Disneyland guests still frustrated with updated Disability Access Service program

Changes to Disneyland’s Disability Access Service program, or DAS, haven’t been a magical experience for all guests.

The Anaheim theme park resort rolled out changes to the popular program in June to address misuse, which resulted in longer attraction queues and backed-up Genie+ lanes, currently known as Lightning Lane Multi-Pass, for guests.

To help determine an individual’s eligibility for DAS, Disney requires guests to speak to a cast member about their difficulty waiting in long lines.

Rose Keiser, a long-time DAS user who was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, has described the updated DAS questioning procedure as “invasive.”

“It’s kind of like you are exposing the deepest, darkest parts of your soul,” Keiser told KTLA. ”I’m exposing all this information to someone I know nothing about. They aren’t my friend. They have no medical training. So, how are they supposed to understand what I’m telling them?”

Keiser also explained that she was deeply affected by the interview process and left “shaking.”

“I have MS tremors that pretty much impact my whole body,” Keiser said. “So, when I hit a certain limit, everything shakes, and I’ll drop things. I can’t function. I can’t really hold onto things. And that kind of happened after that interview.”

According to Keiser, the old interview process for DAS only took about 10 minutes to complete, while the new one can last hours. Some fans refer to the updated questioning procedure as “interrogations.”

The new guidelines are meant to limit the DAS program primarily to guests with developmental disabilities like autism and other neurodivergent conditions.

While Keiser, who is a Disney blogger with over 34,000 followers on Instagram , was approved for a DAS pass under the new guidelines, she says she’s heard stories about children with cancer, individuals with autism or other conditions getting denied.

“My heart breaks every single day and when I go (to Disneyland), I feel bad that they can’t go,” Keiser said. “It’s really weird, kind of like it affects my ability to enjoy fully (the theme park.) ”

Keiser isn’t the only one who disapproves of the changes made to DAS. In April, a group representing guests with disabilities, known as DAS Defenders, wrote a letter to Walt Disney Co. executives, including CEO Bob Iger, and started a petition urging the company to reverse recent updates to the program.

“By excluding a broad range of disabilities that cannot tolerate lines for medical reasons, Disney is putting individuals in jeopardizing situations. The new policy fails to meet the genuine needs of all disabled guests; it is ableist and belittling,” the letter said.

According to the park’s website, DAS isn’t the only option for guests with disabilities to enjoy the theme park. Other accessibility options include a sensory experience guide, sign language interpreters, wheelchair and scooter rentals and video closed captioning on some rides.

Guests with disabilities can also exit and re-enter an attraction queue as needed and rejoin their party before they board the ride or utilize the ride switch option.

“We are listening to our guests and have taken steps to clarify how to use our many accommodation options. We have also doubled the DAS enrollment period for eligible guests to 240 days and provided our Cast with additional information to better assist our guests. Our Accessibility Services team have all gone through training to support these conversations, and we have medical professionals as a resource if needed,” a Disneyland Resort spokesperson told KTLA in an emailed statement.

More information about accessibility options at the resort can be found here.

Still, Keiser believes Disney could do more to make DAS and other accessibility options more inclusive to more people. She hopes Disney would improve its cast member training for those who handle DAS interviews and work with the disability community to find practical and realistic solutions to the current problems within the program.

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