Walt Disney World has as soon as once more made modifications to its Incapacity Entry Service web site, this time updating guidelines and clarifying tips for the registration course of. This covers particulars of the brand new insurance policies, whereas additionally recapping different current revisions and what else may be on the horizon.
As fast background, Disney overhauled DAS at Walt Disney World final Could. In keeping with the corporate, the modifications have been due largely to abuse, misuse, and proliferation of this system’s use–with issuances of DAS tripling from 2019 to final yr. For extra in regards to the specifics of the overhauled DAS, see Incapacity Entry Service (DAS) Adjustments at Walt Disney World FAQ.
The brand new system has now been in place for over a yr, and there have been direct impacts for disabled friends in addition to oblique ones for all friends. To the latter level, we’ve written loads in regards to the affect of the DAS modifications on wait instances at Walt Disney World. Most just lately, in Is Lightning Lane Multi Go Nonetheless “Price It” at Disney World? Suffice to say, standby strains are shorter and sooner shifting, with wait instances being decrease year-over-year on account of the DAS crackdown.
We’ve additionally coated the studies from readers and different friends making use of for lodging at Walt Disney World, lots of whom have had extremely unfavorable, invasive, humiliating, and dehumanizing experiences with the brand new course of. We proceed to obtain reader feedback and messages to this impact on a near-daily foundation, which comes as no shock given there are likewise viral social media posts about DAS, none of that are constructive, as soon as each few weeks.
Suffice to say, even over a yr later the DAS overhaul stays controversial. It’s additionally a extremely delicate topic that could be very private since it’s, fairly actually, make or break for some friends making an attempt to expertise Walt Disney World. There have been widespread studies of friends who beforehand had DAS being denied and suggested to make use of different lodging, a few of that are new–or are revised and highlighted extra prominently.
The most recent change is that Walt Disney World has an expanded part on the official DAS web site with guidelines, polices, tips–no matter you need to name them–for the video name to cut back visitor confusion and make clear how the method works.
As you may be conscious, Walt Disney World requires friends to take part in such a video name to find out DAS eligibility. These new guidelines on the web site are a welcome addition; we’ve acquired numerous messages from readers who’re confused about how this works, and Walt Disney World was beforehand (purposefully?) obscure with specifics. It didn’t assist that the interview course of is now materially totally different than October 2021 by way of April 2024, and nonetheless differs between Disneyland and Walt Disney World.
Anyway, right here’s the brand new/revised/up to date/expanded verbiage:
Communicate with a Forged Member
If you’re prepared to speak with a Forged Member to find out eligibility for DAS, you possibly can have interaction in a dwell video chat utilizing the “Request Dwell Video Chat” button beneath.
Make sure that the machine has a working digicam and a microphone. You will need to evaluation and settle for the Phrases & Circumstances earlier than requesting a dwell video chat.
Vital issues to notice:
- Dwell video chat is out there from 7:00 AM to eight:00 PM Jap Time.
- The recording of this video chat is strictly prohibited.
- The Visitor requesting DAS both for themself or for another person (e.g. a minor little one) should be 18 years of age or older to register
- The Visitor for whom DAS is being requested should be current in the course of the video chat.
- If you happen to’re not logged in to the Walt Disney World web site, you’ll be prompted to log in.
- If you happen to don’t have an account, you’ll have to create one earlier than persevering with.
- If you happen to don’t have legitimate theme park admission, you’ll have to hyperlink legitimate theme park admission for every member of your occasion.
- Friends utilizing a cell machine or pill might want to obtain the Zoom software to connect with the video chat.
- Video chat is display reader-friendly for Friends with visible disabilities and accessible with textual content chat for Friends with listening to disabilities.
- Right now, dwell chat is obtainable in English solely.
That is now the fourth change to Incapacity Entry Service in 2025.
Previous to this, each Walt Disney World and Disneyland prolonged the validity interval for Incapacity Entry Service upon a visitor being accepted into this system to at least one yr or the size of the ticket (whichever is shorter). Previous to this as much as 365 day window, DAS was legitimate for as much as 240 days earlier than re-registration.
