You haven't provided a lot of info to go on (as noted by @brada4 , you didn't even tell us what device(s) apply here). We also need to know what OpenWrt version you were using previously and what you upgraded to, and ideally more information about the configurations.

That said...

Disabling DHCP is (usually) required for bridged APs, so that's good (although hopefully you disabled DHCP explicitly via configuration; dnsmasq does not need to be disabled). But the firewall does not need to be disabled, and as you have learned, it may become re-enabled as a result of the upgrade. As a result, you need to make sure that your firewall is configured to allow access even when it is enabled. My guess is that your configuration does not currently account for this condition.

Likely the firewall is enabled again.

It is possible to argue that disabled services should remain disabled after an upgrade. But, that is secondary to the real issue here -- you need to make sure your configuration is correct.

My recommendation is to leave both dnsmasq and the firewall services enabled. Use the configuration to explicitly disable the DHCP server so that it can never be accidentally reactivated. Likewise, in the firewall configuration, your 'management' network should be in a zone that always allows access (i.e. input = ACCEPT).

You can use failsafe mode to grab the configs and even fix the issues. Or you can also reset to defaults from there and then reconfigure.

Please connect to your OpenWrt device using ssh and copy the output of the following commands and post it here using the "Preformatted text </> " button:
grafik
Remember to redact passwords, MAC addresses and any public IP addresses you may have:

ubus call system board
cat /etc/config/network
cat /etc/config/wireless
cat /etc/config/dhcp
cat /etc/config/firewall
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