Written by the PASS Blog Team.
Disney’s recent changes to its Disability Access Service (DAS) program have made it much harder for many people with disabilities to enjoy its theme parks, especially those who rely on skipping long lines due to physical, sensory, or chronic conditions. The new rules narrow eligibility, require medical-style interviews, and effectively block access for many guests who previously used DAS, turning what was once a flexible accommodation into a tightly restricted, gatekept program. These changes have sparked a growing outcry from disabled guests, advocates, and even a shareholder proposal demanding that Disney review its policies and restore fair access for all.
Disney’s updated DAS policy now limits the program to guests with developmental disabilities like autism, explicitly stating that it is for those “due to a developmental disability such as autism or similar” who have difficulty waiting in an extensive line. This change excludes many people with physical disabilities, chronic pain, terminal illness, or temporary impairments, who also cannot safely or reasonably stand in long, crowded queues. A federal class-action lawsuit argues that Disney’s policy systematically discriminates against individuals with physical disabilities and violates their rights to equal access, privacy, and dignity under the Americans with Disabilities Act and state civil rights laws. The suit also claims Disney forces guests to disclose sensitive medical information in public settings and requires them to sign away their right to join future class actions, which may be legally unenforceable and coercive.
By restricting DAS to only certain types of disabilities, Disney is treating some guests as “more deserving” of accommodation than others, which is a form of disability discrimination. Many families and individuals with mobility impairments, chronic illness, or invisible disabilities now find that they no longer qualify for the same line-skipping access that others receive, even though long waits can be physically dangerous or extremely painful for them. The new system also adds burdens like online-only registration, video interviews with Disney and a contracted medical professional, and limits on group size, which can be especially difficult for people with cognitive, sensory, or communication disabilities. For blind and low‑vision guests, the lack of consistent audio description, outdated or poorly maintained assistive devices, and limited staff training mean that even existing accessibility features often fall short in practice.
Disney once marketed its parks as a place “for all Americans,” where families of all backgrounds and abilities could share in the magic. Over time, however, the company has increasingly prioritized crowd control, profit, and perceived “abuse” of accommodations over genuine inclusion, turning what was once a more flexible system into a tightly restricted, gatekept program. The current DAS changes reflect a broader shift: Disney now frames accessibility as a problem to be policed rather than a right to be honored, making it harder for many disabled guests to visit at all. At the same time, the parks still lack many basic accessibility features that would make them truly welcoming, such as widespread audio description, reliable braille materials, and staff who are trained to support guests with sensory disabilities.
Disney’s legacy is not one of universal welcome; it includes a long history of racial stereotypes in its cartoons and programming, and its theme parks have long been criticized for being exclusionary and difficult to navigate for people with disabilities. For decades, disability advocates and guests have pointed out that rides, queues, and facilities are often designed with only the average able‑bodied visitor in mind, forcing disabled guests to rely on friends or strangers to carry them or disassemble mobility devices just to board attractions. Even today, many attractions still lack audio description, and the handheld devices that do offer it are often poorly maintained, have short battery life, and only provide information about the immediate area, not the whole park. For blind and low‑vision guests, this means that “accessibility” often feels like an afterthought, not a core part of the experience.
For many disabled people, Disney parks were once one of the few places where they could feel truly included and free from the barriers of everyday life. Now, with stricter DAS rules, invasive eligibility checks, and inconsistent accessibility, Disney is no longer living up to that promise. The current policies send a message that some disabilities are acceptable to accommodate, while others are not, which is both legally questionable and deeply hurtful to the disabled community. If Disney genuinely wants to be a place for all, it must stop treating access as a privilege to be earned and start treating it as a right that belongs to every guest, regardless of how their disability appears to others.