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1905 - Binet-Simon Scale
Alfred Binet wrote an article describing his work with Theodore Simonin, together they developed a tool to measure students with possible mental retardation. The tool is called the Binet-Simon Scale and it is considered an adequate way to measure intelligence (Sass, 2019). -
1939 - Intelligence Tests
David Wechsler created an intelligence scale that is still used in schools around the U.S. today. The version for children is used to help identify students needing special education (Sass, 2019). -
1963 - Learning Disability
During a conference on children with disorders, Samuel A. Kirk uses the term "learning disability". In 1964, the Learning Disabilities Association of America was established. In special education, in the U.S., almost one-half of all students receiving services have been identified as having learning disabilities (Sass, 2019). -
1973 - Rehabilitation Act
The Rehabilitation Act becomes law. Section 504 of this act protects students with disabilities in public schools. It also requires accommodations for these students in order to receive federal funds. United States. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare. Office for Civil Rights. (1978). Section 504 of the Rehabilitation act of 1973 -
1975 - EHA
Education for All Handicapped Children Act of 1975 (EHA). President Gerald Ford signed the legislation to require that all children with disabilities have access to a “free appropriate public education,” known as FAPE (Education for All Handicapped Children Act of 1975, Pub. L. 94-142). -
1982 - Board of Ed. of Hendrick Hudson Central School Dist. v. Rowley
First decision in a special education case by the U. S. Supreme Court; defined "free appropriate public education (Board of Ed. of Hendrick Hudson Central School Dist. v. Rowley 458 U.S. 176 (1982). -
1988 - Honig v. Doe
In the case of Honig v. Doe, the U.S. Supreme Court set precedent for schools inability to indefinitely suspend a student for behavior that was related to his/her disability (Honig v. Doe, 484 US 305 (1988)). -
1990 - IDEA
Public Law 101-476, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), renames and amends Public Law 94-142. This amendment changed "handicap" to "disability", and also included autism and traumatic brain injury to the list of eligibilities. Transition services became mandatory in this amendment (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 1990, Pub. L. No. 101-476). -
2004 - IDEA Modifications
Changes were made to IEP process, procedural safeguards, and also to allow special education staff to have more say so in placement decisions. Modifications also required school districts to use the Response to Intervention (RTI) method to identify students at risk for specific learning disabilities (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, 20 U.S.C. § 1400 (2004). -
2016 - Recent Case Law - Still Fighting for Equality
Students with intellectual disabilities are still having to fight for equality in schools. Recent case law shows the struggle parents are facing to provide protection to their children. Most recently, the U.S. Supreme Court provided a unanimous vote to uphold the right of a student, under IDEA and FAPE, to have her service dog in school with her (Fry v. Napoleon Comm. Sch. District, 580 US __ (2017)).