A popular anonymous quote reads: “The smile of a daughter is the secret purpose of every father.” It is this secret purpose that drove Texan dad Gordon Hartman, to build the world’s only ‘ultra-accessible’ amusement park.
His daughter Morgan, has cognitive disabilities, as well as a form of autism.
Morgan’s Wonderland, an ultra-accessible multimillion theme park, has now seen close to four million visitors from across the world since it opened in 2010.
When five-year-old Morgan was on a family trip, Hartman noticed how other children shied away from Morgan when she approached to play with them, as she was not able to be verbal. This was when he realised there was no place where children and adults like Morgan could enjoy.
And so in 2007, Hartman a former property developer, decided to build an all-inclusive park. In 2005, he set up The Gordon Hartman Foundation, a non-profit organisation that seeks to help people with disabilities. He then went on to create the “world’s first ultra-accessible theme park”.
In a 2017 interview with the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), Hartman said, “We wanted a theme park where everyone could do everything, where people with and without special needs could play.”
Hartman first brought together doctors, therapists, parents and other people with and without disabilities to consult on the facilities, before he built the theme park on the 25-acre site of a disused quarry in San Antonio, Texas.
The park, named after Morgan, cost $34 million (Dh 125,000,000) when it opened in 2010. Hartman told the British news service BBC, “Morgan is just a wonderful young lady. When you meet her, you will always get a smile and she will always want to offer a hug. But there were so many times we couldn’t take her places.”
Morgan’s Wonderland started off with a fully-accessible ferris wheel, adventure playground and miniature train. The carousels were also specially designed to be wheelchair friendly. Other recent additions include Morgan’s Inspiration Island (a water park), which include a half-mile train ride, fishing dock, 4D theatre, pirate cruise, and even a zip line – all fully accessible. The park also boasts an ‘ultra-accessible’ splash park and sports complex.
But, it took Morgan almost three years to get on the carousel, Hartman said. “When we opened she was too scared to go on it. She didn’t understand why it was going around and the animals were going up and down. First she would stand near it, then she’d get on an animal but we wouldn’t start it. It was a slow process but now she loves going on it. Overcoming something she was scared of meant a lot to her. Little things achieved in play can make a big difference.”
Besides the park having free entrance to any guest with a condition, it has also hired staff with disabilities. “I realised Morgan was one of the lucky ones because she had many of the things she needed. I didn’t want cost to be a barrier for others with special needs,” he told the BBC.
“We open every year knowing we’re going to lose over $1 million (Dh 3,673,000) and we need to recover that through fundraising and partners. Fewer people were visiting in July because the wheelchairs got too hot. So we decided to create a water park next door,” he added.
Parts of the Inspiration Island even use warm water, which helps visitors with muscular problems. Waterproof motorised wheelchairs are provided to visitors, which run on compressed air rather than batteries. There is also an accessible river boat ride. Altogether, the water park cost $17 million (Dh 62,440,915).
Hartman even recalled a heart-warming moment he had with another parent. He said, “A man came up to me at Inspiration Island and just held my hand. He pointed to his son, who has acute special needs and started crying. He said he hadn’t been able to play in water before.”
Morgan’s Inspiration Island was also recognised by American news magazine, Time, in its World’s Greatest Places list in 2018.
Currently, the theme park has seen over three million visitors from all 50 states in the USA and over 120 other countries through park visitation and special events.
“Morgan knows the park is named after her, but I don’t think she understands the magnitude of what it represents and how it’s changed lives. She doesn’t realise how she has dealt with things in life has made her a true inspiration,” Hartman added.
According to reports, Hartman’s next project is said to be an ultra-accessible hotel.
