Disney with Disabilities :: The Disability Access Service (DAS) Pass

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I’m going to be totally truthful here: The idea of taking my daughter to Disney terrified me.

We’re used to the world being inaccessible to disabled children in a lot of really hard ways.

Sometimes, when a place is “easily accessible” or “immediately accommodating” it comes as such a shock that takes me an extra minute to even process. Though this might sound like a harsh exaggeration to some, it is our lived experience as a family.

So naturally, when I started thinking about going through an airport, on an airplane, and staying in a hotel with the goal of visiting stimulating theme parks that could be hard to navigate for someone with mobility challenges, it felt really overwhelming.

While getting through the airport and traveling via airplane turned out exactly as I (unfortunately) expected, I did discover something about Disney that is about as magical as it comes: the Disability Access Service, also known as the DAS pass.

It seemed too good to be true, but it turned out to be even better than I could have imagined.

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Based on our experience (in late 2022), here are all the things we learned about the DAS pass!

Please note: The use of the words “you” and “your” are non-specific and may apply to the disabled person in your party, the parent, or your party as a whole.

What is it?

The DAS pass allows a disabled person and their party of up to six people to get a “return time” for an attraction instead of waiting in the queue. While it doesn’t grant you immediate access to the attraction, it does prevent you from *conventionally* having to wait in a long line. The time you have to wait before returning to the attraction is comparable to the current queue wait (AKA, the same amount of time you’d wait if you were standing in the actual line). Similarly, you can only have one active “return” time.

How are you eligible for it?

Who is NOT eligible?

How do you apply for it?

What information do they need during the interview?

First of all, you do not need to directly disclose the specifics of your disability, nor do you have to provide any kind of medical documentation. While you are free to do so, HIPPA laws protect you from being obligated. During the interview, it is helpful to clearly communicate the following information:

Why waiting in line makes the attraction inaccessible.
What you experience when you have to wait in line for an extended period of time.
Why it would be helpful to wait outside of the traditional queue.

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Okay, now that you’ve been approved to have a DAS pass, you should know the details:

Where can you use it?

How do you get a "return time"?

You can use the My Disney Experience app to see the current wait times and reserve a return time. If this is challenging, you can ask a cast member to help you at the attraction itself or go to guest services for assistance.

*Secret hack: You can reserve a return time once you have scanned your Magic Band at the front entrance of the park, or once you’ve scanned your band to go into a previously selected attraction.

What do you do while you're waiting?

What do you do when it's time to return?

When you’re allowed to return, you go to the attraction and tell the cast member in the Lightning Lane that you are returning with a DAS pass. They will scan your band and let you in. You do not have to return at the exact return time and will be allowed in any time after your specified return time.

*Secret hack: While you (briefly) wait in line for the attraction you got a “return time” for, you can book your next “return time” for a different attraction in the My Disney Experience app.

How long is it good for?

Extra bonus!

Of course, this is not without some hiccups.

Applying Virtually

It's not for everything

The DAS pass is not available for ALL rides. (You can see the list of available rides Disney has posted on their website.) Still more confusing, there are rides in Magic Kingdom that operate on a separate “return time” system for DAS pass users who have wheelchairs or “strollers as wheelchairs.” We found this out the hard way when we tried to use our pass at Big Thunder Mountain Railroad.

Transportation

The "extras"

Meeting the Princesses at Epcot

The scammers