Dad builds accessible igloo for kids with disabilities

CINCINNATI -- When Gregg Eichhorn and his large family set out to build a snow fort, they knew one thing: They wanted everyone to be included.

The Ohio dad and his wife, Katie, are the adoptive parents to eight children (soon to be nine). All of his kids have special needs. Two of them use a wheelchair, but that didn't stop them from being a part of the epic family project.

"The kids and I were discussing while we were throwing snow around that we should make something handicap accessible so Zahara and Elijah could use it," Eichhorn told Good Morning America. "The kids jumped in and helped for a couple of minutes here and there as we built it."

The family worked together to create quite an impressive fort that fits a wheelchair. The pictures went viral after a friend posted them to reddit earlier this week.

The photos featured Zahara, their 19-year-old daughter who has cerebral palsy, as well as Elijah, their 9-year-old son who has cortical visual impairment.

"Zahara lights up with any attention, so she was excited to go outside and have people out there with her," he said.

Elijah, too, seemed to enjoy the fort, Eichhorn said.

"When he went in the fort, his eyes opened instantly and you could see he was processing what was going on as he was surrounded by white," Eichhorn said. "It was very special to see him process that."

For the kids who wanted to climb, they added a slide that descends from the roof.

To concerned users on reddit who wondered whether it was sturdy enough to climb, the friend wrote, "The dome shape and really compact snow is amazingly strong. I was up there. It's solid."

All in all, the family activity took five hours. Eichhorn said it was all worth it just to see his kids' reactions.