Morgan’s Wonderland – a Texas-based theme park which caters specifically to the disabled – has broken ground on a multi-million dollar expansion to include the world’s first ultra-accessible waterpark.

Designed for guests of all ages and abilities, the tropically-themed Morgan’s Inspiration Island will be based around six major elements. A river boat ride will take guests on a journey through a jungle setting, while five water play areas – individually known as Hang 10 Harbor, Rainbow Reef, Shipwreck Island, Castaway Bay and Calypso Cove – will offer a selection of waterpark objects including raintrees, falls, pools, geysers, jets, water cannons and tipping buckets. As with Morgan’s Wonderland, every element of the waterpark will be wheelchair accessible, while special wristbands will be able to tell parents the whereabouts of children within the park.

To realise the waterpark, the team at Morgan’s Wonderland worked with several waterpark consultants based in Texas, Arizona, Florida and Canada, as well as a team of doctors and special needs therapists, to create an attraction suitable for disabled children. Luna Architecture and Design have been charged with masterplanning the project, while

Taylor Ochoa are handling design features.

Philanthropist Harvey E. Najim, chair of the 2015 Morgan’s Wonderland Capital Campaign, raised the funds for both Morgan’s Inspiration Island as well as the development of a larger multi-functional building to house The Academy – a school for students with special needs aged 12 to 24.

In addition to the development, which has been in the pipeline since 2013 and is due for completion in Q1 2017, Morgan’s Wonderland is working with a team of researchers to develop waterproof motorised wheelchairs for use in the park.

“In many ways, creating Morgan’s Inspiration Island feels a lot like it did when our team designed and built Morgan’s Wonderland with special needs individuals in mind – it’s never been done before,” said Gordon Hartman, CEO of The Gordon Hartman Family Foundation.

“We believe this new attraction will be tremendously popular because even kids and adults in wheelchairs will be able to have splashy fun in the South Texas sun.”

To read more about Morgan’s Wonderland, click here.