Heeding my own request and writing about my personal experience with the new DAS this weekend.
As some of you know, my husband was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis at age 24, and now walks with a cane due to permanent balance and stamina issues. Heat and fatigue exacerbate his symptoms.
Under the SAP (Special Assistance Pass) program, Tony's cane was considered a "visible assistance device" like a wheelchair or crutches, and make him eligible to use the wheelchair-accessible entrance at rides without the need to go to City Hall and get the physical card. Of course, this policy had room for abuse. I knew someone who purchased a cane they only ever used for visits to Disneyland. There was nothing to keep someone from breaking out a walking cast from a previous injury and using it to get special access.
When the GAC (Guest Assistance Card) was first introduced, Disney decided to crack down on this type of abuse. Tony was told point-blank that his options were to rent a wheelchair or wait in the standby lines. Over time, the policy relaxed to the "cane = wheelchair" practice.
When DAS (Disability Access Service) was announced, my first thought went back to the launch of the GAC policy, and the issues we had then. Where would Tony fit into this new policy? What access would be available to him?
I asked several Disney employees, front-line cast members and senior managers alike, and nobody knew for certain. One manager assured me that Tony was eligible for a DAS as they understood the program, but a Guest Relations CM told me that he was "in a gray area," and that the decision whether or not to issue a DAS would be dependent on the conversation Tony had with the CM working that day.
To me, that isn't a policy, and the utter lack of consistency in applying the guidelines was clearly demonstrated when he did go in to have that conversation with the cast member.
We started at Disneyland's City Hall Saturday afternoon, and waited in a fairly short line. By contrast to the crowding I saw Wednesday morning when the new policy was introduced, there were CMs in front of City Hall keeping guests outside "for privacy" until there was a CM ready to help you.
When summoned, we greeted the CM and she asked what we needed. Tony showed her his cane, explained that he had issues with balance when standing, and asked where he fit under the new policy. She told him that he was not eligible for a DAS because his was a mobility issue, and immediately suggested that he rent a wheelchair. When he told her that he did not wish to do so, she pulled out a Disneyland map and began to explain the quasi-Fastpass system they've set up at the nine "E" Ticket rides inside Disneyland.
She told him that he would use the wheelchair-accessible entrance at every ride except the nine rides circled. At those rides, he would go to the wheelchair entrance and get a return time equal to the current standby time.
He asked how that would work at DCA, considering all of the queues in that park are wheelchair-accessible, and there really aren't separate return lines. She again said that he would need to use or rent a wheelchair, making a comment that DCA was "doing their own thing." I'll also note that the CM made sure to ask if we knew what Fastpass was and how to use it.
I asked if we could still sit in the reserved accessible seating for the shows and parades without having the DAS, and the City Hall CM said that we wouldn't need it - his cane would suffice. On my way to City Hall I had made a point of stopping by the reserved parade viewing area on Main Street to ask the CMs how access worked under the new program, and they told me they needed to see the DAS. The City Hall CM told me they were mistaken, and directed me to tell them to check with their lead if they denied us entry to the seating area.
Since my purpose was to see what Guest Relations told people who didn't put up any kind of challenge, we left it at that and left with the Disneyland map.
Our next stop was the Chamber of Commerce at Disney California Adventure, where we repeated the conversation with another CM. This time, when the CM suggested Tony rent a wheelchair, we stopped him and asked "is Disney really asking an already-disabled person to use less of their remaining abilities just to qualify for this service?" We explained that Tony spent years having to use a wheelchair on days when his body just would not cooperate, and that he is not going back into a chair until and unless he has no other option.
The CM seemed to understand the point, and then began to explain the DAS program. He asked how many were in our party, and we very truthfully explained that the two of us were right there, we had two friends who had remained in Disneyland while we sorted this out, and two more friends on their way to the Resort to meet us for dinner. Knowing that officially, the CMs are supposed to count the party at the time the pass is issued, we didn't know if he would issue it for 2, 4 or 6. He issued it for 6, saying that if there were more than that we had to bring them all in to be counted. Pass in hand, we left DCA and went back to Disneyland to find our friends.
Two Guest Relations CMs, two completely different outcomes.
Back inside Disneyland, we decided to get a return time for Space Mountain, so went to the Tomorrowland Kiosk. The posted wait was 90 minutes, so they issued a return time for 75 minutes. We got in the standby line for Buzz Lightyear (posted 15 minutes), then went back to Fantasyland to check on Single Rider for the Matterhorn. It had just gone 101, so we decided to go check out the return time system for "it's a small world."
Confession: Yes, we cheated here. Technically with the DAS we should not have double-dipped and gotten a return time for IASW. I am going to justify it by saying that I really *was* doing research for the site, and that, as far as I can tell, there is nothing in place to prevent DAS-holders from doing this. That's a loophole Disney needs to close. Between DAS, Fastpass and this return time system, some people could conceivably triple-dip, increasing the attractiveness of gaming the system.
Back to the narrative. The standby was 30 minutes, so they issued the return time for 20 minutes. We spent that time sitting on a bench. When we returned, we were sent down the wheelchair ramp to board the ride.
We got back off "it's a small world" just in time for "Mickey and the Magical Map," so watched that and headed back to Space Mountain to use our DAS return time. Here we were sent through the Fastpass line. The CMs were very careful to count us and make sure Tony was with the group.
Our other two friends had arrived by the time we got off Space, so we headed to the entrance to meet them. On the way, we stopped by the Guest Relations kiosk on Main Street to get a return time for Radiator Springs Racers. We knew there was a good chance we'd end up in DCA that night, and being able to book a return time for rides in either park was convenient.
After dinner, we wrapped up our night with a ride on Radiator Springs Racers, (again, through the Fastpass line, with the same scrutiny paid to make sure Tony was there).
Some final thoughts:
- For our specific situation, the accommodation offered at Disneyland would have worked for that park. Access via the wheelchair entrance for less-popular rides combined with a return time for the "E" tickets makes perfect sense, and is a good way of providing access without negatively impacting the wait for day guests.
- The Disneyland CM was not wrong regarding the suggestions and accommodation offered for that one park, but she was not taking a Resort-wide view of access.
- That said, it's ironic that the more wheelchair-accessible park is actually less accessible to people with endurance issues who choose not to use a wheelchair. I actually asked if there was a DCA-only DAS available, because we don't NEED the DAS at Disneyland. (There isn't)
- As noted, our issue is completely mobility and stamina, and our experience should not reflect on the needs of people with other disabilities.
I'm still working up my editorial about this new program, but I wanted to share our personal experiences since we're asking others to share theirs.
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