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First White House Conference on Children
National attention was brought to children with disabilities at the first White House Conference on Children. At this time, children with exceptionalities were institutionalized. The conference called for schools to establish programs to support children with disabilities. As children entered public schools, they were placed in segregated classrooms that would meet their needs (Yell, n.d.).
This is birth of special education in the country. -
Education Law
All forty-eight states had a law in place requiring the education of children. However, this excluded the education of children with disabilities. States believed that children with special needs should be excluded as education was not beneficial to them or they could be a distraction to students in the classroom (Yell, n.d.).
Our country was segregated on many levels. Race, gender and disabilities were at the forefront of inequalities. -
First Advocacy Group
The Cuyahoga County Ohio Council for Retarded Child was formed by five mothers protesting the exclusion of children with disabilities. Their actions created the opportunity for special education classes to be formed for children with special needs. Other groups were being formed in states across the U.S. pushing for local change. National advocacy groups were not formed until the 1950's (Yell, n.d.). -
National Advocacy Group
The National Association for Retarded Citizens (ARC) was created in Minnesota with the gathering of forty-two individuals from 13 local and state organizations. Their intent was to improve support for people with disabilities. Their mission is to provide information to concerns individuals, monitor appropriate and effective services for individuals with intellectual disabilities and advocate for the rights and interests of individuals, including education (Yell, n.d.). -
Brown v. Board of Education
Segregation of minorities in school ended with the Brown versus Board of Education case in 1954. It also brought about equal opportunities for education of minorities. The outcome of the Brown case was pivotal in igniting a movement to provide equal educational opportunities for children with disabilities. Advocates and families began to push the courts to address segregation and inequality for students with disabilities (Yell, n.d.) -
Education of the Handicapped Act
Education of the Handicapped Act (EHA) was the first law to address special education for students with physical and intellectual disabilities. Federal grants became available to fund improvement of programming for individuals with disabilities and form programs to train teachers for educating individuals with disabilities. This act ensured that individuals with disabilities would receive an education and the support needed to be successful (Yell, n.d.) -
Mills vs. Board of Education of District of Columbia
Seven families of children with disabilities filed suit against the District of Columbia Board of Education due to the inequitable education for their children. The children were being excluded from public schools. It was determined that if it is unconstitutional to segregate based upon race, gender, etc, it is also unconstitutional to segregate based upon disability (Yell, n.d.) -
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) implemented several changes to the world of disabilities. Language of the act changed from "handicapped" to "disability" and identified the person before disability (student with autism instead of autistic student). IDEA also added that transition planning be required on the IEP of a student 16 years or older (Yell, n.d.) -
American Disability Act (ADA)
Equal rights for individuals with disabilities was ensured through the American Disability Act of 1990. It guarantees that individuals with disabilities have the same opportunities for employment, services and participation in government as others (ADA, n.d.) -
No Child Left Behind Act
Accountability of student success is addressed through the NCLB act. The act was passed in 2002 to hold schools accountable for the improvement of student achievement and bring everyone up to standard. Students with disabilities were included in this act to ensure their continued education and support as their test scores would also impact school data results (Yell, n.d.) -
Individual with Disability Education Improvement Act
Over the years, the IDEA has improved with additions or changes to the law. Changes to IDEA in 2004 included the addition of researched instructional strategies and methods and required special education certification for special education teachers. It outlined changes to the IEP and identification of students with disabilities. Schools were encouraged through IDEA Improvement Act to implement Response to Intervention to assist with identifying students with learning disabilities.