Changes to Disney’s DAS Pass trigger calls for action from disabled guests
Disney denies disabled access to guests
In a viral TikTok, Charisma Mangahas, who was diagnosed with Guillain-Barré syndrome, said she was denied disabled access at Disneyland.
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Charisma Mangahas has been “a Disney fan since she was a child.”
When she was diagnosed with Guillain-Barré syndrome, a rare nerve disorder, in 2018, her experience at the parks changed. A recent revision of Disney’s policies for guests with disabilities is changing that again.
“I was recently denied access to Disability Access Services here at Disneyland and Disney California Adventure,” said the Magic Key (annual pass) holder in a video that has been viewed 1.7 million times on TikTok and shared on other social media.
She is not the only one who is no longer eligible for DAS. More than 23,000 signatories are now calling for “immediate action.”
What is that?
Disney’s Disability Access Service is one of several options for guests with disabilities at Disneyland and Walt Disney World, which have always been known for their accessibility. It doesn’t reduce wait times, but it does allow guests to wait outside of a traditional line for rides by virtually joining the line, waiting the designated time at another location in the park, and then going to the attraction during a designated return window for a shorter in-person wait time.
To qualify, guests must complete an interview prior to visiting the park.
What is eligible for DAS?
The Disney World and Disneyland websites state that the service is intended for “guests who are unable to wait in a traditional queue for extended periods of time due to a developmental disability such as autism or a similar disorder.”
But before the change – which came into effect on May 20 at Disney World and June 18 at Disneyland – the resorts simply stated that it was intended to “assist guests who, due to a disability, cannot tolerate extended wait times in a traditional queue environment.”
Why did Disney change THAT?
DAS has become the most requested service at Disneyland and Disney World in recent years, with user numbers far exceeding the program’s target audience and impacting wait times and experiences for guests requiring this accommodation.
Neither Disneyland nor Disney World responded to USA TODAY’s request for comment for this article. However, when changes were announced in early April, Disney said, “Disney is committed to providing a great experience for all guests, including those with disabilities. That’s why we are committed to providing a wide range of innovative support services designed to help our guests with disabilities have a wonderful time visiting our theme parks.”
Disney has also increased the number of specially trained staff to help guests with limited mobility find the right accommodations.
What other accommodations are available?
Amenities include, but are not limited to, American Sign Language interpreters, Disney handheld devices with closed captions and visual descriptions for guests with hearing impairments, Braille guidebooks and maps, sensory guides to attractions, and, at Disneyland, return times for guests with mobility aids or other physical needs that cannot be accommodated in queues at older, non-wheelchair accessible attractions.
Some guests, like Mangahas, will be offered to return to the queue, allowing them to “step out of the queue momentarily and then rejoin their group if needed,” Disneyland’s website states. “Each attraction has a defined process to support this option based on an individual’s disability while the rest of the group remains in the queue.” Guests are instructed to speak with staff at each attraction to inquire about specific details.
No longer qualified
Mangahas said she was shocked to learn she was no longer eligible for DAS.
She recalls an ensemble member telling her, “You were not denied the DAS. You were offered other opportunities, and it’s up to you to accept them… If you want, you can purchase the Genie+.”
She said she could not wait in line for long because she has a tracheostomy that needs to be suctioned if it becomes blocked.
“Suctioning through a conventional catheter is not comfortable for me. It is very loud. It is an invasive procedure,” she said.
Since she uses a wheelchair, it can also be difficult to step out of line.
“I don’t want to run over anyone. My wheelchair is quite bulky. Of course, I don’t want to hurt anyone. And I don’t want to have to go through group after group and ask them, ‘Excuse me, excuse me, excuse me,'” she added.
Getting evil looks
Michelle S., a Disney World annual passholder, knows how it feels after her children were offered the option to go back in line instead of the DAS.
“When my daughters were pushed into our family, they felt bad. ‘People were giving us dirty looks, being mean to us and saying we were cheating, mom,'” she recalls saying. Her last name is not being used for security reasons.
Michelle explained that all four of her adopted children, ages 11 to 15, suffer from PTSD due to circumstances that came into her family before they were born. Additionally, her 15-year-old daughter has auditory processing disorder, which causes her to experience anxiety and panic attacks, and her 11-year-old daughter has reactive attachment disorder, which prevents her from leaving alone when she needs space.
“I wish they would give you something like placards, little signs that you can carry as you walk past people in line,” Michelle said. She also wished she didn’t have to explain what her children need at every attraction.
“They could do more to accommodate,” she added. “If they have Imagineers, they’ll imagine.”
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“It’s not safe for me”
“With proper precautions, I can have a fun time in a short period of time,” says Stacie Hardy, another Disney World annual passholder and disabled veteran. “But when there are too many people around me, it triggers post-traumatic stress disorder, which can lead to severe anxiety attacks and has in the past caused this to and often does lead to an attack.”
Hardy said she suffered a traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress disorder while serving in the Navy, then a stroke several years ago that led to a seizure disorder, and this spring she was diagnosed with vascular dementia. She was previously eligible for DAS, but after the policy change, she was offered a return to the queue and a driver change.
“None of those options are an option for me, especially because it’s not safe for me out there (alone),” she said. She usually goes to the parks with her husband. “What if I have a problem when he’s not there?”
Before, they only went to the parks when their symptoms allowed. Now, she’s not sure if she’ll even go again, even though one of the reasons they moved to Central Florida was to be near Disney. “I don’t know if I’ll end up doing it or not, but (I’m) so upset about the whole thing, it’s completely tainted Disney,” she said.
Setting boundaries
Jamie Solomon, a Disney World annual passholder and Disneyland Magic Key holder, said the entire new DAS process has been incredibly stressful for him.
He said his father had Lewy body dementia, but after years of neuropsychiatric examinations, doctors had not yet made a definitive diagnosis of his own dementia. “They told me they wouldn’t be able to tell me what kind of dementia it was until I had an autopsy,” he said. One thing he does know: Standing in tight lines in enclosed spaces is “unbearable” for him.
He said he was lucky to be approved, but he still has an issue with the new DAS policy, which only allows three other guests to share DAS user benefits when visiting the park together, with the only exception being immediate family members.
“I don’t have a traditional family,” Solomon said, noting that his parents are deceased and he no longer has contact with his sister. Instead, he has a “chosen family.”
“A family is a family,” he said. “I still want to be able to come with my whole family.”
Calls for change
A petition on Change.org from a group called DAS Defenders is calling on Disney to adjust its policies.
“It is imperative that Disney recognize the far-reaching impact of its decisions and take immediate steps to correct this injustice,” the petition states.
Mangahas said she was unaware of the petition when she made her now-viral video, but having previously given a TedTalk about the adaptation, she was willing to compromise.
“If (Disney) can’t commit to a big change, the least we can do is work together so more people who have been denied DAS and who need the DAS system can qualify and receive the service,” she said. Until then, “I’m going to make do with what I’ve been given.”
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