Your Guide to Disney’s Disability Access Service (DAS)
Disney’s Disability Access Service (DAS) can be an extremely helpful resource for many guests.
While DAS has been scrutinized due to its stringent eligibility requirements, it’s still a valuable resource that allows eligible guests to experience the parks to their fullest extent–something disabilities can make difficult.
Space Mountain
If you’re new to the DAS process, it can be pretty overwhelming. So, to help you understand the service, we’ve created a complete guide to DAS!
What Is DAS?
DAS is one of Disney’s accommodation services, intended to serve guests with developmental disabilities, like autism. However, the service provides eligibility based on necessity, not diagnosis. It’s solely meant to support guests who cannot wait in conventional queues for long periods.
Both the Disneyland Resort and Disney World Resort have DAS, but there are minor differences between the two. (We’ll cover those.)
“it’s a small world”
DAS allows eligible guests to use the resorts’ respective apps to request return times for attractions, comparable to the current posted standby wait. The maximum party size for DAS is the user and 3 additional guests (4 guests total), but exceptions are typically made for guests with larger immediate families.
Registration/Eligibility
To determine eligibility and register (if applicable), guests must have a discussion with a Cast Member via live video chat, as soon as 60 days in advance of a park visit. (Disneyland Resort guests can also have eligibility determined at the on-site Accessibility Services Kiosk.) Eligibility lasts the length of the ticket or up to 1 year–whichever is shorter. (Guests must re-register when eligibility ends.)
CenTOONial Park
During the eligibility discussion, Cast Members will ask questions to assess what service(s) the guest might qualify for. Sometimes that can be DAS, other times it might be other accommodations–like the ability to leave the queue and return when the guest’s party makes it to the front of the line.
Haunted Mansion
During the call, Cast Members can also provide helpful resources, like quiet spots around the parks, planning strategies, restroom information, and more. (Here is the Accessibility Planning Guide and Recommendations for Disney World and Disneyland. I highly recommend using these.)
Using DAS
To use DAS, the guest (or their parent/guardian/caretaker) must download the Disneyland app (Disneyland Resort) or the My Disney Experience app (Disney World Resort).
Once in the app, click on the ( ≡ ) icon located at the bottom right corner. This will bring up a menu page that has the DAS button.
Once a guest is on the DAS page, they can schedule a return time for the attraction of their choosing. When the return time has come around, guests can head to the attraction and scan the DAS barcode.
Tower of Terror
The DAS guest, and their party, will either enter the attraction through the Lightning Lane or through a special route for DAS users (for rides without Lightning Lanes). Guests are able to obtain another return time for an attraction of their choosing 10 minutes after the current return time is redeemed.
Photo: Disney
There you have it–that’s everything you need to know about DAS!
Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind
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