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By Alyce Collins
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A Pennsylvania mother has told Newsweek about the “distressing" and "traumatic” incident her disabled son experienced while he was supposed to be in the care of others.
Like most parents, Victoria Hable, 31, would do anything to protect her 6-year-old son, Rowen. Along with all the usual responsibilities of motherhood, Victoria, from Philadelphia, is also Rowen's biggest advocate because he has Down syndrome, speech apraxia and autism.
Speech apraxia significantly affects Rowen's verbal communication, so he relies on an augmentative and alternative communication device, sign language and gestures to communicate.
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Rowen attends public school five days a week, where he receives a combination of special and general education services. He participates in first-grade classes alongside his neurotypical peers while also spending time in a life-skills classroom, where he receives speech, occupational and physical therapy.
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What Was the Reported Incident?
Victoria is grateful for the services Rowen's elementary school provides. However, she says he experienced a "traumatic" incident on July 16, 2026, involving the after-school care facility he was enrolled in.
"In my six years as a parent to a child who needs additional support, I have never experienced an incident like this or truly feared for Rowen's safety while he was in someone else's care," Victoria told Newsweek.
That day, Victoria received a call from Rowen's after-school care facility at 4:05 p.m. once he arrived there by bus (run by a third party). Because Rowen is largely non-verbal, the mom requested transportation footage to see for herself what happened. It took a month before she was finally able to view the recording, but when she did, Victoria said it was "significantly more concerning" than previously believed.
"I was told that when Rowen arrived, he was not in the five-point safety harness specified in his individualized education program. He was instead slumped over in a seat in the third row of a smaller bus,” Victoria said.
She continued: "Footage showed that Rowen had been placed in a regular seat because another student was in his designated seat. During the ride, he repeatedly got out of his seatbelt while multiple children alerted the driver and asked for help. At one point, several children were physically attempting to buckle him and keep him in his seat."
According to Victoria, Rowen became increasingly distressed during the journey, while the driver reportedly did not call for assistance.
Footage from the bus ride lasted approximately an hour, and by the end, Rowen appeared to have fallen asleep while unsecured. As a result, he remained on the bus for an additional 10 minutes after the other students had disembarked.
"When the bus arrived, staff found him asleep in the back without a seatbelt; he was also barefoot, with his shoes left on the bus," Victoria said.
Newsweek has contacted the transport provider for comment.
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While the footage did not seem especially alarming at first, Victoria, who is studying for a master's degree in social work, said it became progressively more troubling. She also said Rowen could be seen "throwing objects from his bag" as a form of social engagement. Normally, he would not have access to his bag during the journey.
"What started as a game with his peers escalated as the children continued asking for help without a response from the driver. It was extremely distressing and disappointing to witness not only my son, but other children, asking an adult for help and not receiving a response," Victoria continued.
What Happened Next?
When Victoria arrived to collect her son, she said he was much clingier than usual. One of the hardest aspects, she said, was knowing that her maternal instincts told her something troubling had occurred, yet having to wait a month to see the footage herself.
Rowen was removed from the after-school care facility and now receives transportation through the Montgomery County Intermediate Unit, with a different vehicle, driver and permanent transportation aide.
He continues to attend the same elementary school, and Victoria hopes to rebuild the relationship with the school district.
Following the incident, Victoria shared her experience on Instagram to raise awareness for the challenges families can face when systems designed to support disabled children fall short.
Victoria told Newsweek: "As a parent of a disabled child, I know how exhausting it can be to wear all the hats—advocate, medical professional, social worker, therapist—and not get to simply enjoy their childhood.
“One of our biggest fears is that our child will be hurt while not in our care. Thankfully, Rowen was not seriously injured, but the event was traumatic and opened our eyes to potential safety issues.”
Victoria said the incident also raised broader concerns about the training and staffing of systems that support disabled and autistic students.
While she was able to draw on her academic understanding of social care, she urges other parents to be their children's strongest advocates. At the same time, she believes incidents like this should not completely undermine trust in the wider system.
"I understand that people are tired and mistakes happen, but we must have accountability. While this incident was horrifying and scary, I have faith that we can rebuild trust with the district and continue working together to ensure Rowen receives the best education and safest environment possible," Victoria said.
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Newsweek’s reporters and editors used Martyn, our AI assistant, to produce this story. Learn more about Martyn here.
Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Marc Vargas and Paul Donnelley.
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