Pennsylvania Mother Describes Disturbing Incident Affecting Her Disabled Son
A Pennsylvania mother shared her distress over a troubling experience involving her disabled son while under the care of others. Victoria Hable, 31, is committed to protecting her 6-year-old son, Rowen. Living in Philadelphia, she advocates for Rowen, who has Down syndrome, speech apraxia, and autism. Rowen utilizes an augmentative and alternative communication device and sign language to communicate, as speech apraxia affects his verbal ability.
School and Support Services
Rowen attends public school five days a week, receiving a mix of special and general education services. He joins first-grade classes with neurotypical peers and spends time in a life-skills classroom for speech, occupational, and physical therapy sessions.
The Incident
Victoria appreciates the services provided by Rowen’s school but recounts a “traumatic” incident on July 16, 2026, involving his after-school care facility. She received a call at 4:05 p.m. from the facility after Rowen was transported there by a third-party bus service. Due to Rowen’s limited verbal communication, Victoria requested footage of the journey, which took a month to obtain. Upon review, the situation was more concerning than anticipated.
“Rowen arrived not in the safety harness specified in his education program. Instead, he was slumped in a regular seat,” Victoria explained. The footage revealed that Rowen’s designated seat was occupied, leading to his placement elsewhere. Throughout the ride, Rowen repeatedly left his seat, with children alerting the driver for help. Several children attempted to secure him in his seat without assistance from the driver.
Victoria described Rowen as increasingly distressed during the ride, and the driver did not call for help. The footage showed an hour-long journey, ending with Rowen asleep and unsecured. He remained on the bus for an additional 10 minutes after other students disembarked. Victoria noted he was found barefoot with his shoes left behind on the bus.
Response and Actions Taken
Although initially the footage appeared not alarming, further review showed distressing escalation. Victoria, pursuing a master’s degree in social work, noticed Rowen engaging by “throwing objects” from his bag, normally inaccessible during transit. As children repeatedly asked for help without a driver’s response, the situation became more troubling.
Victoria removed Rowen from the care facility, arranging transportation through Montgomery County Intermediate Unit with a new vehicle, driver, and aide. Rowen continues at his elementary school, and Victoria aims to restore trust with the school district.
She shared her story on Instagram, highlighting challenges families face when support systems for disabled children fail. Victoria remarked, “Being a disabled child’s parent means managing advocacy, medical care, and therapy instead of enjoying their childhood. The fear of harm when not in care is significant. Although Rowen wasn’t seriously hurt, it was eye-opening.”
She raised concerns about the training and staffing of systems supporting disabled and autistic students. Emphasizing accountability, Victoria described her intent to rebuild trust with the district for Rowen’s education and safety.
Victoria assured that despite tiredness and human errors, accountability is essential. Despite the fright of the incident, she believes in collaboration with the district for Rowen’s best education and security.