Disabilities Eligible For Disney World DAS Disability Pass, Questions Asked in Process, & How to Use

Disney World changed the DAS disability pass eligibility requirements and qualifications last year and we have a deep look at the current application process including the questions asked, how to use the pass, and what happens if you get denied DAS.

The Walt Disney World disability pass is for eligible guests with disabilities that cannot wait in traditional lines. This service is commonly referred to as DAS which stands for Disability Access Service. It is only for certain guests who qualify for the disability pass offering. 

The Walt Disney World disability pass allows guests that qualify access to the Lightning Lane for attractions along with an ADA entrance for attractions that do not have Lightning Lane. Disney modified they system in 2024 and changed the eligibility for DAS to be strictly for guests with “developmental disabilities like autism or similar” which has greatly reduced the use of the system. This article has been checked for accuracy for 2025 and updated with all currently available information. 

What Disabilities Qualify For DAS Disability Pass at Disney World? 

• What prevents you from standing in a conventional line?
• What might cause you to have to leave an attraction queue?

Since eligibility has been reduced for the program, the interview process has become far more stringent and guests will need to explain how their disability impacts their life along with how it impacts their day in the parks. Many guests are denied Disney DAS pass.

We will not go into specific answers of what to say to qualify for DAS to protect the integrity of the program. Disney will focus more on the condition that prevents an individual from waiting in a standard queue instead of the diagnosis. The cast member will not look at doctor's notes or any other type of paperwork. Determination of approval for DAS is based entirely on the conversation with a cast member so be sure to be specific about your or your child's needs. Focus on the challenges faced by waiting in a standard queue and what that experience looks like for yourself or your child. Approval for DAS is an extremely personal process and it is not diagnosis based. Someone's diagnosis may prevent them from waiting in a standard queue while someone else with the same condition may not have the same struggles.

While the DAS eligibility changes have provided a disclaimer of how the service is now meant to be used by those with developmental disabilities, the process will still focus on the experience of the guest with the disability and how it impacts their day to day lives and not just the diagnosis itself. This means that just stating you have autism won't guarantee DAS nor will all those without development disabilities be automatically denied. It also means that something like anxiety won't be blocked based on the policy. It remains a case-by-case basis. 

Once registered for the Disney World disability pass, the pass is valid for the length of the ticket or up to 60 days, whichever is shorter. DAS is only valid at the resort it was issued at but you can only use it at Disney World if approved there and it wouldn't be valid at Disneyland. In that case, a guest would need to reapply. 

The pass allows three members of the DAS holders immediate family to join the DAS holder in their party so the group can ride together. 

Be honest during the conversation with a cast member when applying for DAS. According to Disney, if they determine any of the statements made in the process of obtaining DAS are not true then the guests will be permanently banned from Disneyland, Walt Disney World, and will have any Magic Key/annual passes held revoked.

Disney World Disability Pass Overview 2025

The Walt Disney World disability pass is a program that provides accommodations for guests that have difficulty tolerating long waits in conventional queues. This program is known as DAS which stands for Disability Access Service. This service works by providing guests with a return time for rides that is equal to the current standby time. 

Changes for DAS eligibility went into effect on May 20th 2024 for Walt Disney World limiting the criteria to only those who have a “developmental disability like autism or similar disorder” which prevents them from managing standard attraction queues. These current changes are still in effect and has greatly reduced the use of the program. It is very difficult to get approved for DAS in 2025. 

Guests can only hold one return time at once for attractions but rather than wait in the conventional standby queue, they can enjoy other areas of the park or use this time to rest. The return time does not expire and is good for the rest of the day. Once a guest redeems their return time or cancels it, they can select a new one for an attraction 10 minutes after their last attraction return time was redeemed. This is all done in the My Experience App or guests can visit any of the cast member Guest Services umbrellas around the parks.

So for example, if Seven Dwarfs Mine Train has a 60-minute wait time then the DAS user will return to the attraction in 60 minutes and then will use the Lightning Lane to experience the ride.

What If I am Denied Disney DAS Pass?

