Dad sold his business to build $51 million theme park for his disabled daughter
A Texan father couldn’t find an accessible theme park to take his disabled daughter - so took matters into his own hands and built one himself.
In 2006, Gordon Hartman was vacationing with his daughter, Morgan, who was born with physical and cognitive disabilities.
While spending time with Morgan, he observed her being shunned by other children in the hotel pool ‘simply because she was not able to be verbal’.
The Texas millionaire claimed that seeing his child’s ‘anguished look of misunderstanding’ inspired him to search for an inclusive place to whisk her away.
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However, Hartman was unable to find what he was looking for.
Spurred on by his desire for inclusivity, the dad sold his homebuilding business and decided he would create a theme park where ‘everyone could do everything, where people with and without special needs could play’.
In 2007, the former property developer consulted with a team of doctors, therapists and families for advice before construction began on a 25-acre site in San Antonio, Texas.
Three years later, Morgan's Wonderland opened.
The inclusive theme park boasted a fully accessible Ferris wheel, adventure playground, miniature train and a carousel specifically designed for wheelchair users.
However, Morgan apparently wasn’t a big fan of the carousel and it took her three years to work up the courage to try the ride.
Her dad told the BBC: "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.”
In 2017, Hartman worked to launch the world’s first ‘ultra-accessible’ splash park, Morgan’s Inspiration Island.
The addition, which cost an additional $17 million, features 25 attractions and five interactive splash pads.
Speaking about the waterpark and its parent site, the businessman told Southern Living: “This unique park is a special place where anyone can have fun but they were created with individuals with special needs in mind.
“Morgan’s Wonderland and Morgan’s Inspiration Island are just like other theme parks except for the added benefit of a culture and environment that assures 100 percent enjoyment by everyone who enters through our Welcome Center.”
According to Brent Fields, CEO of Morgan’s umbrella organization, around four million people from every state in the union and over 120 countries have visited the park.
“[It’s] helped us spark that spirit of inclusion,” he told Texas Public Radio.
Ella Scott