A young girl and her father are heartbroken after not being allowed into an Obama campaign event. Eight-year-old Alana Wenger, who has Asperger Syndrome, was turned away from a speech that the president was giving at Grand Junction High School in Grand Junction, Colorado, on Thursday. Her father is now speaking out, with KJCT writing that her “dreams were crushed.”

Shannon Wenger, 8 Year Old With Asperger, Turned Away From Obama Event

WASHINGTON, DC - JULY 4: In this handout image provided by the White House, U.S. President Barack Obama holds a baby while greeting guests during an Independence Day celebration on the South Lawn of the White House on July 4, 2012 in Washington, D.C. Credit: Getty Images

The girl’s father, Shannon Wenger, arrived at the school with his daughter at 4 p.m., assuming that they had shown up with plenty of time to spare before Obama’s 5:30 p.m. address. But — they were turned away at the door and given little reasoning for the decision, Shannon claims. Obama apparently showed up an hour earlier than expected and the family was purportedly never told that the doors would be closed upon his arrival.

“I thought what a great historic event to take my daughter to and she’ll remember it her whole life,” he said.  ”And then we got there and they said nope, sorry. No explanation.”

Shannon Wenger, 8 Year Old With Asperger, Turned Away From Obama Event

8-Year-Old Shannon Wenger (Photo Credit: KJCT)

While being declined entry was disappointing enough, the father is more angry over the fact that at least one other individual was allowed into the door after he and Alana were not. This, in Shannon’s view, rails against everything that the Obama campaign claims to be about, considering that the individual was given special treatment.

“That a prominent democrat would get let into the event after we were told the secret service said nobody else is allowed in — it’s a security risk, but there was obviously somebody that wasn’t,” he said. ”A lot of his campaigning is about people shouldn’t be treated special because of who they know or how much money they have and we saw it in action yesterday that somebody did get treated special.”

Watch the family discuss this incident, below:

(H/T: KJCT)