Most parents just want the best for their children. They want to see them be happy and watch them enjoy themselves and a theme park is a great place to do that. But for some children, many with special needs or who are in a wheelchair, most theme parks are simply unable to accommodate the needs of the children.
This leaves many families left out of the fun that spending a day at a theme park or water park. And when this situation happened to a father from Texas, he took massive action to do something about it. He built his own theme park for his daughter, and the rest of the world, to enjoy.
Like countless other parents, Gordon Hartman just wanted his daughter to thrive and be included.
Gordon recalls the day where this adventure began. He was at a hotel swimming pool with his family and noticed that the other children in the pool did not want to interact with his daughter, Morgan who has special needs. He was crushed and disappointed. Seeing his child left out of the simple pleasure of swimming inspired him to take bold action.
So he began the endeavor of building a theme park that his daughter could fully enjoy.
Gordan began construction on the theme park in 2007 on an abandoned quarry in San Antonio, Texas and on April 10, 2010, Morgan’s Wonderland was opened. Comprised of 25 unique elements such as rides, playgrounds, and interactive spaces, they are proud to be called, “ultra-accessible”. Then another large addition was added in 2017, Morgan’s Inspiration Island, a water park opened and Time Magazine named it one of the World’s Greatest Places.
Every ride and area was constructed and designed so that a child with any special needs, along with the rest of their family, could ride and enjoy. The water park even has waterproof wheelchairs so that everyone can join in on the fun.
Today, Morgan’s Wonderland is open to everyone, even if they have special needs.
The parks have a wide array of attractions and rides for children and their families. Their goal is to provide a fully-accessible park that the whole family can enjoy.
The vision is simple: “Everyday we work to provide a special place where smiles and laughter lead to wonderful memories with family members, friends and caregivers. We want Morgan’s Wonderland to be a place where the common element of play creates an atmosphere of inclusion for those with and without disabilities, encouraging everyone to gain a greater understanding of one another.”
What a beautiful gift this father gave to his daughter that now thousands of families can experience together as well. Parents and families with children of special needs can all relax and have fun together where no one gets left out. I cannot imagine the amount of fun that is had at these locations on a daily basis!
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Source: Inside Edition
