Some of the nation’s most popular theme parks are quietly making changes to their procedures for accommodating visitors with disabilities.

Universal recently stopped requiring visitors to get advance approval from a third party to access accommodations at parks in Florida and California.

Universal Orlando Resort and Universal Studios Hollywood offer individuals with disabilities who have difficulty waiting in lines the opportunity to schedule a return time for one ride at a time so that they can check out other areas of the park while they wait if they qualify for an Attractions Assistance Pass.

Starting last year, Universal Orlando Resort and Universal Studios Hollywood began requiring people with disabilities to obtain a special card known as the Individual Accessibility Card at least 48 hours before visiting the parks in order to speak to a park team member about qualifying for an Attractions Assistance Pass. The Individual Accessibility Card is issued by the International Board of Credentialing and Continuing Education Standards, or IBCCES, an organization that provides training and certification for professionals working with individuals with autism and other cognitive disabilities. To register for the card, individuals complete an application and upload requested documentation.

Now, however, Universal is dropping that requirement. While obtaining an Individual Accessibility Card in advance is still “highly encouraged,” a company spokesperson said that visitors with disabilities who do not go through the pre-arrival registration process can now call or visit guest services when they arrive at the park to discuss accommodations based on their specific needs.

“We are updating our accommodations request policy to help streamline our process (including offering a dedicated IAC fulfillment location at Guest Services for those with approved IACs) and to provide the best possible service to our Guests who have disabilities that prevent them from waiting in a conventional attraction queue environment,” the company said.

Several theme parks including Six Flags have also started using the IBCCES Individual Accessibility Card in recent years to help determine who qualifies for disability accommodations. The changes at Universal come after Six Flags was sued earlier this year over its reliance on the card. The lawsuit alleged that the amusement parks violated the Americans with Disabilities Act by requiring guests with disabilities to make arrangements for accommodations in advance even though other park guests could purchase tickets on the day of their visit and fully enjoy all amenities. The suit also took issue with the documentation requirements for the card.

Separately, Disney is also making a small update to its Disability Access Service, which allows those with disabilities to schedule a return time for attractions. The passes will now be valid for 240 days or the length of a person’s ticket, whichever is shorter, as opposed to the previous limit of 120 days, according to a company spokesperson.

Disney overhauled its disability access policies in April, tightening requirements for its Disability Access Service after the company said that demand for the accommodation tripled in the last five years. Notably Disney chose not to adopt the Individual Accessibility Card and the company allows visitors with disabilities to speak with a member of its accessibility team before arriving or once they are at Disneyland Resort or Walt Disney World Resort.

Since the updated system rolled out this summer at Disney, the company has faced a litany of complaints from people with disabilities who say they’ve wrongly been denied the Disability Access Service.

Read more stories like this one. Sign up for Disability Scoop's free email newsletter to get the latest developmental disability news sent straight to your inbox.