Without going into too much detail, my son has a condition that limits his time allowed in the sun, thus increasing his likelihood of developing cancer. However, after the death of my mom, I spontaneously planned a Disney Vacation during the summer for my kids, my dad, and I. That being said, I was wondering if he would qualify for a
DAS, that way we as a family could be able to enjoy Disney and keep his sun exposure to a minimum.
Hi, and first of all, I'm really sorry to hear about your Mom. We went to WDW after we lost my Mom and (spoiler alert) I was in a puddle of tears for the whole trip, because I kept running into memories. It took me a trip or two more before I could go all day without a "tissue alert".
I have PMLE. Basically, in addition to a heightened risk of skin cancer, I get "fun"(<---sarcasm) side effects from sun exposure like raised rash, nearly instantaneous blisters and severe flu-like symptoms that can take up to 2 weeks to clear. I wear long sleeves and long pants all year round, and when I leave the house, I have no unexposed skin - I even wear gloves anytime I am outside the house, including driving. My car has a "prescription" tint on the windows (where we live, it is illegal to have tint that is too dark unless you have a medical condition.) The windows on our home are professionally tinted as well to block the maximum amount of UV bouncing around inside the house now. I joke that I am Queen of the Mole People, because I tend to go shopping in the evening hours, when the sun has gone down, or it is dark outside.
Your son needs clothing with an SPF factor built in. SunBLOCK, not sunscreen. BIG wide brimmed hat (yep, gonna look dorky. Doesn't matter, you are at Disney World, and won't see anyone you know) and a touring plan that focuses on early morning/late afternoons & evenings in the Parks and hanging out somewhere (at the Resort? Go bowling or catch a movie at Disney Springs?) shady from about 11:00 am to at least 4:00 to 6:00 pm, depending on the time of the year. Ideally, you need to schedule the trip for a more "sun friendly" time of year.
Personally, I only go in January because it's the best time for sun-sensitive people at WDW.
If your son really has a serious sun allergy or condition, then he has a dermatologist. You really need to consult with his Derm and work closely with them on a strategy for this.
A DAS won't be helpful to him. As others here have said, it won't provide shade. It's based solely on *why* a Guest cannot wait in a standard line - if the answer is "because he needs to be out of the sun" then there's no real need for a DAS because the queues are (generally speaking) shaded. The exceptions to this are, of course, the new/newer rides that are still very popular; those often have very long lines that extend beyond their shaded queues, even for FP+ and/or DAS Guests.
DAS is not a front-of-the line pass; that no longer exists at WDW. DAS is not a way to skip getting FP+ either; personally I find that FP+ (when used with an appropriate touring plan for me) is a better choice. All DAS does is allow you to wait outside the standard ride queue - you will still have to find adequate shade for him while waiting, and for the more popular rides, you may still experience a wait in a sunny line regardless. DAS just allows people to do the (bulk) of the waiting outside the traditional queue.
I encourage you to work closely with his dermatologist and make sure that you follow those recommendations first and foremost.