Amusement Park

Who doesn’t like spending a fun day at an amusement park with the family? There are many theme parks for everyone in the family to enjoy but there is one, which is even more special. It is for the family members who have special needs. For the last eight years a park in San Antonio, Texas, aims to entertain guests with disabilities, while still welcoming other visitors.

Morgan’s Wonderland aims to offer everything a specialneeds guest will enjoy at a theme park. It is a great place for non-disabled visitors too. It’s built on 25-acre land. Jungle gyms are wide enough to fit two wheelchairs side-by-side. “Sensory Village” is an indoor mall of touch-and-hear activities. The number of visitors to the park is limited so the park never gets too loud, and the lines don’t get too long.

Since opening in 2010, Morgan’s Wonderland has attracted more than 100,000 guests. Admission for people with disabilities is free. Family members and friends who come with people with disabilities pay $11. Everyone else pays $17.

The park is the first of its kind in the world. It was founded by a man called Gordon Hartman. He had a disabled daughter who couldn’t even do simple maths or form complete sentences. A map in the lobby entrance offers a visual way to get the park’s popularity. It shows how far previous guests travelled to visit the park. Visitors from almost every state in the U.S.A and also from sixteen other countries have already come to Morgan’s Wonderland. People with autism, as well as physical and mental disabilities, are among the most regular visitors.

There are about 20 attractions at the park. These include an active Butterfly Playground and an easygoing train circling a mile-long loop through the park and around a lake. The Sitting Garden is a quiet area. It is a favourite place among parents with autistic children. Nearby, there are sandboxes that can be operated while sitting in a wheelchair. Reservations are needed because of the daily attendance limits. Still, the park manager said, “We’re not going to turn away a family that’s driven all the way from Kentucky.” Each guest is also given an electronic wristband. With that families can find their children easily at the park. With it they can also get their photos of themselves riding different rides. A family with a disabled child said “Finally someone thought about families. There is somewhere that we can go as a family where everyone can find something enjoyable for herself /himself.”