Business owners often struggle to meet the needs of customers and visitors with all types of disabilities while not letting non-disabled people take advantage of the services available for disabled people. Of course, remaining in compliance with state and federal disability laws is also crucial.
Disneyland in Anaheim and Walt Disney World in Orlando are facing backlash from guests who say they have been denied Disney’s Disability Access Service (DAS) pass after both of the U.S.-based Disney resorts made changes to the requirements earlier this year.
How has eligibility changed?
Previously, the DAS pass was available to “guests who have difficulty tolerating extended waits in a conventional queue environment due to a disability.” This encompassed people with physical and other types of disabilities.
The pass is now available only for “guests who, due to a developmental disability like autism or similar, are unable to wait in a conventional queue for an extended period of time.” An online petition with tens of thousands of signatures said that Disney is now preventing “cancer patients, veterans with PTSD, Parkinson’s, Multiple Sclerosis, those with rare diseases and more” from experiencing the parks that many of them have enjoyed for decades.
What benefits does the pass offer?
This pass allows guests to avoid long lines for rides. Those with a DAS pass are able to use the “Lightning Lanes” at no charge. Other guests need to pay as much as $35 to get in these lanes. They register for a ride and a time to arrive for it.
While no one with Disney has publicly said that the pass was being abused, the change came following a tripling of issuances over the past five years. Disneyland implemented the changes shortly before Memorial Day.
Disney notes that it provides other accommodations for those with disabilities, including scooter and wheelchair rentals, captioning on some rides and sign language interpreters. However, some people have petitioned Disney to reverse its recent changes to DAS accessibility.
It’s certainly possible for a business to fail to meet the needs of many of its disabled customers and guests without running afoul of the law. It’s crucial to keep both the law and the business’s reputation in mind before making any changes that lessen rather than increase accessibility.