The criteria for Disneyland's Disability Access Pass (“DAS” for short) underwent sweeping changes this summer drastically limiting the eligibility of the pass due to abuse and general overuse of the system.
We've already covered all the reports of past users of the program being denied under these new rules along with language being added to the interview process to clear Disney of any potential lawsuits. The changes to DAS have been emotional for many of our readers and our continued coverage of these changes is to help prepare previously eligible guests for what to expect when they reapply under this new criteria.
A member of our team that previously used DAS recently applied and their experience was drastically different than it was prior to these new changes. Keep scrolling for all the details of the new Disneyland DAS interview process and why they were denied!
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What is the New Criteria for Disneyland DAS?
The Disneyland Disability Access Program (DAS) was changed on June 18th to modify the criteria to state that DAS is only to “accommodate those Guests who, due to a developmental disability like autism or similar disorder” that cannot manage standard attraction queues.
These changes are a result of the extensive overuse of the program along with rumored abuse from “unofficial Disney tour guide” groups that may have been taking advantage of the program for profit. The use of DAS has skyrocketed in the last four years which has resulted in long Lightning Lane queues which has negatively impacted the park experience for all guests.
READ MORE – 👉Click here for ALL the details and reasoning behind the new Disney Parks Disability Pass changes!
Disneyland DAS Applicants Face Lengthy Wait Times
Guests who wish to apply for DAS prior to their visit can do so on the Disneyland website. A member of our team's experience with this application process was not a positive one.
They tried multiple times throughout the week, even logging on right when the application waiting room opened at 8AM PT, and often waited more than five hours without being connected to a cast member.
On their most recent try, they waited a little over six hours before finally being connected to a cast member. From what the cast member shared, they are doing these interviews live from Disneyland which would also explain the long wait times if there are not many cast members on hand to respond quickly to DAS applicants.
Prior to the changes, many cast members appeared to be working from call centers or even from home when they interviewed guests for DAS. It could be that Disneyland has streamlined the number of cast members available for these interviews now that the program has tightened up the criteria. They may hope that eventually fewer guests will be applying once word spreads that the eligibility for the disability pass program is so limited.
NEW Disneyland Disability Pass Interview Process Feels Like Interrogation
The details a member of our team shared with us about the new interview process included a variety of new questions plus an overall experience that felt like an interrogation.
Once they were connected to a cast member, they were then asked a variety of questions that I've paraphrased below, some of these questions aren't worded exactly word from word. Some might think it's wrong to share these interview questions and we used to feel that way especially when Disneyland DAS diasibility pass abuse was widespread.
However, since Disneyland has now tightened up the criteria so strictly on the DAS approval we feel it's okay to share these Disney DAS pass interview questions especially to help guests prepare for what to expect moving forward with this new approval process.
- What difficulties do you face when in line at Disneyland?
- How do you handle lines when you encounter them in day to day life?
- Do you receive accommodations in other areas of your life?
- What methods at Disneyland have you tried that have worked?
- What methods at Disneyland have you tried that have NOT worked?
- What do you do if you are in line and experience difficulties?
The interview itself took over 30 minutes and at the end of it, the member of our team was then denied because their disability was not considered “like autism or similar.” They verified with the cast member twice on the denial for DAS and both times the cast member confirmed the denial was strictly based on their needs not aligning with the diagnosis of autism.
This does confirm what we already know about the new criteria although much of the commentary we heard in the beginning was that DAS would remain a needs based process and not one purely based on diagnosis. This does appear to further confirm that the DAS service is now only available to those that qualify as having a “developmental disability like autism or similar.”
Return to Queue Offered as DAS Alternative
Rather than being flat out told they were denied for DAS, the cast member instead said they were approved for the Return to Queue option at Disneyland. Return to Queue allows guests to leave the line when they need to do and when they return they can then rejoin the line from the spot they were at before.
We offer this experience so guests can prepare themselves not just for the long wait time to be connected to a cast member but also the lengthy interview process. It can be stressful to voice your personal struggles to a stranger and being prepared is a great way to alleviate that stress.
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don’t know how you are suppose to FIND a cast member when on a crowded wait line. If I need to get to a bathroom spending time trying to figure out how to get out will not work. IBS or panic attacks don’t wait for someone to show up, it’s get out NOW or there can be a mess or melt down. Either way the que line will get a lot shorter. What do you take a picture of the wall or the people around you that they might object to. This is causing a lot of problems that can be avoided. I have been a pass holder for over 20 years and used the return time for my husband’s disability, and recently I have been diagnosed with disabilities so we both need assistance. (we both have medical documentation to back up what we say). We will no longer be a passholder if this nonsense continues, we are suffering due to a few people that abuse the system.
I was diagnosed autistic with anxiety in February 2024 after decades of struggle. I have sensory issues which need to be accommodated at my workplace because of the amount of sensory overwhelm and stress they cause. I was approved for the DAS at that time, and it greatly assisted my visits. Since it was revamped, I applied on Monday, July 15, 2024, and was denied even though I am exactly the customer the current DAS is supposed to be for. Meanwhile, others with physical disabilities are being approved. Don’t get me wrong, I’m certainly glad they are. For those of us who are disabled, we need all the help we can get, so I’m definitely not going to begrudge them their accommodation. However, this shows wild inconsistency in Disney’s decision-making process.
