Earlier this year, Morgan's Wonderland was opened in San Antonio, Texas. It bills itself as:

"The World’s First Ultra Accessible Family Fun Park
designed specifically for children and adults with special needs,
their family members, caregivers, friends and the entire community."

Do we really want and need a "special" theme park created primarily for children with disabilities? Do we need any more "special" places of any kind?

There's no doubt that those who created this park, and their supporters, have the best of intentions. But disability history is full of "good people" who had "good intentions" that frequently resulted in very negative outcomes for individuals with disabilities. People who started institutions did so with the best of intentions, and the same could be said for people who created sheletered workshops, congregate living facilities, special ed classrooms, and other "special" places. We know the outcomes of these well-intentioned acts (great harm to people with disabilities), and it's outcomes (short- and long-term) we should always keep in mind.

An internet search for the park displays pages and pages of positive listings. But I'm not the only one who is very concerned about this "special" place: other parents and professionals in the field have shared their concerns. In addition, when the park was featured in an ABC News story, a variety of people posted their less-than-supportive views on the ABC News website. Why, they wonder (as I do), if we're working toward the inclusion of all people with disabilities in all areas of society, would anyone support a "special" place? Most of us have learned, through experience, that if it's a "special" anything, it leans far more toward seclusion, segregation, and/or an artificial environment, than the natural environment of inclusion. (It's estimated that 20 percent of all adults and 10 percent of all children in American society have disabilities. Thus, a natural, inclusive environment is one that represents this natural proportion: no more than 20 percent adults with disabilities and no more than 10 percent children with disabilities. Anything more than those percentages represents an unnatural, artificial environment.)

Morgan's Wonderland describes itself in terms of "inclusion," and, yes, the park and all the rides are reported to be wheelchair accessible. People with disabilities get in free, their companions/family members pay a reduced fare, and everyone else pays a higher rate. Reservations must be made ahead of time, and potential visitors are asked to identify the "special needs" (diagnosis/other info) about the child or adult with a disability. Evidently, attendance is controlled depending on the number and type of people coming, in order to have adequate "staffing." (This is exactly what occurs within the "system" of disability services!)

One parent who attended the park told me that it was, indeed, a model of accessibility. But she also added that, in her opinion, all the rides were geared toward children. In other words, adults with disabilities didn't have "adult rides," (scarier, faster, higher, whatever); they were expected to enjoy the "children's rides." A professional in the disability field said his agency considered taking a group of adults with disabilities to the park, but the idea was "boycotted" once they learned more about the park.

So what makes this park popular? There are probably as many answers as there are people who enjoyed their time spent at the park (the website features many complimentary letters of support). The carousel is evidently wheelchair accessible. Fine. But when our family has gone to "regular" theme parks over the years, we simply lift our son, Benjamin, out of his wheelchair and place him in/on the ride; if necessary, one of us stays close by to give him some additional support; and we all have a great time! Now that Benjamin is a 23-year-old, he probably would not choose to ride a "children's ride" ("gross," he'd say), so for an adult ride, we would still lift him out of his wheelchair and put him on the ride. We've never had anyone tell us we couldn't do that at "regular" theme parks, where the rides are usually not wheelchair accessible.

But, someone might ask, what about a person who uses a wheelchair and there's no one to transfer him onto a ride? Well, the world is not perfect (and neither is Morgan's Wonderland)! There are some rides and/or places (certain restaurants, movie theaters, etc.) that just don't work for me or my husband or my son, for whatever reasons, so we skip those in favor of places that do work for us!

Some people evidently enjoy this theme park because they're not stared at by others. Well, phooey! Such an attitude is not about the child or the adult with a disability, it's about the parents' (and/or "caregivers") feelings and egos! Years ago, one of my early mentors was Ed Roberts, considered to be the father of the Independent Living Movement. Ed had polio, used a power chair, sucked on the tube of a portable ventilator attached to his chair, and could only move two fingers on his left hand. He was stared at unmercifully, and he taught me and many others that it's all about our attitudes and actions. Ed said he decided early on that when he was stared at, he would choose to believe people were staring because he was a star, and not a "helpless cripple" (as he was described in one newspaper headline). I took that advice to heart, and we learned to wave at people, say, "Hi," and/or use other strategies when we've been stared at (and the starers usually turn away!). In addition to the lack of staring, many people who attend the park may feel "more comfortable" there since they're with others who are "like them."

When will we realize that the staring will stop and everyone will feel more comfortable when we—people with disabilities and families—make the choice to be more active and involved in ordinary, inclusive activities! We get stared at because some people have "never seen anyone like that." As soon as we make the choice to be involved in ordinary, inclusive environments, and others see us, get to know us, etc., the staring will stop and, again, everyone will be more comfortable. But so long as we remain invisible to the general public, hiding ourselves and our children behind the walls of "special" places, the staring and uncomfortable feelings will remain.

I'm sure there are many reasons people may think Morgan's Wonderland and/or other "special" places are terrific, but we need to consider the outcomes. I've already described one outcome, above—that so long as we choose to spend our time in "special" places, the staring and uncomfortable feelings will stay the same.

Here are some other outcomes to consider, in no particular order:

• Sadly, too many children and adults with developmental disabilities already spend too much of their time in "special" environments. Going to a "special" theme park—a place that's supposed to be fun—reinforces the perception to the child/adult with a disability that this is the only place he belongs; he's still not "good enough" to belong at a "regular" theme park (or any other environment). Do we really want people to feel this way about themselves? Shouldn't we be raising our children with disabilities to feel they belong, to help them take their rightful places as valued members of their communities?
• Building on the above, other people believe the only place a person with a disability "belongs" is in a "special" place; thus, few, if any opportunities, to participate in ordinary (inclusive) activities are offered. How will a child or adult with a disability learn how to be successful in the Real World if she's never given opportunities to do so?
• With the "success" of this park, others will probably be built. And, despite the anti-discriminatory provisions in the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), it's possible that a "regular" theme park might "encourage" people with disabilities to go to a "special" park, instead of the "regular" park! This already occurs, as many parents have discovered, when they inquire about their children participating in "regular" park and rec activities and are told, "No, your child can't participate in our  'regular' programs, only in our 'special' programs or Special Olympics."

And there are more negative outcomes—you can probably think of some, but enough said, for now.

The creation of more "special" anything for people with disabilities—parks, schools, classrooms, programs, etc.—perpetuates harmful myths, takes us backward on the road to an inclusive society for all, and leads to negative outcomes for children and adults with disabilities. We can do better; children and adults with disabilities deserve better.

July 10, 2010—©Kathie Snow, www.disabilityisnatural.com, All Rights Reserved