Disney fans with disabilities say the company’s new restrictions on a system that previously allowed people with disabilities to avoid long lines to ride the park are denying access to many who previously had access to the park.
According to Disability Access Services (DAS) policy, the new rules limit use of the service to “individuals with developmental disabilities, such as autism, or similar disabilities.” Previous policy allowed any guest who “has a disability that makes it difficult for them to wait long periods of time in a traditional queuing environment” to sign up for DAS, usually by calling the company. Disney said the change is in response to a tripling of DAS users over the past few years.
Disney fans are resisting the change by sharing their experiences trying to update DAS on social media and by organizing online.
More than 18,000 people have signed a Change.org petition calling on Disney executives to recalibrate the new policy. The petition was started in April by a group called DAS Defenders, which describes itself as a “grassroots coalition of over 2,600 people” formed in opposition to the DAS changes. The group also sent a letter to Disney executives asking them to revise the policy. Disney has not yet responded to the group.
“Historically, Disney has been a symbol of inclusion, acceptance and joy for people with disabilities who often face discrimination, lack of access and difficulties navigating complex situations,” the letter states. “Yet with recent changes, Disney is undermining that tradition by removing accommodations that have existed for many years, leaving many people with disabilities feeling abandoned.”
Disney World began enforcing the new DAS rules on May 20. Disneyland will begin enforcing the same rules on June 18.
At each attraction, guests who register for DAS receive a pass to return to the attraction through a priority entry line after the same wait time they would have had to wait in the regular line. This separate line is the same line available to guests who pay for Disney’s Genie+ service, and is designed to move guests much faster and with fewer people than the regular lines. The paid Genie+ system replaced the previous free Fastpass system in 2021.
A Disney spokesperson said: “We are incredibly proud of and understand the importance of accessibility in our theme parks, which is why we work with our cast team to provide a comprehensive website of innovative services to ensure our guests have the best experience possible.”
Disney also noted other accommodations it makes for guests with disabilities, including mobility aid rentals, sign language interpretation and dietary accommodations.
An NBC News search of Facebook, Reddit and X (formerly Twitter) found more than 30 social media posts from people with disabilities since May 20 sharing their experiences of either being personally denied DAS or witnessing a spouse, child, parent or sibling with a disability being denied because of the new changes. Posts included people with conditions including orthostatic intolerance (POTS), Crohn’s disease, post-traumatic stress disorder, type 1 diabetes and prosthetic limbs.
NBC News spoke to two people who previously had DAS permits but were denied renewals in May after the changes were made, saying that without DAS permits they would no longer be able to ride major Disney World attractions.
Kristin, who spoke on condition that her last name not be used because she works for a third party on Disney property, has a heart condition called supraventricular tachycardia, which causes irregular heartbeats. She provided medical documentation of her diagnosis to NBC News. Kristin said she had fainted before after standing in long outdoor lines at Disney World. But when she tried to sign up again for DAS, she was told she was no longer eligible.
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Kristin said that when she called Disney in May, an employee initially told her she was considered a good candidate for DAS, but when she was connected to a second person, a purported medical professional, she was turned down, she said.
“This is happening after COVID, when a lot of people who didn’t have a disability before find out they have COVID or an invisible disability,” Christine said. “It feels like a kind of betrayal.”
Before the DAS changes were implemented, there was widespread belief among Disney fans and even Disney itself that people without disabilities were “gamed” the system to avoid waiting in long lines – even though they don’t have disabilities. Christine said Disney’s decision to limit eligibility punishes people with disabilities for actions that a minority may have taken to “game the system.”
Maria Towne, president and CEO of the American Council on Disability, said the DAS changes reflect a reduction in facilities for people with disabilities.
“Right now, we’re seeing an increased percentage of people becoming disabled as a result of a Long Covid situation. The ongoing Covid pandemic is estimated to have created 2 million more people with disabilities than we’ve seen to this point,” Town told NBC News, citing figures from the Brookings Institution. “As the Covid public health emergency has ended, we’ve seen a reduction in accommodations.”
Town said he began hearing from people with disabilities and their families as soon as the new DAS changes went into effect. He said that based on the way Disney’s current policy is written, the new eligibility requirements would exclude people with chronic health conditions or invisible disabilities, such as those who are sensitive to heat.
“One of the things that really concerned me when I looked at the changes is that the new eligibility requirements really limit the types of disabilities that can qualify for this pass,” Town said. “These kinds of changes really go against the way the disability community has worked to craft disability policy.”
One alternative Disney has for guests who are denied DAS is to wait in the regular line, then when they can’t wait any longer, they can leave the line and receive a pass to return later. Kristin said this isn’t an option for many people with disabilities because of the possibility of an emergency occurring in the regular line.
“In the end, the experts and cast members seemed to agree that none of the alternatives they suggested were healthy or viable for me, but they weren’t going to offer them to me and I left the call knowing I would not be comfortable riding many of the attractions,” Christine said (Disney refers to its employees as “cast members”). “I wouldn’t be able to take full advantage of my annual pass. It was a very strange experience.”