A theme park in Texas has set itself a unique agenda.

Morgan's Wonderland is a place where people with special needs can forget their day-to-day reality and fully enjoy themselves.

They're smiling and enjoying themselves, but for many here, these simple joys have up until now been out of reach.

Life with special needs has prevented them from living their life fully and engaging in what others consider normal childhood activities.

Gordon Hartman is a former real estate developer in San Antonio.

His 16 year-old daughter Morgan suffers from severe cognitive delay.

"Morgan has really taught me that there's more to life," says Hartman.

But it wasn't always easy for Hartman to see his daughter grow up.

He recalls one heartbreaking moment that put life in perspective.

"There were some other children at the other end of the pool, a couple of kids playing with a ball back and forth and I could tell Morgan wanted to play with them," says Gordon.

But she couldn't.

So Hartman decided to create a place where Morgan would be able to engage in fun activities with other people.

He raised 30 million dollars, including a million of his own, to build Morgan's Wonderland, the first large theme park created for people with special needs.

The park offers 25 attractions suited for all needs: wheelchairs have wide flat universal access, shy people can rely on a controlled, limited crowd-size and children who run are suited with this special bracelet that tracks their every movement.

If someone goes lost, you can locate them on screens all over the park, thanks to a microchip embedded in their wristband.

Visitors have been streaming into Morgan's Wonderland, and parents like Debbie West say it really does make a difference.

"You see them struggle with so many different things, little things that no one could even imagine. You know seeing here without that limitation it is just, it's overwhelming," she says.

With his life changing idea, Gordon Hartman has brought joy into many hearts, including his own.

AP