The massive beneficiary of that change was Annual Passholders, and meant that they might not must re-register for DAS two-thirds of the way in which by way of their AP validity window. That made DAS extra handy for locals and different regulars, whereas additionally including a layer of predictability, and it got here proper as the primary wave of DAS Annual Passholders would’ve been up for renewal.
One other main change was the extension of the DAS registration window to 60 days previous to their park go to, which additionally occurred on each coasts. Beforehand, the method might start no before 30 days previous to your go to. That occurred again in early February.
That extension was aimed toward making it simpler for friends to plan round DAS and probably cancel or modify their holidays if they don’t obtain DAS as an lodging. Going from 30 to 60 days resulted in a negligible enhance in DAS purposes, nevertheless it doesn’t materially change the equation on approvals. It was all about decreasing friction for friends who apply and are denied DAS, because it put the earlier-applicants exterior of the penalty-free cancellation interval.
With the extension of DAS purposes to 60 days, friends are in a position to make an knowledgeable resolution about their standing and cancel in the event that they’re denied and really feel visiting Walt Disney World is not going to be possible or fascinating with out the DAS lodging. Friends who booked trip packages who apply for DAS sufficiently early will have the ability to obtain full refunds as a matter of coverage.
Disney additionally revised its coverage language to take away “solely” from the Incapacity Entry Service eligibility standards to probably broaden the qualifying friends.
As we identified on the time, that probably concerned involvement from a military of attorneys, and even then, its motivations and outcomes are open to interpretation and debate. My finest guess is that Disney needs to melt the perceived limitations within the coverage amongst potential candidates.
To make it seem much less harsh or stringent, to encourage friends apart from these with developmental disabilities to use for DAS. It may very well be a approach of unofficially increasing the scope of eligibility with out making any substantive modifications to the coverage or overhauling this system but once more.
Whereas we’ll by no means know for positive what prompted the “solely” change or what consequence it’ll have on the ratio of approvals to denials, our view is that it’s pretty consequential within the amount of DAS issued regardless of being solely a single phrase.
The motivation for the “solely” change would possibly’ve been the Incapacity Entry Service Class Motion Lawsuit Filed In opposition to Disney Parks. The criticism depends closely on the presence of “solely” in Disney’s earlier DAS coverage, and a requirement letter from final December that preceded the lawsuit.
I might additionally add that there all the earlier modifications in 2025 got here proper across the time of that lawsuit. Within the ~5 months for the reason that final change occurred, which was proper across the one-year anniversary of the DAS overhaul, Walt Disney World has been fairly quiet as to the Incapacity Entry Service program. That is the primary change since then, and it’s comparatively inconsequential.
Beforehand, we expressed optimism that hopefully Walt Disney World was beginning to pay attention and soften its method to Incapacity Entry Service in a measured method. That if there have been a giant dial on DAS coverage depth, Disney cranked it from the minimal to the utmost final yr.
The probably purpose of ping-ponging from one excessive to the opposite was eradicating abuse, making it clear that the corporate was severe about DAS and would solely grant it in essentially the most excessive situations–and scammers needn’t even hassle.
Now that phrase has gotten out that DAS is a severe coverage and never only a rubber-stamp formality, it appeared that Disney was taking that massive DAS dial and decreasing the depth of the method. Again after these modifications within the first few months of the yr, we predicted that extra modifications have been within the pipeline because the new-look DAS crosses its 1-year anniversary, with the corporate looking out to seek out extra of a center floor. That wishful pondering now seems to be incorrect.
I’m undecided what prompted the newest change in regards to the video calls, however in contrast to the others, it seems insignificant.
If I needed to guess, this expanded insurance policies have been pushed in equal elements by a need to cut back visitor confusion and in addition make it clear that recording of the video chat is strictly prohibited. Truthfully, I wouldn’t be in the least shocked if that ‘strictly prohibited’ verbiage was the essential half (given all the viral social media content material), however Disney didn’t need to add that alone, drawing consideration to it–or the why of it.
