LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. – Being home to some of the most visited parks in the world, Walt Disney World Resort is known for being accommodating to guests, and that includes providing experiences for those with disabilities.
Unfortunately, generous policies can be taken advantage of which then can create problems for all guests.
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To cut down on misuse, Disney updated its Disability Accessibility Services (DAS) program. The new changes will go into effect May 20 at Walt Disney World and on June 18 at Disneyland in California.
One of the most notable changes is regarding waiting in attraction lines. According to the Walt Disney World website, DAS is intended to accommodate guests who due to a developmental disability, like autism or similar, are unable to wait in a conventional queue for an extended period of time.
News 6′s Ezzy Castro spoke to theme park expert and president of TouringPlans.com, Len Testa who explained the amount of people who use the system has tripled over the last five years.
“To put that in perspective, when we count the number of people in lines at Walt Disney World, we think up to 75% of the people in the lines at some popular lines are using the DAS system,” Testa explained.
The new DAS also extends the enrollment period from 60 days to 120 days and limits the DAS party size to immediate family members or no more than four guests.
Another notable change, DAS in-person registration will no longer be available at Walt Disney World guest relations locations starting May 20. Instead, guests can register via live video chat with a Cast Member to determine eligibility up to 30 days in advance of a park visit. If DAS is provided, the guest with a disability (or a parent/guardian) will participate in the registration process.
Guests registered in the DAS program can make return time selections in the My Disney Experience mobile app on the day of their park visit.
Any member of a DAS party can obtain a return time for the whole party, but the guest registered for DAS must be present and experience the attraction when it’s the party’s time to redeem.
The company also made it clear “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 Disneyland Resort”.
“I think the biggest change here is that the people who actually need accommodation are going to get it,” Testa said. The rest of us will find shorter lines because of less abuse of the system.”
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