Here's Why Disney Parks Disability Access Service Changes Are Sparking Controversy

Disney Parks might be magical, but you can't escape the inevitability of waiting in lines. Disneyland and Walt Disney World developed the Disability Access Service (DAS) to provide guests living with disabilities a less strenuous waiting experience. Yet myriad issues with the program, including its alleged abuse by individuals without disabilities, led to an overhaul that has guests heated, to say the least.

Access to DAS does not mean qualifying visitors don't have to wait at all; they simply receive a return time to go on a ride if they cannot physically stay in the line. So, guests with mobility devices do not necessarily qualify, as they can potentially remain in the queue. Instead, DAS caters to park-goers with a "developmental disability like autism or similar disorder," per the Disney World website. Before the 2024 program update, the umbrella of who qualified for DAS covered a broader range of people and didn't specify developmental disabilities.

Prior to the changes, even third-party tour guides allegedly took advantage of the system. This, and similar abuse, has reportedly persisted for some time. According to Disney (via The Washington Post), use of the DAS program has tripled in the last five years. Folks caught abusing the program or lying about qualifications face permanent removal from the park, resulting in a lifetime ban. Given the DAS's less-than-stellar track record, why are so many Disney Parks-goers upset about the overhaul?

Disney guests used to have the option to get complimentary FastPasses, allowing them to bypass lines during their trip. However, this changed with the introduction of Genie+, which can cost a pretty penny. The Disability Access Service, as the only remaining free Disney Parks program that allows a guest and their party to go to a ride at a specific time and jump the queue, reportedly caught the interest of fraudsters. This may have happened in part due to the fact that, in the past and current versions of the program, Disney Parks does not require confirmation by a medical professional to gain access to the DAS.

According to SF Gate, abuse of the DAS became more apparent after the COVID-19 pandemic due to encouragement on social media. One Redditor even claimed they overheard guests in line telling each other to lie about panic attacks to get into the program. On the other hand, now that the DAS has much stricter parameters, some users in a thread on X (formerly known as Twitter) speculated that it wasn't abuse of the system but rather a desire to sell more Genie+ programs that led to the change. Another commenter pointed to Disney influencers who allegedly took advantage of the program. A third called out a creator who reportedly made a video years prior advising people to get a wheelchair to skip lines at the parks. Of course, both explanations could be true.

Before the Disability Access Service update, guests could apply before arrival or at Guest Services. Now, the program is lumped into your planning process, like picking the right clothes to avoid a big Disney World packing mistake. Visitors no longer have the option to apply for the DAS in person. However, if you forget to apply during the 30 days before you enter the park, you can try to make a virtual appointment when you get to Disney World.

Unfortunately, some individuals on social media claim they've had issues securing an appointment altogether. One Redditor said they waited online for over three and a half hours. Likewise, a person in another Reddit thread asserted that they waited six hours for their interview. The DAS applicants in the various discussions also expressed frustration with the approval process, pointing to the fact that the interviewing cast member, rather than a doctor, had the final say, at least without escalation. However, one Redditor managed to secure a transfer to a medical professional after getting denied for the DAS during their appointment.

Another Redditor described the process as "miserable," stating that it felt like the cast member they spoke with assumed the worst from the start. "My son has been using a DAS pass since he was about 4. He is neurodivergent and was born with a chromosomal abnormality ... He was at first denied a DAS pass. We asked to speak to a shift lead and explained our situation and almost 2 hours later were granted a pass."

A guest may not be able to tolerate standing in line for Slinky Dog Dash at Hollywood Studios (Disney's worst-rated theme park) for a number of reasons. Yet, many of those reasons don't align with the new DAS rules. Some visitors denied access to the Disability Access Service received a Return Time accommodation offer instead, which is only available at certain attractions. Other than buying a Genie+ or individual ride Lightning Lanes, park-goers outside the DAS don't have options other than Location Return Times, an accommodation used when a guest needs to leave the line and come back later to rejoin their party.

Yet, users on Reddit have pointed out issues with these returns. One person noted that the system wouldn't work for them because they visit the parks only with their partner, who they need assistance from when using the bathroom. Given this requirement, they wouldn't have a party to return to. Another Redditor said they felt so embarrassed after going through the Location Return Time system at Animal Kingdom that they left the park immediately after the ordeal. "Under the new system, the only accommodation I was given was a return to Q," they wrote. "The issue with return to Q at Kilimanjaro Safaris is that there is no park employee to assist with exiting the Q. So I had to explain to 50 strangers why I needed to exit the Q to get room for the wheelchair to pass and remove rope crowd control barriers."

Aside from the inability to remain in line due to a medical condition, who qualifies for the Disability Access Service remains largely unclear. However, since the updates, cognitive conditions seem to have higher approval rates than the physical variety, a situation which has upset many guests and advocates. For example, a petition launched in April 2024 against the change has garnered over 25,000 signatures.

"By excluding a diverse range of disabilities and implementing impractical solutions such as bathroom return lines and rider switches, Disney is putting disabled individuals at risk and subjecting them to unnecessary challenges and humiliation," the petition reads. It also points out that the old  DAS policy more broadly applied to anyone who had "difficulty tolerating extended waits in a conventional queue environment due to a disability" rather than pointing to solely cognitive disabilities.

Without more encompassing solutions in the new DAS rollout, some guests who previously qualified have lost out. Some have shared online that they can no longer enjoy most rides anymore, as they have no guarantee that they can get out of line fast enough if they need to. So, in some ways, it seems the fraudsters lose out, but so do the guests who need the DAS program to fully enjoy the Disney Parks magic.