A heartwarming gesture by a school bus driver for a fourth-grader has not only helped her become stress-free during travel but is inspiring many bus drivers across the country.
A’Delyn Williams, 9, started traveling to school on her own, something she has never done before. This milestone was appreciated by A’Delyn’s mother, Ambrea Raspberry of Texas, who shared a video to TikTok praising her daughter.
“My daughter is visually impaired. And today was her first time getting on the bus by herself,” Raspberry explained in her recent video. “She did it and I’m so proud of her.”
@ambrea2504 Y’all just don’t know how proud I am! #Addy #CODAduets #daughter #momlove
Raspberry said that she has been taking A’Delyn to and from Carver Elementary School for years, but decided to let A’Delyn travel on her own after she expressed she wanted to do so.
“A’Delyn wasn’t too excited about going back to school because she said she doesn’t have many friends,” Raspberry said. “That’s until she learned I have decided to let her ride the bus as she wished.”
When A’Delyn returned from school on Wednesday, Aug. 18, she told her mom that she had befriended her bus driver – Mr. Ryan. Raspberry recorded a snippet of A’Delyn and Mr. Ryan’s walk up a concrete staircase and sidewalk and shared it to TikTok as well.
In the clip, Mr. Ryan held an umbrella open for A’Delyn to shield her from the light rain. On one of the steps, A’Delyn lost her balance but quickly regains her posture. “I’m clumsy,” A’Delyn told Mr. Ryan at the time. But, he makes sure she knows she’s not alone by saying, “I am too.”
“Her bus driver is the best,” Raspberry captioned the viral video, and thousands of TikTok users seem to agree. One commenter wrote that they were brought to tears by the sweet moment. “There’s not many bus drivers like him out there. He’s amazing,” they wrote.
@ambrea2504 Part 2 getting off the bus!!! ❤️#visuallyimparied #blind #independent
“This is beautiful to watch,” another user shared. “Thank you for making me smile.” The two videos, which were filmed in Greenville, have been viewed more than 2.1 million times. “[A’Delyn] says her favorite part of school is the bus ride there and home,” Raspberry said.
“Mr. Ryan is so good with her and all the other special needs children.” What a great school bus driver Mr. Ryan is and such an inspiration to all the school bus drivers around the country.