Frankly, I’d like to see them use a third-party like the IBCCES Accessibility Card (IAC), or for them to accept our diagnosis paperwork if we were to volunteer it if it will help combat fraud. Universal Studios Hollywood reached out to me within two hours of being approved for my IAC to ascertain what kind of accommodations I would need.
You forgot the most important point leaving a child alone in line while you go have a medical emergency and then find them when you are done. Good one disney.
It’s just sad I suffer from anxiety , panic attacks, adhd and add and ocd symptoms.!! Frankly i don’t understand how I could be approved once and not anymore it’s like Disney doesn’t care anymore about us .! Long lines I just can’t do and buying a lightning lane doesn’t help if I am suffering from one of my conditions in the park .! Disney needs to fix this because they will turn people off , I do my best but some days I just can’t do it and almost not worth going being treated this way .!
I’m a senior with hip back and knee issues and I was dismayed when I learned about the new rules. I did not bother trying to get a DAS interview for a recent solo visit; I knew it would be futile. The lines were insane due to the closures of the entire southwest quadrant of the park. Fortunately I can entertain myself at Disneyland without waiting in too many lines. This was a solo trip and I was fine with circumstances as they were. I’ll be going again with my family in a few months and we will just invest in Genie +, which–as I understand it–will provide essentially the same benefit as a DAS pass. I do feel for those who have come to rely on DAS for very serious reasons.
I think having the questions on here just helps those that are taking advantage of the system. By knowing the questions they have time to prepare their fake answers to manipulate the system. Honestly, there should be a system where doctors notes or diagnosis papers are required. You don’t even have to have an actual diagnosis on the form. Just something from a certified medical professional that says what your limitations are that need accommodations.
And to those that keep crying about how are they supposed to leave a child in line alone if they have a medical emergency, how many people actually come to Disney with only one adult and children? Hardly any. The vast majority come with another adult (or multiple adults). And if you have a medical condition that is so extreme that you have “medical emergencies” it is highly irresponsible of you to take children alone without another adult who could stay with them while you take care of your medical situation. Just my two cents. I think Disney does its best to accommodate people, but they have to draw a line somewhere. I have two kids on the spectrum. We don’t even bother trying to get the DAS pass because they have been able to manage the lines. But when they were too little to be able to do that, we just didn’t go to places where they would have to wait in long lines.
so my sister was denied after all this time being approved. She now does not meet the new criteria. She needs to use a scooter to get around Disneyland and California Adventure. She explained in great detail that she cannot wait in lines longer that what most lightning lanes are usually because of mental and physical conditions. SO that being said, she was denied and the rider switch or whatever its called was suggested to us. Its almost always just the two of us that go, and knowing that she cannot wait in line, now I am supposed to wait in that range in 20 to 120 minutes by myself and away from her. then when I am about to board, contact a cast member and have my sister meet me with her scooter because she cant walk or stand for too long, where we are to board?? How does that even make sense. This has not been change for the better for us and I would say its safe to say for a lot of people that love going to Disneyland and California Adventure.
Good. I’m so tired of this BS autism excuse. It seems like half the kids have it anymore. Maybe look into healthy eating and alternative methods of dealing with that instead of Big Pharma medicines that probably caused this in the first place. And why are you out in public in the first place if you or they can’t handle thing? Security lines. The crowds. Hell, the rides themselves. Just another excuse and why it was abused because of so many of you out there.
I wish I had known this existed years ago, even though it doesn’t matter as much now. I was in line at Disneyland for about 40 minutes and had to leave immediately due to IBS. It was either run away, having had lost all that time, or poop myself. People have no idea how debilitating this condition is. It isn’t like most adults, where you can “hold it” until you get to a bathroom.
I’m saying this as a mom to a non-verbal autistic child who did qualify for the pass this time (thankfully, I was worried). The interview I did with my son there in the room with me did not take this long, but then it was pretty clear from the start he’d pass as he was in a very “talkative” mode when we began and the nurse mentioned that.
To me, it felt like Disney’s NEW DAS pass system is only supplying it to folk who they feel may bother the the guests in line. With my son, his sounds and gesturing bother sensitive folk.
Now, my daughter who is also autistic, but she’s much more independent, I don’t think they’d pass her. Why? She’s quiet. Her stimming is simply spinning and hiding behind her shirt ( she wears doubles for this reason 😉 ) But since she’s “fine” most of the time they’d make her stay in line. Thankfully she didn’t have to as my son was approved.
My overall opinion: Disney really messed this up.
I wonder if a state disability approval paper would work.
Visiting WDW7/29/24
I’m a polio (R hip) survivor & can’t stand in lines or walk very efficiently anymore. I have started to use an ECV – which is why I was denied a DAS. I’m told the WDW staff will see my scooter & most queues are accessible, so no need for a DAS.
I had my interview online & it was very quick. The only question I was asked was why I thought I needed a DAS.