WFHB Bloomington Community Radio
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 29:43 — 23.8MB)
Subscribe: RSS
With summer beckoning, amusement park attendance is sure to rise, with the latest data collected from the Global Attractions Attendance Report finding a total of 140.5 Million visitors to North American Theme Parks in 2022. One of the primary concerns that has impacted and continues to impact the disability community regarding theme park access is a lack of access, even with legislation to correct this such as the Americans With Disabilities Act. Under Title III of the Act, businesses be they operated privately or publicly that are designed to serve the general population such as hotels, restaurants, and schools, are known as public accomodations. Despite Amusement Parks falling under this section of the law, specifically Chapter 10 of the most recent ADA regulations passed in 2010, access to amusement parks can be challenging, as none have been previously designed for patrons with disabilities. Here in Indiana, the amusement park Holiday World and Splashin Safari has taken steps to become more disability accessible through the creation of a “calm room” allowing overstimulated guests to bask in adjustable lighting, rock in a chair, or curl up in a tent. In addition to providing boarding passes for guests with cognitive and mobility disabilities to eliminate the challenge of standing in lines just as Disney theme parks do. But Disney announced new procedures effective on May 20 at Walt Disney World and Disneyland on June 18 that will shift Disability Access Service reservations solely to virtual chats with cast members and instituted a ban to anyone found to be making falsified statements about disabilities to skip lines. Disney asserted this was to prevent abuse of the system. Attempts by Disabulletin to reach Disney’s media services for comment were unsuccessful.
But the story is different in Texas, where the history of disability rights is rich. Thanks to the work of several disability rights activists, including Justin Dart, father of the disability rights movement and former Dallas Council Member and US representative Steve Bartlet, the Americans With Disabilities Act was ultimately passed in 1990.
Today, our guest Gordan Hartman, has experienced the business and personal side of the disability community. A land and home developer by trade, Hartman founded his first small landscaping business at 15, eventually growing it to a full-fledged construction company by 23 and later the largest home development company in San Antonio.
Mr.Hartman would sell both companies in 2005 to found the Gordan Hartman Family Foundation which assists individuals with disabilities, eventually leading to the foundation establishing Morgan’s Wonderland in 2010 (named for his daughter), the first-ever theme park designed specifically to be accessible for visitors with disabilities. The foundation has since gone on to open the nation’s first-ever waterpark tailored towards accessibility, Morgan’s Inspiration Island in 2017, an all-accessible sports complex, Morgan’s Wonderland Sports in 2021, and Morgan’s Wonderland Summer Camp that same year. And he joins us now to discuss the re-opening of Morgan’s Wonderland’s theme park for the first time following the conclusion of a four-month renovation.
Image courtesy of:Morgan’s Wonderland
Captions of this interview soon to follow.
