Chickasaw Lighthorse Chief of Police Chris Palmer (left) and Assistant Chief of Police Terrance Bush (right) present Tony Carter the 2023 Chickasaw Lighthorse Police Youth Academy Courage Award. The courage award honors an academy participant who confronts fear and difficulty to accomplish their goals.
ADA, Okla.-In many ways, 16-year-old Tony Carter is just like his Ardmore, Okla. High School classmates. He loves to attend sporting events and rodeos with his family and sit under a shade tree with his grandpa when the weather is nice.
In some ways, Tony is exceptional.
Diagnosed with autism at age two, Tony is nonverbal. Large crowds occasionally overwhelm him, and he sometimes is made to feel unwelcome by peers and adults unfamiliar with autism.
Because Tony cannot speak, Ucona Carter relies on a mother's instinct and Tony's nonverbal cues to help her son communicate and engage with the wor...
