The San Antonio nonprofit that built the nation’s first ultra-accessible theme park is continuing its expansion.
On Tuesday, Morgan’s held a ribbon-cutting ceremony to open its new ultra-accessible beauty salon.
CEO Brent Fields called the salon a natural next step for the organization known for its theme park – Morgan’s Wonderland – as well as its camps, sports leagues, and community center.
"It's just one of a lot of examples where we often think about what parts of society and the lives experience aren't accommodating. And the salon is definitely one of the most common experiences we hear about where our friends with disabilities are not finding the accommodations that they want, deserve, and need,” Fields said.
Morgan’s Salon is located within its Multi-Assistance Center at 5210 Thousand Oaks.
It features special equipment, such as wheelchair accessible stations for hair and nail services and portable washing stations.
“We intentionally designed this space so that you could navigate through it easily, and it's not overly crowded and congested. Even the lighting, the sound. We have noise canceling features in here, so it's not overly stimulating,” Fields said.
All of the salon’s staff are trained to work with people with a range of disabilities, as well as flexible appointments and sensory accommodations.
This service is something that Mario Hebert appreciates. He has had issues taking his 14-year-old son, Cedrick, to get a haircut.
“We've had all kinds of negative experiences, from having a hairdresser telling me in the middle of a haircut that you need to leave, to other parents looking at you and with disdain. Why would you take a child somewhere like this?” Hebert said.
Sandy Etheridge, president of the Multi Assistance Center, said Morgan’s salon was proud to be able to give Cedrick a haircut with a lot less stress.
“He was able to reach that milestone and it was a huge accomplishment for him and his parents,” Etheridge said.
Morgan’s Founder Gordon Hartman said their latest effort was inspired by his daughter Morgan, who the nonprofit is named after.
“Morgan likes to get her nails done, and every time she would always get her nails done, she would always make sure – numerous times – to make sure I was aware that she had just gotten her nails done,” Hartman said at Tuesday’s ribbon cutting. “And I thought to myself, well, Morgan's one of the lucky ones because we were able to take her somewhere to get her nails done. And she really felt the self-esteem that came from having her nails done.”
Hartman sold his San Antonio homebuilding business in 2005 to create the nonprofit dedicated to his daughter and to making the world more accessible for children and adults with special needs.
“I always thought to myself if we could do that, we're all about bringing everybody together and giving what we do have. Morgan's and the opportunities that exist there may seem small, but the little things is what makes a real difference," Hartman said.
The nonprofit’s leaders say they hope people around the country notice what they're doing in San Antonio.
“We wish we didn't have to be the first and the only. As a matter of fact, our goal is that people see what we're doing and replicate it. We're not trying to create some franchise business,” Fields said. “We just happened to live in San Antonio. That's our community. That's where we choose to make a difference. But our hope is that San Antonio becomes Inclusion City USA and becomes a model of what the rest of the world should be doing.”