I don’t know, and it doesn’t appear worthwhile to fixate on this since, once more, it’s a reasonably inconsequential change. The larger information, if something, is the non-news and lack of modifications within the final ~5 months. Between DAS now being over a yr previous and the shortage of significant modifications since its anniversary, it could appear Disney has settled into a snug coverage place with this system.
The information cycle has largely moved on, which isn’t to say that there isn’t nonetheless outrage or heartbroken friends, however that they’re not garnering as a lot consideration or unfavorable protection. Even the DAS advocacy group that was as soon as energetic in opposing the modifications has largely gone dormant; I’ve acquired 3 press releases from them within the final 7 months, and none since August. At one level, their updates have been near-weekly.
Even because the information cycle has largely moved on, we keep our place that Disney ought to discover this center floor. If something, they need to do that exactly as a result of DAS modifications don’t garner the identical sort of consideration, so reform may very well be achieved with out inducing as a lot abuse.
The corporate has an exemplary popularity for visitor service and lodging. Or the corporate did, previous to final yr round this time when the new-look DAS rolled out. A part of these modifications are completely comprehensible, there was rampant abuse exacerbated by social media, entitlement, and Disney creating an incentive for DAS scammers by monetizing line-skipping by way of Lightning Lanes.
There’s no un-ringing that bell and going again to Nineties or 2000s variations of lodging. The world is a unique place. Disney can’t loosen up its guidelines an excessive amount of, or else danger a return to the system being scammed.
There have additionally been heartbreaking tales of DAS denials, lots of which have gone viral for good purpose. These have made clear {that a} extra versatile and humane method providing larger discretion to Forged Members is perfect.
This strongly steered that Disney went too far with the DAS overhaul; the pendulum swung from one excessive to a different, and there was plenty of collateral harm amongst disabled friends who wanted DAS and have been denied underneath the overly-stringent system.
Cranking the DAS dial to its most setting hasn’t simply eradicated the scammers, it has harm friends who’re truly disabled. It’s time to recalibrate from the extremes to the middle.
Finally, we don’t anticipate any main modifications to DAS at Walt Disney World or Disneyland. There may be not going to be one other overhaul to Incapacity Entry Service, absent the aforementioned class motion lawsuit or different litigation prevailing.
That occuring is extremely uncertain–Disney has been sued over each single iteration of those lodging, and I’ve but to seek out any file of them shedding on any depend. The corporate has already endured a prolonged PR hit over these modifications, there’s zero likelihood they’ll voluntarily endure that once more with one other overhaul.
What, if something, does occur will probably be a sluggish trickle of rule relaxations. However with no main modifications within the final 5 months, even that’s now trying more and more unlikely.
The obvious change we’d prefer to see is a “humanizing” of the interview, not simply expanded guidelines and insurance policies for the mechanics of that course of. We’ve heard from many readers who’ve been denied, and there’s a phrase that has been used repeatedly to explain the method: interrogation. Whereas we will recognize how disturbing this course of is for Forged Members and the verbal abuse they take for disgruntled friends, there’s a greater approach of dealing with the method that feels much less adversarial.
This wouldn’t be an precise public-facing coverage change, as it could be nearly unattainable for the corporate to convey. Disney most likely isn’t going to put in writing in its FAQ that “the interview is now an interview, as an alternative of a scene from Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance.” The Disney Authorized staff would possibly be reluctant to approve that verbiage.
On condition that this could occur with out an official coverage change, it’s potential that it’s already occurred! I one way or the other doubt that, although, given current reader complaints. It additionally doesn’t look like strictly prohibiting recording of the video chat is a rule that might’ve simply been applied if these calls have been getting higher. That’s only a hunch, although.
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YOUR THOUGHTS
Ideas on the newest change to DAS guidelines at Walt Disney World? Would you prefer to see Disney additional regulate the large DAS dial, decreasing the depth setting? Hopeful that additional modifications will probably be made that end in elevated approvals for many who actually want DAS whereas protecting abuse low? Agree or disagree with our evaluation of the modifications or coverage as a complete? Please attempt to keep on subject–we’ve observed a few of these DAS feedback sections get heated and private. Focus on the coverage itself, not others’ use (or lack thereof) of it.