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First passed law that dealt with the care taking of persons with disabilities.
This law was signed by president John Adams and passed in 1798. This law gave authorization to Marine hospitals to care of sick and disabled seaman. This law was also monumental because it deducted 20 cents from each sailor to help fund the caretaking program showing one of the first taxes that helped people with disabilities. Although the law did not specify on what the description of disabled was, it still made progress for people who might have needed help whether it be mental or physical. -
1st American Institution for individuals with disabilities
The name of the institute was The Connecticut Asylum for Deaf and Dumb persons. I know that the name is very harsh and upsetting but in these times people with disabilities were categorized as being dumb. The nation seemed to be in denial that people with disabilities could be able to learn. Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet, was an advocate for the disabled community and said that " it is my spiritual and moral duty to educate persons with disabilities." -
Massachusetts gives funding to build sped center.
Samuel Gridley Howe was an abolitionist as well as a physician. He felt very passionate about educating people with disabilities, so much in fact that he went to the state and demanded that they supply funds to build a school for people with disabilities. The name of the center would be known as an experimental school for teaching and training for idiotic children. -
Rhode Island passed a law mandating compulsory education for children
Rhode Island would be the first to pass a law mandating that education should be for all children. This act also made attendance mandatory. Other states soon followed suit but this law would start to make changes to the way that we as a country started to look at the importance of education. -
Cuyahoga County votes against compulsory act
The Cuyahoga county court of appeals ruled that the state compulsory education acts gave the state a right to exclude certain students due to a disability. I found this to be very troubling but I also realize that in this time people did not have the proper knowledge of people with disabilities. Human nature often makes us fear what we don't know. -
John F Kennedy signs the Maternal and Child Health and Mental Retardation Amendment
https://youtu.be/QyfCdOo7ft4
This amendment would be the first major legislation to combat mental illness and retardation. President Kennedy believed that a nation as prosperous as the U.S should be able to service those who have developmental disabilities. Legislation such as this one would start a slow but sure way towards more laws that would benefit the disabled community. -
PARC vs. Pennsylvania
was a legal case in 1971 where Pennsylvania was sued by the Pennsylvania Association for Retarded Citizens (PARC) over a law that gave public schools the authority to prevent free education to children who had reached the age of 8, yet had not reached the mental age of 5. The court found it unlawful to deny children a free and appropriate no matter what their physical or mental disability. -
Rehabilitation act
The Rehabilitation Act of 1973 allowed, public schools were required to evaluate handicapped children and create an educational plan with parent input. These ideal may seem normal now but back then these were monumental laws. -
President Clinton signs amendment to IDEA
On June 4, 1997, President Clinton signed the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act Amendments of 1997 (IDEA), P.L. 105-17. This legislation guarantees a free and appropriate public education for more than 5 million children with disabilities and prohibits states from eliminating educational services to students with disabilities under any circumstances. This marked a great day for special educators and students alike! -
No child left behind Act
http://www.edweek.org/ew/section/multimedia/no-child-left-behind-overview-definition-summary.html
No Child Left Behind was an act that held school and educators accountable for students progress. If a student did not pass required assessments the student would be held back until he or she passed that assessment. Special education students were also held accountable. Special education students would take the assessments with modifications and accommodations.
