DAS or Disability Access Service is the program they have at the Disney Parks for people who are unable to wait in line for rides and other attractions.
It used to work where disabled people would cut the line with their party and use the fast pass line but too many ableds took advantage of that. Thank you for that. </sarcasm>
Disney knew that they needed some form of accommodation so they came up with the DAS.
Getting DAS Access
Last week, Emma Dalmayne came to see me and my family. Her kids wanted to go to Disney world, which was about 175 miles away. I drive an electric car and it wouldn’t cost me much in electricity. I figure why not.
There are several parks at Disney World, they chose Magic Kingdom
I came armed with my autism and Ehlers Danlos diagnosis.
When we got there, the ticket windows weren’t open so we took one of three methods of transportation into the park. The park has a canal separating the parking lot from the park itself. This might be because we got there in the afternoon. There is the ferry, monorail or the bus. We chose the ferry.
Once we got to the park, we were directed to guest relations. Emma bought our tickets (thank you Emma!) and I asked about the DAS. I said I had my diagnosis. They told me that showing diagnosis is not necessary. This is a great thing. Remember self diagnosis of autism is valid!
Anyway, I had to sign an agreement that I was really disabled on a tablet. Obviously that is to protect them and the integrity of the accommodation that so many desperately need.
After that, I was told to open My Disney Experience app. They added the DAS to my profile. They had me add everyone else as managed guests.
How DAS Works
So they added the DAS into my profile on the app. I had to go into the app and tap DAS. It shows what the wait is for each attraction. I can schedule a time for us to be at the ride by. If we showed up after, it was fine but we could not show up before.
You can only schedule one ride at a time. What we did was as soon as we scanned our magic bands/ticket cards, we scheduled the next one.
It was a little bit of a learning curve BUT it did make things easier. Definitely give yourself time to get it figured out.
The DAS does not give you free access to the electric scooter or wheelchair. Those you have to pay for as you get there.
What Did I Think of DAS
As no solution is perfect, it did make things easier. I have a hard time standing in line because my knees over extended. When I am walking without anything to help me, I have to consciously think about where my knees are, how I am bending them, etc. This is so I don’t injure myself. That is mentally exhausting.
Being able to schedule our time slot for each ride did save us a lot of time, frustration, anxiety, etc. It definitely is worth it and its not a hassle to have it added onto your ticket. Just make sure you have enough room on your phone on the app.
Because of using your phone for the Disney app, make sure you have a power bank and charger with you. Your phone will loose power as you are constantly using it for the DAS, map, etc.
Side Notes
I did choose to do Disney with no mobility aids. I did this because Roo came with us and I did not want to be a burden. Roo kept reminding me that I should have done it. I did not take my own advice. The kids don’t care if you use mobility aids or not. I need to take my own advice.
Aviva Seigler 