Opinion ID: 3054873
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: T.H.’s Disabilities

Text: Born in 1996, T.H. has endured pronounced mental and physical disabilities her entire life. T.H. has Hemimegalencephaly, a severe brain disorder, which has prevented the left side of her brain from fully developing. T.H. is blind, nonverbal, and is bound to a wheelchair that she is unable to maneuver on her own. She is also plagued by a seizure disorder. Her various ailments render her with the mental and intellectual abilities of a one-year-old child requiring 24-hours-a-day care. T.H.’s condition will never improve. Prior to the events leading to this lawsuit, T.H. experienced an influx of seizures. At that time, a determination was made to undergo surgery whereby a substantial portion of her brain would be removed and a shunt would be placed 3 Case: 12-10473 Date Filed: 08/13/2013 Page: 4 of 21 therein. [R. 76-2 at 287.] The hope was that this operation would curtail the rash of seizures T.H. was suffering. 1 [Id.] This surgical procedure left T.H.’s head extremely tender to the touch at the location where the sizable portion of her brain had been removed. T.H.’s tenderness permeated so much that she experienced pain from mundane activities, such as having her hair brushed. [R. 79-1 ¶ 2.] After the surgery, T.H. had a visible indent in her head. [R. 79-2 at 10–11.] T.H.’s medical conditions were known to Venice Elementary personnel, including O’Neill. In sum, the record is undisputed that T.H. is an extremely disabled child who is both vulnerable and defenseless. In fact, of the children in T.H.’s “profoundly mentally handicapped” classroom2, teacher’s aide Cindi Anderson (“Anderson”) testified that T.H. was probably “the most profoundly handicapped [student]” of the class. [R. 79-2 at 9.]