Disability Access Service (DAS)
 

Would just like to know people's experiences of getting a DAS card? Is it a simple enough process? My father in law is joining us on our wdw trip this year and he suffers from chronic gout and the pain made worse by the heat can be really bad especially in his knees (I know he won't go for a mobility scooter) would it help if he takes a doctors letter or proof of medication? As I know he would probably rather provide proof than discuss his condition in detail with a CM. I plan on relying on fp for the popular rides anyway so it would more be used on rides with short waits that I wouldn't bother making fp for, but it would just be peace of mind knowing that he would be able to cope in the parks even then he will probably have to take rest days.

Hi have a look further down at the special needs thread, you will find lots of good information there.:wavey:

Thank you I didn't realise there was a thread for disabilities 😊

Yes, I am interested as my husband is disabled, I always keep an eye on it, dibbers put lots of good up to date information on it

It’s very easy to get a DAS card. You need to go to the customer services at any of the parks and just ask one of the cast members there.

You don’t need to take any information with you and they are not allowed to ask you for any detailed information. All you need to tell them is that your father in law finds it very difficult to stand in line for long periods.

They will put the DAS onto his MDE account and then you can add up to 5 family or friends to the DAS and they will be the people who will ride with him.

To use the DAS just go up to whichever ride entrance and say you want to get a DAS return time. The cast me ever will scan his magic band or ticket and ask him who else needs will ride with him. They will then give you a return time which is more or less equivalent to the current standby return time. Then all you do is go back to the fastpass entrance at the given return time or later.

Just as a point of note he can only hold one DAS return at any onetime so he needs to use it before he can get another. He can replace a return time if he decides he doesn’t want to go on the ride he’s holding the return time for and want to go on something else.

Hope this information helps.

Thank you very much, everything I needed to know!

Be aware getting a DAS for mobility issues is not guaranteed. Not wanting to use a scooter or wheelchair if they are suitable to help with the issue isn't enough to get a DAS pass. If is mainly intended for people who can not WAIT in line rather than people who can't STAND in line. My daughter is autistic and a wheelchair user due to a neurological issue. Her DAS is due to her autism not her physical illness.

We have just spent a week in the parks with visiting family. My uncle really struggles with his knees as well. He insisted he didn't need a wheelchair but by the third day was very glad to borrow my daughter's spare one. Using her DAS pass was far less helpful for him as it can actually mean more walking going back and forth.

It could work at slow times, or with a very sympathetic Cast Member, but this is typically a condition for which the DAS would be denied (at peak times)

Finding it difficult to stand in lines for long periods is not a qualifying disability for DAS, as it's "solved" by using mobility devices.

DAS is made mainly for invisible disabilities, and disabilities that are not solved by mobility devices alone.

I too have a hard time standing in lines, but that's not the reason I get DAS for. Other conditions are the reasons (which I won't disclose)

but if standing in line was my only "issue", I know DAS would not be for me
and, as DonnaD mentionned, if standing in line was the issue, actually DAS could be detrimental, as you'll still need to do the FP+ line which may take time, compared to using the exit to the ride, and directly transferring from a sitting position to the ride vehicle.

DAS is designed for those who cannot stay in lines for reasons other than just not being able to stand up for the duration of the line

the DAS is not for people purely with mobility issues, that is what wheelchairs and scooters are for, your FIL may well have a change of heart when he sees just how many people use scooters over at the parks. It really isn't an issue.

My uncle certainly did. The wheelchair meant he could do full days and go on all the big rides without pain. He was adamant he wouldn't use it before he went.