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Brown v. Board of Education
Brown v. Board of Education was a lawsuit to end segregation. The Supreme Court ruling made it illegal to segregate schools and was later used to argue that schools cannot segregate based on disability status. -
Education of the Handicapped Act
Congress first addressed the education of students with disabilities in 1966 when it amended the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to establish a grant program to assist states in the “initiation, expansion, and improvement of programs and projects . . . for the education of handicapped children. -
Pennsylvania Association of Retarded Children v. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
This was a lawsuit to reverse a state law that allowed schools to deny public education to students that had not reached a mental age of 5 years old. The lawsuit was successful and decreed that all students between the ages of 6 and 21, regardless of disability, were to get a free public education. -
Mills v. Board of Education of District of Columbia
This was one of two important federal trial court rulings that helped to lay the foundation that eventually led to the passage of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Education for All Handicapped Children Act (EAHCA), now the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). These are laws that changed the face of American education. Prior to 1975 and the enactment of these laws, many schools did not offer special education for students with disabilities. -
The Rehabilitation Act
The Rehabilitation Act of 1973 requires access to programs and activities that are funded by Federal agencies and to Federal employment. Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 not only defines what a disability is in the classroom but also protects students with disabilities from discrimination. The law also established the Access Board (section 502). Later amendments strengthened requirements for access to electronic and information technology in the Federal sector (Section 508). -
Education of All Handicapped Students Act
This was the starting point for IDEA. The Education for All Handicapped Children Act was enacted by the United States Congress in 1975. This act required all public schools accepting federal funds to provide equal access to a free and appropriate public education (FAPE) and one free meal a day for children with physical and mental disabilities. Public schools were required to evaluate disabled children and create an educational plan with parent input. -
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act
President Bush signed into law the Education of the Handicapped Act Amendments of 1990, changing the name of the EHA to "Individuals with Disabilities Education Act."
The revisions signed into law by President Bush October 30 extended FAPE and includes many significant improvements, such as programs to promote research and technology and transition programs to help students succeed after high school. -
Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004
In reauthorizing the IDEA in 2004, Congress increased the focus on accountability and improved outcomes by emphasizing reading, early intervention, and research-based instruction by requiring that special education teachers be highly qualified.
