodwill anymore, it needs cash.

Why you need it? They’re not allowed to ask that! That’s a law suit just making you interview.

I worked attractions at Disneyland from '07-'13. People have always negatively taken advantage of the GAC or DAC or whatever they call it now. The difference is now it's costing Disney money. As for this woman's complaint, ADA requires accommodations so that everyone has access. The queues on newer attractions are wide enough for wheelchairs to fit, but may have alternate loading options. Older attractions have alternate entrances, which may or may not have a wait. I dont know the nature of this woman's disabilty, but the cast members gave her the option of waiting outside or in a more comfortable area while the rest of her group waited in the queue. The GAC/DAC has always had this option. It was never meant to get people on the attractions without waiting.

Tickets and yearly passes etc. should be cheaper for disabled people on ssdi. Second every other park gives you a sign in sheet or RFID wristband so you can get checked in and come back for immediate boarding X amount of time later on. The reason for this is because as a disabled person you will only be able to hit a certain amount of rides in the time you have. You slow your party down I know I have. Normal ppl can walk faster and don't have to stop or rest as often. Sounds like Dizknee is trying to lump fast pass in with disability accommodations and it roundly sux. Get rid of this in house judge and have paperwork for their home drs.

It stinks..Too many people abused the system..they need to go back to fast pass

It's obvious that Disneyland does not care about people like this because they don't have enough money make it worth their time to care

This is a hard one. Disney was happy to use the old system, but people are abusing it. after my Kidney transplant, I did use the das system and I can honestly say people were abusing it too. The new systems only been around about three weeks. I’m sure Disney is going to be making some changes the line between discourage people who don’t really need it and allowing the people who use it who need it isn’t going to be perfect.

Had a similar experience at Universal last year too. I am on the spectrum and was granted a pass while my friend with severe cerebral palsy was not. This is a trend going on throughout the parks. Although now Uni found a looophole to require paperwork so it takes ages to get an access pass now. Sad.

There should be no charge for her

I’ve seen this in the original posting. Sad but if you notice she said she still made the purchase anyway. And Disney got her money so I’m sure Disney won’t not care at this point. So why do that and spend the money. It’s not like they are gonna refund her.

Why do i have to promise not to sue.ill interview but i can't promise that and 2ndly how can they uphold that

People abuse the DAS because they let the lines get ridiculously long. They need to shorten the lines

Too much abuse led to this. The pendulum swings too far one way and to fix it, too far the other way.

They’re just going to end up removing DAS altogether

We just gotta start walking away from these companies. The movies the parks the merchandise.... hit their pockets and they will reach out to you

Juat a few notes. - max party size is 4 including yourself. Youre only allowing to bring more if they are immediate family. Relationships and friendships dont qualify - the return to queue requires you to get in line and look for a CM if/when you need to get out of line. Most lines dont have easy to reach points where you could get out of line and the one's that do, dont have staff available in the line to speak to them - they are not making one time exceptions like Universal does. Six Flags has the same policy as Universal but not the exceptions. Six Flags is being sued as a result for now having that exception. Either way love the podcast. Keep up the great work

Our last trip to Disney World was in April 2022. Our son has ASD (Autistic Spectrum Disorder), and we applied for DAS online. It was so easy to apply for. Video chat meeting with a cast member, we told the cast member that he has ASD. We had paperwork from doctors and school ready to present, but they told us they didn't need any of that. All they needed was a picture of our son, and what rides we wanted to pre-book for our two week vacation. It was all done and dusted in about 10-15 minutes. Stating that he had ASD was more than enough to get a DAS pass for him. That DAS for our son was so integral to his enjoyment of his holiday (and our whole family as well). They'd be no way he'd be able to stay in line for more than 20-30 minutes with small cramped areas, loud noises, different smells, screaming/crying kids etc without him having to leave the queue in tears and us having to leave the park to calm him down. For example, when we spend out day at Universal, we started to queue for Hagrids (which wasn't a Express Pass option), and within 10-15 minutes he was overwhelmed, upset and my wife had to take him out of the ride). With the DAS pass, he was able to get on rides within minutes, skip the queue and enjoy the rides he wanted to do. In between we could go somewhere quiet, or go eat. If things were getting too much for him, we could book something for much later on and leave the park and come back later. It gave us so much flexibility to meet his needs, it was wonderful. With the changes that have happened with DAS applications now, I don't even think that he'd qualify now for what he had last time. We may get the standby line option, but having to split a family up (one to stand in line and one to look after my son until it's time), is not helping at all, especially for when he gets upset it can be parent dependent on who he wants to be with him. If you are spending all of that money at Disney and you have a disability, Disney should be bending over backwards to help those in need. To me, it just seems like it's another way for Disney to make money on Genie+ / LL tickets when they turn down DAS applications and families have no other option but to buy those expensive services. That's why when we go to Orlando next year, we are skipping Disney all together. I'm not risking purchasing a Disney package holiday, or even Disney tickets to then find out we can't get DAS for my son. Coming from the UK, it would be a £10-£15k ($12-$17k) gamble for us, and without a DAS pass, it wouldn't be worth it. Instead we are going with Universal instead, who offer a much more convenient way of applying (through a third party) and are more open to all disabilities.

As an "elder" in the disabled community who fought damn hard for 504 and ADA, I am appalled at the lack of "teeth" that disability rights Does NOT handle situations like this (or even housing) and how tone deaf (agreed with Mio on Disney's lack of humanity towards the disabled population) Disney has become. Disability access to: a park, to a restaurant, to a event, or even a store should not require your SSDI application to "prove eligible" as a disabled person. I get how much graft of taking advantage goes on (believe me), of people trying to get extra services that should be restricted to us, and in this case: Choo-Choo is disabled, end of sentence. She does not need separate but equal treatment (removing her from her group), she should NOT be 'required' to pay extra to have the equal "services" afforded to the general public. If anything, Disney should out of their way to accommodate her, her group and others to make SURE she and others a good time. After all, feeling separate is enough in the "mundane" world where discrimination is rampant (and the alarming trend of thinking that humans should no longer be hired at Disney Corp to work with their guests, further isolating especially "special needs" folks regardless of their disability, with automated animated cell phone services as "just good enough"). Pitting the disabled against one another ( ie, who is more disabled) to receive services is absolutely shameful. The DAS could easily be taken care of by having cast members working as ambassadors to handle sensitive cases (think the history of Make A Wish). Now, this is hell.

Florida and California could just outlaw lines that expect people to stand longer then 10 minutes and require virtual cueing and phone updates to give people accurate times to get there in time.

Thanks guys this is a good one. And Jonas your right easy home run

This appears to be an overcorrection due to a pattern of abuse. I am sure it will swing the other way, but when?

Surely the fifth key of inclusion should apply to guests as much as it does to cast members. Care and compassion has been replaced by the monetisation of disability.

This post and the tweet/tiktok that inspired it make me very wary. My family is planning for a Disney trip, but the main reason we haven’t pinned down specifics or dates is because I haven’t been able to get a clear answer out of Disney about accessibility. My wheelchair shouldn’t be an issue, except it’s over 400lbs because of the hydroids systems it uses. I travel with an aide due to neurological issues, including blackouts, but I have to pay their full cost and extras for them to be with me. They won’t answer questions about lines or shelter spots at all and now I think I know why. I’m not asking for special treatment, I don’t think I should jump to the head of every line just because I have health issues. I would like to revisit my oldest childhood memory, and add the joy and fun of introducing loved ones to the parks safely. Which if something doesn’t change, won’t be possible. I’ll be watching here along with my other sources for more information. Thank you for sharing this.

This is simply shameful.