June 2014 – mamasmunchkin

I’ve been a client on Access Lynx on and off, for as many years as I’ve lived in Orlando. They’re the para transit service run by the local bus service that helps people who’re disabled get around town. As with other share-ride systems that pick up multiple people at a time, it encounters problems related to scheduling, and other issues.

I was appalled this week when I saw the story of Joyce Rosa on the news. Ms. Rosa had a stroke, and uses a wheelchair as a result. The driver of the van Ms. Rosa was riding in called 911 on her because she was a dollar short on her fare. The article says Ms. Rosa refused to get off the bus but, honestly, in order for her to get off the bus, the driver would’ve had to help her.

The driver could have used their discretion and not called 911. I’ve been on the bus before and have seen people not have the right fare. As a result, the driver didn’t call the police on them.

The newscast also talked about the drivers receiving additional training because of this incident. While I understand passengers need to pay the fare to use the service, some sort of common sense should be exercised by the driver in each situation. Since the majority of clients are repeat customers, they could implement a procedure where the person signs a sort of “IOU” for the next time they use the service. They’d probably use the service again very soon, like to get home, for example.

I’ve also had to file complaints against Access Lynx. Although, as with everything else, there’s a process that needs to be followed, it’s the best way to get your issues with them resolved. Either way, I hope they come up with a viable solution to this problem, so that if it happens again, there’s a more logical resolution than calling the police on the passenger.

If you’d like to find out more about this story, check out the link below:

http://www.wftv.com/news/news/local/lynx-driver-calls-911-disabled-passenger-over-1-di/ngTj3/?ecmp=social_20140627_26876706

Thanks for reading..

As parents, we expect when we send our kids to school, they’re in good hands. After seeing a story on the news earlier this week, I was completely shocked about the subject of the report. A teacher had been caught on video assaulting a student with Autism.

When I started looking into the subject a bit more, I found out that unfortunately, this wasn’t an isolated incident. I’ve posted before on how students with disabilities experience more bullying by their peers than their non-disabled counterparts. What didn’t occur to me, until now, was the possibility that maybe the person bullying the student could actually be the teacher, and not other students.

Obviously, there’s no excuse for this behavior. It’s a shame that those we entrust with our kids feel they can use their position of trust and power in such a negative way. I feel the Superintendent of the school did the right thing by firing the teacher. Although the School Board reinstated her, I’m hoping the new investigation being conducted will result in the appropriate action to protect all children at the school, especially those with a disability.

I’ve had the pleasure to volunteer my time years ago at a local Middle School and realize the majority of teachers who take on the job genuinely care about their students. Although I’m not sure how, an extra safeguard should be implemented in the education field to ensure the people entrusted with the safety and well-being of our kids on a daily basis are doing exactly that. As a result, the kids can focus on learning instead of the physical abuse their teacher might inflict on them if they misbehave.

For more information check out the following link:

http://www.wftv.com/news/news/local/9-investigates-teacher-accused-assaulting-special-/ngPHN/

Thanks for reading..

Month: June 2014

Access Lynx Passenger Almost Arrested

Teacher Assaults Autistic Boy