Fortunate adults build the lives they dream of as children, so giving kids
the opportunity to play, invent, imagine and socialise goes to the heart
of what makes a healthy society. A new venture in the US extends this
opportunity to children with disabilities and it’s a game changer
By Liz Terry | Published in Attractions Management 2017 issue 3
A few years back we were privileged to interview entrepreneur Gordon Hartman about the inclusive theme park he’d built for his daughter, Morgan, who has cognitive delay. The park was designed so that children of all abilities could play side by side and families supporting a child with a disability could play together (Attractions Management Q4 2012, page 30).
Morgan’s Wonderland, in San Antonia, Texas, is now seven years old and going from strength to strength and in this issue, we report on a second gate which has just been opened by Hartman in the form of a waterpark called Morgan’s Inspiration Island (page 76).
As with the original theme park, he turned to users to develop both the concepts and the features for the new attraction, saying: “We spoke to people in the community – people with special needs, people without, care givers, teachers, doctors, therapists – and pooled our ideas.”
The team then collaborated with industry experts to deliver and install a range of specially adapted water experiences. The waterpark is completely wheelchair accessible.
The development team worked with the University of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and others to create a wheelchair that runs on compressed air, without batteries, so that users can retain their independence while enjoying the waterpark. Waterproof wheelchairs are also available.
Watersprays were adapted to enable guests to control the level of force involved, for times where an intense spray would cause distress. The aim – in short – is for the waterpark to be 100 per cent accessible. “We live in a world of exclusion rather than inclusion,” says Hartman, “but we hope talking more about inclusion will help change that conversation.”
The wonderful story of Morgan’s Wonderland and Inspiration Island needs to be shared, so the expertise gained by the team who worked on both projects can be deployed widely across the industry as we strive to become more inclusive.
The fact that the US – one of the most prosperous countries in the world – has only this small number of fully adapted facilities is an indication of the scale of the challenge which lies ahead.
There are no official statistics for the number of children in the world with a disability, but Unicef estimates it to be at least 93 million and probably a great deal more, saying: “Children with disabilities are one of the most marginalised and excluded groups in society, facing daily discrimination in the form of negative attitudes, lack of adequate policies and legislation [In many cases] they are effectively barred from realising their rights.”
We urge all operators to take this matter ever more seriously – to examine current policy, practice, investment plans, staff training and marketing – to see what more can be done to make our industry open, accessible and inclusive.
We welcome feedback about best practice in this area for our letters pages, so if you have something to share with the wider industry, please write to us and let us know and we’ll publish your story. Write to [email protected]
Read more from this issue of Attractions Management magazine
View contents of Attractions Management 2017 issue 3
Interview: Wolfgang Kiessling
We talked to Wolfgang Kiessling, who set
up a small parrot park on Tenerife in the
1970s. Today, Loro Parque and Siam Park
are some of Europe’s top attractions
Promotional feature: Sysco Productions
Sysco Productions is a world-class experience delivery
company, working for global clients in the museum and
heritage, exhibition, and sports and leisure industries
An opportunity to reimagine one of the UK’s most recognisable towers has been formally
opened by Rivington Hark, as St Johns Beacon invites operators and partners to shape its
next phase. [more...]
Fortunate adults build the lives they dream of as children, so giving kids
the opportunity to play, invent, imagine and socialise goes to the heart
of what makes a healthy society. A new venture in the US extends this
opportunity to children with disabilities and it’s a game changer
By Liz Terry | Published in Attractions Management 2017 issue 3
A few years back we were privileged to interview entrepreneur Gordon Hartman about the inclusive theme park he’d built for his daughter, Morgan, who has cognitive delay. The park was designed so that children of all abilities could play side by side and families supporting a child with a disability could play together (Attractions Management Q4 2012, page 30).
Morgan’s Wonderland, in San Antonia, Texas, is now seven years old and going from strength to strength and in this issue, we report on a second gate which has just been opened by Hartman in the form of a waterpark called Morgan’s Inspiration Island (page 76).
As with the original theme park, he turned to users to develop both the concepts and the features for the new attraction, saying: “We spoke to people in the community – people with special needs, people without, care givers, teachers, doctors, therapists – and pooled our ideas.”
