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Rhode Island establishes the first special education class in 1896.
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By 1923, approximately 34,000 students with disabilities were enrolled in special education classes
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Congress adds Title VI to the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, creating a Bureau of Education for the Handicapped. Today, this bureau is called the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP).
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PARC v. Pennsylvania and Mills v. DC Board of Education apply equal protection argument to students with disabilities
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This law protects qualified individuals from discrimination based on their disability.
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The Education for all Handicapped Children (PL 94-142) is enacted. This mandated all school districts to educate children with disabilities. Today it is known as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).
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This amendment clearly states that children and parents have rights under IDEA and Section 504.
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Americans with Disabilities Act enacted.
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IDEA amended. New amendments call for students with disabilities to be included in state and district-wide assessments. Classroom teachers also now required to be part of the IEP team.
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This law calls for all students to be proficient in math and reading by 2014.
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Most notable changes are more accountability at state and local levels, as well as school districts providing adequate instruction and intervention in order to keep students in mainstream classes and out of special education classes
