Florida Child Injury Law Blog

Posts Tagged ‘Orlando’

Last week in Orlando, a group of 50 parents, volunteers and children all gathered in front of City Hall to voice their support of the Freedom Ride program.

 The program aids disabled youths and adults at Trotters Park through therapeutic horseback riding.  Those who participate in Freedom Ride are living  with a variety of disabilities and life challenges, some of which include: cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy, multiple sclerosis, ADD, autism, deafness, and blindness.

 The city of Orlando has decided not to renew the lease at Trotters Park after it expires next year.  It’s reported that city officials feel the land is needed for more soccer and basketball facilities. 

 The mother of one child, Jonathon Forthuber, who has cerebral palsy, explained the importance of the program. “He can’t walk, so when he’s on a horse, he’s walking. Things these kids shouldn’t be able to do, they’re doing. They ought to have an opportunity to keep doing it.”

 Mayor Buddy Dyer is exploring other options to possibly facilitate the needs of the program. 

The Dodson Law Firm wishes the families, children and volunteers well in these efforts and hope their voices will be heard by city officials. Freedom Ride sounds like an extremely worthwhile program, reaching out to the more than 50,000 disabled people  in the Central Florida area while providing an invaluable opportunity for this group of  children and adults.

Two years ago when a 15-year-old autistic boy came home his parents found him with a contusion on his forehead and a scrape on his nose.  What happened?  That’s the debate that is going on in an Orlando federal courthouse, according to a news article published by the Orlando Sentinel.

 Rosmarie and Lawrence Casto have filed a lawsuit against the Princeton Charter School alleging that the school physically abused their son, Christopher. 

Also alleged is the staff tackled, jumped and sat on Christopher — depriving him of breath — and held his face against the ground.

 Princeton House officials maintain that they did nothing wrong and that their staff responded to the teen’s behavior correctly.  “He was just being violent,” said Carol Tucker, executive director of the Princeton House. 

 Staff had to restrain Christopher because of potential injuries to other people, as well as property damage that could have been incurred, she said.  “We do the best we can under terrible situations,” she said.

 Christopher, the report states,  now lives in a group home, where he requires a strict routine and consistent care.