If you are denied the Disney DAS Pass, most guests will be offered the option of using Queue Re-Entry or Rider Swap before they are granted DAS. Here is the overview of both these services which can help aid guests denied for DAS.

How to Use Queue Re-entry

Speak to a Cast member at the location for directions on how to re-enter the queue.

1. A Cast Member will provide details about how to exit the queue and how to navigate back to your party.
2. While the Guest who must leave the line is briefly away, the rest of the party will remain in line.
3. The Guest reunites with their party to ride the attraction.

Each ride location will have a defined process to  support this option based on a person’s disability while the rest of the party remains in line. Queue Re-Entry is described as a solution for guests that need to suddenly leave the attraction queue.

Guests can also use Rider Switch as an alternative. To use Rider Switch, guests simply tell the Cast Member that you want to use Rider Switch and you will be divided into two parties. Group one will board first and group two will wait until they are done, then group two enter the Lightning Lane to ride the attraction. The person that is applying for DAS is being recommended to be that person to wait in alternative location while the rest of their party waits in the standard queue until it is their turn to ride using the Lightning Lane.

Discount Walt Disney World Tickets

Our favorite Disney-approved re-seller, Get Away Today, offers the best Walt Disney World discount tickets around. In addition to great discount prices, their customer service and easy support is absolutely fantastic. They have an entire department dedicated to making sure every order has a wonderful experience and they are on-call to help you during your vacation if you need them.

And at no additional charge, you get FREE concierge Walt Disney World services! These services include having Get Away Today's Walt Disney World expert Brooklyn take care of all your dining reservations, free price monitoring, and more! This really takes all the stress out of planning a Walt Disney World vacation. Rather than waking up at odd hours of the night to book all your reservations, why not let their travel agents take care of it for you- for free!

Find discount Walt Disney World tickets here!

Buying tickets from Get Away Today is easy and convenient since all their tickets are sent electronically. You can take their vouchers and head straight to the gate without needing to wait in any ticket booth lines. They also offer layaway plans so you can pay off your vacation over time.

How to Apply for Disney World Disability Pass

There are two ways to apply for the Disney World disability pass currently. The process of applying for DAS has shifted quite a bit in the past year as the service has been made more stringent and the qualifications have been changed.

Guests can technically apply in person at the theme park but they will just be given an iPad to connect with the remote DAS team or they can do the same online interview from home or elsewhere in advance of their trip. Guest services is NO longer interviewing guests for DAS nor handling any eligibility criteria for it. 

The person applying for the Disney World disability pass needs to be present for this conversation whether you sign up in advance or in person. So if you are applying for your child, they need to be present for the conversation with the cast member although you can speak for them. Once the guest applying is approved for DAS they will have their photo taken and linked to their ticket. 

When applying make sure to have all your tickets ready to be linked to the DAS holder's account. As long as everyone is linked to My Experience App then you will be all set. 

Guest Services

There is no longer a face to face option to apply for DAS in Walt Disney World. You can still go to Guest Services but you will be given an iPad that will connect you to someone from the DAS team that works remotely from the parks for your interview. 

DAS Advance

Guests can also choose to pre-register for what Disney World calls “DAS Advance” which allows guests to meet with a cast member using live video chat to apply for DAS. Guests can pre-register as soon as 30 days in advance of a park visit but no less than 2 days before arrival.

Before your chat, make sure to:

• add your travel party to your Family & Friends list, so they can be included in DAS plans
• link valid theme park admission for each member of your party

Other important things to note:

• Live chat is available from 7:00 AM – 10:00 PM Eastern Time.
• At this time, live chat is offered in English only.

Once a cast member becomes available, you will be invited to do a video chat to talk to a cast member about your needs.

DAS advance selection times are NO longer available and were discontinued in 2024. 

Renewing DAS at Disney World

Disney World keeps records of guest's history with using the Disney World disability pass so it will show up in your account if you have used DAS in the past. Qualifying for DAS in the past does not automatically qualify a guest for future passes but it does make the process smoother since the cast member will see you have a history with the program.

