ONCE UPON A GENE - EPISODE 020 - Morgan’s Wonderland
Morgan's Wonderland in San Antonio, Texas is one of the most magical places on Earth. It's a shrine of inclusion. They're changing the game in what accessibility and inclusion mean with a theme park designed with disabilities at its core. From young to old, with or without a disability, Morgan's Wonderland is a place to encourage everyone to gain a greater understanding of each other. Nikki and Brooke join me on this episode to talk about Morgan's Wonderland.
EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS
What is Morgan's Wonderland?
We are the world's first ultra-accessible theme park. Our theme is inclusion. We are fully inclusive and accessible for visitors with special needs. We're an oasis of friendship and a place where people can feel safe.
What is Morgan's Wonderland mission?
We are a non-profit and based on the support we get from the community, we're able to offer admission to guests with special needs for free. Since we've opened ten years ago, our park has welcomed approximately 1.8 million guests from all 50 states and 6 other countries.
Tell me who Morgan is and how this magical place came about.
Morgan is Gordan and Maggie Hartman's daughter and she was born with special needs. Gordon owned a successful home building business and in 2005 he decided to sell the business and establish the The Gordon Hartman Family Foundation. Maggie and Morgan went on a vacation in 2006 and while they were on vacation, Morgan was playing at the hotel swimming pool and wanted to interact and play with the other kids, but they weren't sure how to play with her. At that moment, Gordon and Maggie came up with the idea to establish a place where people with and without special needs could come together for fun and interact together without fear.
Tell me about the park itself.
Our completely wheelchair-accessible park is about a $36 million dollar park that features more than 25 elements and attractions, including rides, playgrounds, gardens, fishing lake, event center, amphitheater and Inspiration Island.
How do kids in wheelchairs access the water park?
Our water park was designed with everyone in mind. In 2017, we opened the world's first ultra-accessible splash park. There's no submersible water. It's a three acre park comprised of 5 different splash pads with different features with slides and a riverboat adventure. What makes this park revolutionary is that we have a collaboration for the PneuChair, which was created at the University of Pittsburgh, and there's only 11 chairs in the world- we have 10 of them. The chairs are mobile, completely powered by air, they can go in the water and the person can have complete independence throughout the park.
Is anyone invited to the park, including those without a disability?
All ages, all abilities, whether you're 2, 22 or 82, there's something for everyone and an opportunity to soar. When this park was created, it was not created for people with special needs or disabilities. It was created as a place that can bridge that uncomfortable interaction where people are sometimes unsure what to do. We break down those barriers so everyone can play together regardless of ability. We have so many other initiatives that we're growing and developing that will become a bigger message of inclusion.
What have you noticed between the kids learning and playing alongside each other?
With our staff, they're seasonal part time and volunteers, both typical and special needs. The individuals with special needs, in a different environment, may not have the opportunity to engage, have fun and make memories with friends, co-workers and guests in the park. Park guests who come on a regular basis as their regular routine, this is the way they have developed socially or physically. This is a place to grow.
Talk about employing people with disabilities.
We have individuals of different abilities and we find a place for them to succeed. About 30-50% of our employees have special needs. It's important to know that we treat our employees like employees. Someone with special needs is working the same job as someone without a special need, in unison. It's a beautiful thing to watch, to see our employees succeed, grow themselves and also in the understanding of being a contributing member of our society.
What's next for Morgan's Wonderland?
Our growth and development isn't slowing down anytime soon. We are developing a sports complex, residential camp venue and multi-assistant center, which will be coordinated healthcare. We have a lot of opportunities to expand, grow, and broaden our message in many ways.
FOLLOW MORGAN’S WONDERLAND
Website: https://www.morganswonderland.com/
Facebook: @MorgansWonderland
Instagram: @morganswonderlandtexas
Twitter: @morganswndrlnd
LINKS AND RESOURCES MENTIONED
The Gordon Hartman Family Foundation
PneuChair Unveiled at Water Park
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