Hi, Lacey!
Welcome to
planDisney, and thanks for stopping by to ask us a question about your upcoming vacation to the
Disneyland Resort. There is so much magic ahead for your family!
It sounds like you’ve heard about the
Disability Access Service (DAS) program for Guests who aren’t able to wait for
attractions in a traditional standby queue due to a developmental disability like autism. If you think your child may qualify, the best way to inquire is to have a pre-registration video chat before your vacation begins via the link on the
DAS registration page. Before you initiate the live chat, log in to your Disney account, ensure that every member of your family is linked to your account, and be sure you all have valid park admission and a
theme park reservation for the days of your visit. Scroll down to the section that reads “Ready to Chat with a Cast Member?” and click the “Request Live Chat” button between 9:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. Pacific Time.
The accommodations DAS provides are designed to help your family, particularly your 5-year-old, have a magical time in the theme parks, but one stipulation is that the Guest for whom DAS is required must be riding with their party if a DAS return time was selected. The Guest using DAS must scan their ticket at the attraction queue first before the rest of the group in order to check-in, and each person’s park ticket will be scanned one at a time upon entering the ride queue together.
While you cannot utilize DAS for attractions your 5-year-old won’t be riding, you can and should take advantage of
Rider Switch, which allows Guests with young children and those who otherwise cannot board an attraction or wait for the entire duration of a queue to take turns experiencing attractions. One parent can ride with your older kids while the other adult stays with any non-riders. When the riders return, the supervising adult can enjoy the attraction without waiting in line all over again. Simply go to the entrance of the attraction with your family and let the Cast Member know you’d like to use Rider Switch. The ticket of the supervising adult will be scanned at this time and then re-scanned by a Cast Member later when the Rider Switch entitlement is used.
I hope this information is helpful, Lacey, and that your family’s visit is perfectly pixie-dusted! Please write back with any other questions you may have.
Wishing you magic,
Courtney