TOP TEAM Inspiration Island has five waterplay areas – Hang 10 Harbor, Rainbow Reef, Shipwreck Island, Harvey’s Hideaway Bay and Calypso Cove
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WONDERLAND Tom Anstey spoke to the team behind Morgan’s Inspiration Island, a new waterpark designed for children with disabilities and special needs
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organ’s Wonderland – the inclusive theme park that’s catered to disabled guests since 2010 – has launched a new accessible waterpark. The $17m (€15.2m, £13.4m) project opened on 17 June.
Morgan’s Inspiration Island is completely wheelchair accessible, offering a selection of waterpark activities, including raintrees, waterfalls, pools, geysers, water cannon and tipping buckets. A five-minute river boat ride takes visitors through a jungle setting, with bird and animal sounds playing.
GORDON HARTMAN
sure it’s ultra-accessible. Whatever your special need may be – no matter how acute – we want to accommodate that, so that you can be a part of this park.
Founder Morgan’s Inspiration Island Tell us about Inspiration Island About seven years ago, we opened Morgan’s Wonderland, which is the world’s first ultra-accessible theme park. It’s been incredibly successful, with people visiting from more than 66 countries and all 50 US states. People from all over the world come here to experience “ultimate inclusion”. As Morgan’s grew, people started asking about a waterpark. Three-and-a-half years ago, the discussion started. Then, six months later, those discussions became more serious. We brought a team together, similar to the team that developed the original park. We spoke to people in the community – people with special needs, people without, care givers, teachers, doctors, therapists – and pooled our ideas. The reason we did that was in order to maximise everything in the development of Morgan’s Inspiration Island to make 76
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With five themed zones, a sevenstorey lighthouse at the centre and spacious private areas available for guests, the waterpark also offers the Rusty Anchor Galley Grub and Little Italy Bistro food outlets, the Surf Shack shop and a panoramic viewing deck.
What’s different about the waterpark? Many aspects are specially designed. The water, for example, is warmed slightly to allow those with muscular issues to enjoy the park. Every element of the waterpark is wheelchair accessible. We built access areas and camouflaged them with faux rocks. We have a boat ride that lasts about eight minutes. Normally, there’s a ramp that would take passengers up to the boat, but we did this without ramps. The seating area actually raises up in the boat itself. Those are examples of the small things we do.
Gordon Hartman is founder of the Gordon Hartman Family Foundation and creator of ultra-inclusive parks
What makes Morgan’s Wonderland and the new waterpark so special? It’s the whole culture of the park. People come because, out of four people who enter each day, three of them do not have special needs. Our attractions are not just for the special needs individual, but for AM 3 2017 ©CYBERTREK 2017