Eight years old and still one of a kind. Morgan's Wonderland is an amusement park created specifically for children with physical and intellectual disabilities.
It was born in San Antonio, Texas, built by Gordon Hartman, a wealthy construction entrepreneur, as a "gift" for his daughter with a disability. The park spans 25 acres and features attractions custom-designed for children and young people with disabilities: sensory pathways, temperature-controlled pools, swings that accommodate wheelchairs, and accessible sand play areas with specialized equipment.
The park cost $51 million and has welcomed more than one million visitors from 67 countries around the world. "We realized that an inclusive space like this didn't exist," Hartman explained to the BBC. "We wanted an amusement park where anyone could use all the attractions—where disabled and non-disabled people could play together." That dream became a project. The project became a place. A team of doctors, therapists, and families of children with disabilities contributed to designing and building each attraction. In 2017, the park added a water park featuring waterproof wheelchairs.
Entry is free for anyone with a disability. Only companions and parents pay admission. About a third of the park's staff members are disabled.
Morgan's Wonderland was embraced from the start—and with emotion. "A man came up to me, took my hand, pointed to his son, who has a severe intellectual disability, and started crying," Hartman recalled. "'It's the first time he's ever been able to play in the water,' he told me." As for Hartman's own daughter? It took her a while to overcome her wariness. Now she has no fear. For her, that's an enormous victory.
Perhaps one day we'll see something similar closer to home—in Europe, or even Italy.
Source: DiLei