Planning Resources for Visiting Walt Disney World with Special Needs

If you have somebody in your family that has special needs you may be used to the extra planning that often must happen when traveling.

Disney World vacation planning can be tricky (even to seasoned travelers!) but, if somebody in your group has special needs you’ll likely find Disney World to be extremely accommodating to all guests, regardless of their situations.

In this article

Disney World planning resources for guests with special needs

If you are planning a trip with somebody that has special needs we have some resources to help you get started:

Autism spectrum

If you are planning a trip to Disney World with somebody on the Autism Spectrum you may find the tips in our guide on Taking a child on the autism spectrum to Disney World helpful.

This is a guest post by somebody with first-hand experience and you’ll find lots of advice and suggestions for everything from how to prepare ahead of time, to keeping routines and setting appropriate expectations.

Disability Access Service (DAS)

When guests are unable to tolerate long lines the Disability Access Service (also known as DAS) is often very helpful.

This system is digital and works in conjunction with the My Disney Experience app to allow guests to wait for their turn to ride an attraction outside of the standby lines.

The DAS is not a “front of the line” pass and is not intended to be used by guests with strictly mobility needs and since the best way to maximize it is to use it alongside of FastPass+ you’ll definitely want to understand how it works before you get too far into planning your park days.

Check out our Guide to Disability Access Service (DAS) at Disney World for more information on how it works.

Food allergies

Food allergies can range from mild to life threatening but regardless of the severity, they can make any travel and dining out in restaurants difficult.

Disney World is often one of the first places families dealing with severe allergies travel to because they do such a good job of creating an inclusive and safe environment.

Check out our Guide to Traveling to Disney World with allergies for more information.

Mobility assistance & ECVs (scooters)

Disney World may seem overwhelming if you’ll be visiting it with any sort of mobility challenges.

However, Disney does a fantastic job of providing experiences where the entire family can stay together to enjoy it.

If you’ll be visiting Disney World and know that you’ll need a wheelchair or ECV you’ll likely have lots of questions, like how to rent one (if you don’t have your own), how the buses work, and which attractions require you to transfer.

Read all about how it works in our guide on using an ECV or scooter at Disney World.

Other special needs

Disney offers a wide range of services, procedures, and assistive devices both in their resorts and at the parks for guests with a wide range of special needs, including those with hearing and vision disabilities.

For more information on those, visit the official Disney World website.