All DAS users need to renew their DAS every 60 days or when they are using a new park ticket. The process will be exactly the same each time you reapply.

How to Use DAS at Disney World

Using the Disney World disability pass is easier than ever because, since the introduction of Genie+ at the parks, guests can now use My Experience App to book return times. Once you are scanned into the park, you can book your first return time. Once you enter the park, open My Experience App and sign in to your account. Tap the “More” option at the bottom right of the welcome screen. Then, tap on the Disability Access Service (DAS) button to see the available attractions. The tool can also be accessed from attraction detail screens.

When park hopping, you can't book a return time until you physically scan into that park. So you cannot book a return time for EPCOT if you are currently scanned into Magic Kingdom.You will need to wait until you arrive at EPCOT to book your return time.

You can also have a cast member book return times for you. Just visit guest services or any of the guest services umbrellas around the park. But it is much more efficient to do it from the app. It is quite similar to using Lightning Lane at Disney World and if you like, you can use both Lightning Lane with DAS at the same time.

The Disney World disability pass does not provide instant access to rides so guests still wait to experience the attraction, they just have the option of waiting somewhere else aside from the standard queue. Once your return time is ready, just go to the entrance to the Lightning Lane and scan your ticket or MagicBand. The person that is registered for DAS has to scan first before the other members of the group.

The scanner turns blue for DAS guests and the cast member will have to approve it on their end, this is where they verify the photo matches who is scanning in first. This is quick though and you can move seamlessly through Lightning Lane with everyone else, using DAS does not make guests stand out in anyway. 

Once you have redeemed your current ride selection, you simply wait ten minutes to book your next one.

Does DAS work on all rides?

Disney World's DAS system works on all rides at the theme parks including those without a Lightning Lane and the Individual Lightning Lane attractions.

For attractions that do not have Lightning Lane, just simply ask a cast member and they will typically direct you to enter through the exit of an attraction. 

What if a ride breaks down?

Just like with Lightning Lane Multi Pass at Disney World, if an attraction breaks down that you held a return for, you will be given a Multiple Experience Pass. A Multiple Experience Pass allows guests to redeem this return time on the attractions listed on the pass, at any time. You can then also book a new return time right away.

Virtual Queue & Disney World Disability Pass

When a virtual queue is used, typically for a new attraction, DAS users will still need to obtain a boarding group to experience the attraction. If a DAS guest succeeds in requesting a boarding group they will be able to access the attraction through the Lightning Lane just as they would for other attractions.

A Guest can hold one active DAS return time and join one virtual queue at the same time. Once their boarding group is called, the Guest utilizing DAS, along with their party, will be able to access that attraction through a shorter line as they did previously with virtual queue attractions.

Disney World Disability Pass at Special Events

The Disney World disability pass works differently at special events like Mickey's Not Very Scary Halloween Party and Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party. If it's an event where Lightning Lane isn't offered, then typically DAS will not be offered either. This is because the lines for rides are typically so short that it is not necessary to use the Lightning Lane. 

Depending on the event, you can request a return time for certain lines. For example, at Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party DAS holders can request a return time to meet certain characters like Jack Skellington and Sally. A cast member at the entrance to the character meet and greet will assign a return time and then direct you to a separate queue when you return. Depending on each party, this may change but if you encounter any difficulties just ask a cast member about possible DAS accommodations. 

How many guests can you have on a Disney World disability pass?

You can have up to three guests on a Disney World disability pass with the DAS holder for a total of four. If you have a large family, you may be able to add more to the DAS holder's group but this is not guaranteed. The standard rule is a total of four including the DAS holder.

Guests with Cognitive Disabilities

Disney has an entire Guide for Guests with Cognitive Disabilities which provides more detailed information and tips for Guests utilizing DAS to use in planning their visit. This guide is extremely helpful for guests with cognitive disabilities! 

Do I Need Lightning Lane Multi Pass if I have DAS?

You can absolutely use Lightning Lane if you have DAS. It is not needed as you will likely be able to do everything you want to do with DAS. But it can be a great way to maximize your day by using both Lightning Lane and DAS at the same time.