The team then collaborated with industry experts to deliver and install a range of specially adapted water experiences. The waterpark is completely wheelchair accessible.
The development team worked with the University of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and others to create a wheelchair that runs on compressed air, without batteries, so that users can retain their independence while enjoying the waterpark. Waterproof wheelchairs are also available.
Watersprays were adapted to enable guests to control the level of force involved, for times where an intense spray would cause distress. The aim – in short – is for the waterpark to be 100 per cent accessible. “We live in a world of exclusion rather than inclusion,” says Hartman, “but we hope talking more about inclusion will help change that conversation.”
The wonderful story of Morgan’s Wonderland and Inspiration Island needs to be shared, so the expertise gained by the team who worked on both projects can be deployed widely across the industry as we strive to become more inclusive.
The fact that the US – one of the most prosperous countries in the world – has only this small number of fully adapted facilities is an indication of the scale of the challenge which lies ahead.
There are no official statistics for the number of children in the world with a disability, but Unicef estimates it to be at least 93 million and probably a great deal more, saying: “Children with disabilities are one of the most marginalised and excluded groups in society, facing daily discrimination in the form of negative attitudes, lack of adequate policies and legislation [In many cases] they are effectively barred from realising their rights.”
We urge all operators to take this matter ever more seriously – to examine current policy, practice, investment plans, staff training and marketing – to see what more can be done to make our industry open, accessible and inclusive.
We welcome feedback about best practice in this area for our letters pages, so if you have something to share with the wider industry, please write to us and let us know and we’ll publish your story. Write to [email protected]
Read more from this issue of Attractions Management magazine
View contents of Attractions Management 2017 issue 3
Interview: Wolfgang Kiessling
We talked to Wolfgang Kiessling, who set
up a small parrot park on Tenerife in the
1970s. Today, Loro Parque and Siam Park
are some of Europe’s top attractions
Promotional feature: Sysco Productions
Sysco Productions is a world-class experience delivery
company, working for global clients in the museum and
heritage, exhibition, and sports and leisure industries
Movie Park Germany has opened a new Paramount Pictures-themed attraction as part of its 30th
anniversary celebrations, using immersive storytelling and adaptive reuse to reinforce the park’s
longstanding “Hollywood in Germany” positioning.
Therme Manchester’s 28-acre development, which will include interconnected glass pavilions
that measure 65,000sq m, will be the largest bathing and wellbeing attraction in the world once
complete, according to prof David Russell, CEO of Therme UK.
Efteling has opened Hooghmoed, a new family drop tower designed to broaden the appeal of its
recently launched Sirene Island themed area and introduce younger visitors to thrill attractions.
A proposed Puy du Fou development near Bicester and Universal Destinations and Experiences’
planned resort in Bedford are emerging as part of a wider transformation of the Oxford–
Cambridge Growth Corridor into a major centre for UK leisure and tourism inv
Shedd Aquarium has opened the Immersion Theater developed in partnership with SimEx-
Iwerks, as part of a wider strategy to enhance the guest experience and create additional
revenue opportunities.
The UK government has announced a temporary reduction in VAT on visitor attractions and
children’s meals as part of a summer cost-of-living support package designed to stimulate the
visitor economy and encourage family days out.
As designer Yinka Ilori prepares for his first solo gallery show in London, he speaks exclusively
to CLADmag about his mission to spread joy, the power of play, and his bold approach to using
colour (including the colours you won’t see in his work).
The government of Thailand is exploring plans for a THB300bn (£6.3bn, US$8.3bn)
entertainment complex in the country’s Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC), with officials
proposing a large-scale theme park and sports destination as part of a broader tourism and
economic development strategy.
Royal Caribbean has revealed its Hero of the Seas cruise ship, home to the most pools at sea
(nine), and a record-breaking 28 dining venues, as well as attractions including a waterpark
with two new family raft slides.
An opportunity to reimagine one of the UK’s most recognisable towers has been formally
opened by Rivington Hark, as St Johns Beacon invites operators and partners to shape its
next phase. [more...]
