The key question is, do all those elements work together to allow visitors of every degree of capacity to play every available role in the theme park story?
Can a child with a developmental disability be the protagonist? The princess? The clown? Can the visitor with a mobility impairment be he adventurer conquering ride after ride? Facing wild animals like a hero? Can the person who does not take in information visually or auditorially find their stage cues as they play out the park's fantasy?
The next time you visit a theme park - or build one - think beyond the minimum requirements set out by the Americans with Disabilities Act in the US or the relevant building and safety codes in your country. Imagineer an environment where the differences in capacity between children and seniors are bridged. Stage a world where those with disabilities and those enjoying those temporary phases of life where they are not experiencing one can recreate side by side. Name yourself as hero.
Bring home a memento of a place that still might only exist in fantasy - but can still come true by design if the story escapes.
URLs for Further Reading:
Disneyland disneyland.disney.go.com/
Huis Ten Bosch http://216.239.57.104/search?q=cache:uDQ...
GRS Fantasy Park http://www.grsfantasypark.com/default.asp
Cadbury World http://www.cadburyworld.co.uk/EN/CWORLD/...
Hershey Park and Hershey Chocolate World
http://www.hersheypa.com/attractions/her...
http://www.hersheypa.com/attractions/in_...
From Anxiety to Access by Simon Darcy
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