Disabled Teen Sues LAUSD for “Humiliating” Treatment

The ex-Carson High student with cerebral palsy says he had to be carried onto and off a bus during his Grad Nite trip to Disneyland

A teen with cerebral palsy has begun a legal battle againt the Los Angeles Unified School District, claiming he was denied wheelchair-accessible transportation for field trips while he was a student at Carson High School, according to court documents.

Edward Martinez is suing the LAUSD for unspecified monetary damages, claiming his experience as a Carson High student using a wheelchair was "traumatic and humiliating."

In court papers filed in late July, Martinez said he was repeatedly left behind on school trips and baseball games due to inaccessible buses. In one instance, he said he was left on the curb as his classmates pulled away.

The "final insult," Martinez said in a statement, was his Grad Nite trip to Disneyland.

"I didn't get left behind for Disneyland," he said. "I couldn't stand it anymore, so I had them lift me out of my wheelchair and carry me on and off the bus, like a little child -- it was humiliating, but I was so sick of being left behind, all I wanted was to be with my friends."

The suit also claims that school staff segregated Martinez in the school library for two weeks while his math class was held without him in an inaccessible upstairs classroom.

The LAUSD said it does not comment on pending litigation.

This is the second time Martinez has sued the LAUSD over inaccessible transportation. The first lawsuit resulted in a settlement in 2012.

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