The IBCCES Accessibility Card is No Longer Required at Universal Parks

After just over a year, Universal theme parks have again changed their accessibility policies. The IBCCES Access Card (IAC) is now a suggested tool rather than a requirement. Additional changes have been applied to the lineup of medical concerns that are accommodated with the Attractions Assistance Pass (AAP). For details of these changes read on; or for more information about the AAP see Everything You Need to Know: Universal Studios’ Attraction Assistance Pass.

Do I need the IBCCES Accessibility Card?

In July of 2023 Universal required the IBCCES to receive the Attractions Assistance Pass (AAP). That is no longer a requirement. Now, IBCCES is used as a helpful tool that can save you time and provide some privacy.

Here is how the IAC is helpful

• After you have a current, confirmed IBCCES and have spoken with an Accessibility Team Member, your accommodation is permanent. You must renew your IBCCES status annually, but you will not need to talk with Universal again.
• You can discuss your needs in a private call with a Team Member before you visit.
• Guest Services has a dedicated queue where you pick up your AAP card. This typically saves you approximately 40 minutes in line.

We have information about applying for and tips for renewing the IAC: Applying for the IBCCES Accessibility Card.

If you do not have the IAC, you can still receive an AAP. You’ll visit guest services inside the parks in person and talk with a member of the Guest Accessibility Team about accommodations.

Changes to Accommodations Covered by the AAP

First, let me say that every guest has an individual conversation with an Accessibility Team Member, and these are not “one size fits all” policies. Like the Disney DAS, they are not basing accommodations on a diagnosis. Even if you have used the IBCCES system, the team members cannot see your diagnosis, only the accommodations that you need. For example, if you have Crohn’s disease, they can only see that you need to be able to have frequent restroom visits.

Since the IBCCES was introduced at Universal Parks, there has been confusion about who received accommodations with the AAP. Many guests thought that if you received an IAC, you would automatically get an AAP, but this was never true. Not all concerns, even when verified by IBCCES, were accommodated within the Attraction Assistance Program. You can expect that the AAP does not apply to every disability, and may not be offered to you even if you have used it in the past.

I recently had a few conversations with Team Members at Universal’s Guest Services who confirmed that there have been additional changes within the last year. We now have clarity that guests with standing challenges and restroom issues will typically be accommodated with a return-to-the-queue policy. The Team Member I spoke to indicated that these are recent changes as Universal has adjusted their queues to make them possible, but we do not have a definitive timeline.

We were told the Universal Parks accommodation for restroom visits is “you can leave the line at any time and have the guests you are with save your spot.” I asked them, “So, this is a return-to-queue policy?” and they said yes. It was also made clear to me that if a guest has trouble standing, they can be accommodated with a wheelchair or a return-to-the-queue. Again, this is similar to the Disney DAS policy.

Universal said, “Nobody is denied accommodations because some of the accommodations are built into the parks,” referring to wheelchair accessibility and return-to-queue. Unfortunately, outside of wheelchair-accessible queues, there currently isn’t much information on Universal’s site to help guests understand what accommodations are available, especially if they don’t offer you an AAP.

Will these changes impact your visits to Universal? Will you still use the IBCCES? We’ll answer any questions in the comments.