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. 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.
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.
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