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AssetID: 31791382

Headline: World's First Fully Accessible Water Park Opens

Caption: The world's first ultra-accessible splash park has opened this week. Morgan's Inspiration Island in San Antonio, Texas, allows guests of all ages and abilities to get wet and have fun together. Every element of the attraction is wheelchair-accessible, and waterproof wristbands with RFID technology are available so parents can go to a Location Station and easily ascertain the whereabouts of their children and other members of their party. Other special features include the capability of conditioning water to a warmer temperature at Rainbow Reef so guests with sensitivity to cold can still splash and play. The fun facility, opened next to the Morgan’s Wonderland theme park, sees six major elements comprise the $17-million, tropically-themed island paradise inspired by Gordon Hartman, founder of The Gordon Hartman Family Foundation, and his wife Maggie’s 23-year-old daughter with special needs, Morgan. “Like Morgan’s Wonderland, Morgan’s Inspiration Island is not a special-needs park; it’s a park of inclusion,” said Gordon Hartman, whose foundation has since 2005 pursued endeavors benefitting the special-needs community. “Both were designed with special-needs individuals in mind and built for everyone’s enjoyment. We decided to call it Morgan’s Inspiration Island because Morgan truly has been the catalyst for every project we’ve pursued to help the special-needs community." “Our goal is to provide a great guest experience in an inclusive, safe, comfortable, not-overly-crowded environment,” Hartman added. “When Morgan’s Wonderland opened in spring 2010, we really didn’t know what to expect, but the park’s popularity has grown tremendously and encouraged us to add Morgan’s Inspiration Island. Now, we have two attractions like none other that everyone – regardless of ability or age – can enjoy. Morgan’s Inspiration Island promises to give individuals with physical or cognitive special needs a place where they can splash and play without barriers.” Morgan’s Inspiration Island overlooks the theme park’s 8-acre catch-and-release fishing lake. The focal point is a seven-story lighthouse with a rotating beacon on top that can be easily seen from IH 35 a half-mile away. “Morgan’s Inspiration Island – like Morgan’s Wonderland – concentrates on inclusion and inspires guests with special needs to do things previously thought not to be in their range of capabilities,” Gordon explained. “Those without disabilities and those with, including individuals in wheelchairs, guests with hearing and visual impairments and even guests on ventilators, can play alongside each other and gain a greater appreciation of one another.

Keywords: Morgan,Morgan's Inspiration Island,Special needs,waterpark

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