So this is a “feel good” post. Theme parks, like Great Adventure or Hershey park are selling “fun” and everyone deserves to have fun, right? Well, people with certain disabilities are often unable to experience the fun that theme parks offer. Beyond that, their exclusion from them adds insult to injury. Not only can they not enjoy participating, but they are pointedly reminded that they are different and “other”. I recently read about a theme park in Texas that was designed to accommodate disabled visitors as well as all other visitors. It’s called Morgan’s Wonderland and it was created by parents of a disabled girl who wanted her and others like her to be able to enjoy the same activities as “all the other kids” while not singling them out. From their website:
When it celebrated its grand opening April 10, 2010, Morgan’s Wonderland became the world’s first theme park designed with special-needs individuals in mind and built for everyone’s enjoyment. The completely wheelchair-accessible park features more than 25 elements including rides, playgrounds and other colorful attractions. From the very beginning, anyone with a special need has been admitted free of charge, no questions asked.
It has been so well -received that they are now opening a water park to complement it. They offer water-proof wheelchairs, lots of different splash pad experiences, floom rides and even an accessible pirate ship. I don’t know that I’ll ever find myself in Texas, but if I do, I might go see this place whose mission I very much admire.
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