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First Law Regarding Disabled Individuals was passed.
In 1798 the "Act for the relief of Sick and Disabled Seamen" was passed by President Adams. Authorized the creation of a government operated system of marine hospitals and mandated that laboring merchant marine sailors pay taxes to pay for it.
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Plessy vs. Ferguson 1896
Plessy vs. Ferguson was passed by the Supreme Court that held up the constitutionality of separate but equal facilities. This was not directly involved with educational laws, however it did heavily influence education for many years to come. -
First Special Education Class
In 1896 Rhode Island opened the first special education class in the United States. -
Beattie vs. Board of Education
Individuals with disabilities faced extreme difficulties and discrimination in education after Plessy vs. Ferguson. In 1919 Beattie vs. Board of Education the court reviewed arguments about a student who had a disability that caused him to drool and have facial contortions which nauseated the teacher causing him to be expelled from school, even though his intellectual abilities were not affected. The court upheld this decision because of the effect he had on the students. -
Textbook Regarding Disabled Individuals
A textbook written by Steven Powell Davies in 1930 stated that control and confinement of individuals with disabilities was necessary to protect society. -
Brown vs. Board of Education
Brown vs. Board of Education was a supreme court case that involved a young girl that was banned from her local school because of her race. The supreme court ruled that students cannot be expected to succeed if they are denied equal access to schooling. They found that separate schools based on race were inherently unequal and they no longer had a place in education. Link text -
PARC vs. Pennsylvania
In PARC vs. Pennsylvania the supreme court established that students with disabilities were guaranteed a Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE). -
Mills vs. Board of Education
Mills vs. Board of Education further backed PARC vs. Pennsylvania requiring schools to provide services regardless if the district is able to pay or not. -
Education of the Handicapped Act
In 1975, Education of the Handicapped Act (Public Law 91.142) passed. This law became the basis for all special education rights and services. -
IDEA
In 2004, the Individual with Disabilities Education Act (Formally EHA) was reauthorized to include 6 guarantees to individuals with disabilities regarding education. These include: No rejection for a student who qualifies for services based on their disabilities, the guarantee of an IEP, appropriate evaluation that is fair to the student, procedural safeguards including due process, parent participation, and Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE).
