Many parents of special-needs children await the opening of Morgan's Wonderland, the first large-scale amusement park designed specifically for people with special needs.

But as workers get ready for a Wednesday opening, another group is talking to park leaders about tapping into the park's potential: disabled veterans.

Park founder Gordon Hartman met Tuesday with a group of VA and disabled veterans officials to talk about making veterans welcome.

“We're four miles away from the largest military medicine location in the world, (and) that's just a perfect location,” Hartman said.

The fully accessible park will give disabled veterans a place to go with their families, “and not just feel like they're just sitting on the sidelines because they can't participate,” said Nancy Scull, director of client services for Operation Homefront.

It has the potential to give them more than just recreational opportunities, said Keisha Wright, a vocational rehabilitation counselor with the Paralyzed Veterans of America.

Her organization helps disabled veterans participate in wheelchair games and other competitions, but they are required to perform community service hours. The park, which will depend heavily on volunteers, gives them a place to do that, she said.

“They're also being role models,” Wright added, “visual examples of people who have disabilities and still are able to get out and volunteer time.”

Morgan's Wonderland is named for Hartman's daughter, who is developmentally disabled. The park as originally conceived was a $10 million project, but during its development, upgrades and new concepts pushed the budget to $32.5 million.

“They say the first million is the hardest,” Hartman said, “but I think the last million is. We've got $6 million to go.”

Wednesday's opening to the public will be a “soft” one, with limited numbers of guests allowed in as workers fine-tune procedures and hurry with finishing touches before the April 10 grand opening. Construction-tracked caliche still cakes the parking lots, and landscaping featured in park mockups is yet to be planted.

But guests last week were trying out the wheelchair swings, while a social media lunch group tweeted about the park from its event center. Volunteers checked in and checked out the visitors, putting the first wristbands on them — paper for now, but soon to be high-tech so that parents can track their children anywhere in the park.

Westley Johnson Jr. had a giant smile on his face as he urged his sister Kierra to follow him onto the playground. Westley, 10, has microcephaly, said his mother, Keyontia Johnson, and the playground is an opportunity for the active boy to run and flip and play to his heart's content.

“I'm always trying to find someplace to go that will be, especially, closed in and safe,” Johnson said.

Visitors must register with Morgan's Wonderland and make a reservation for each visit. Special-needs visitors get in free, and each other person in their party will be charged $5.