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Valentin Hauy- Founded School for the blind
- He was known as ‘the father and apostle of the blind”. He opened the first school for the blind in Paris. His mission was to help make life a little easier for the blind after seeing the way they were being treated. He created embossed paper to help the blind to read. The school is were braille was invented by Louis Braille who was a student who became a teacher at the school.
- https://www.britannica.com/biography/Valentin-Hauy
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Thomas Gallaudet- Established the first institution for the deaf.
- Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet was an American educator who co-founded the first school in America for deaf children. After he was dismissed by England schools, because he did not have funding to receive their technique. He was taught sign language from his colleague Laurent Clerc. They including Dr. Mason Cogswell established the American School for the Deaf. (Gallaudet University).
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Great Britain passed the Mental Deficiency Act-
- Which promulgated policies for defining and educating students with exceptionalities.
- The act was created to replace the “Idiots Act” of 1886. It was created to oversee the implementation of provisions for the care and management of four categories of people. The people who fit the different categories where placed in “colonies” or in institutional settings. The act was repealed in 1959 by the Mental Health Act.
- https://infogalactic.com/info/Mental_Deficiency_Act_1913
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The Council for Exceptional Children
- A professional national organization advocating for children who are gifted/ talented with disabilities. The organization contacts decision-makers and elected officials speaking for parents and guardians of special needs children. The organization is still in service today with 17 different divisions all dealing with special needs children. The membership is open to whoever would like to join in the fight for special needs children (cec.sped.org).
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Brown vs Topeka Board of Education-
A civil rights case where the US Supreme Court ruled “separate but equal is not equal” within the school system. The court ruled that the racial segregation in public schools violated the 14 Amendment. FAPE which is the Free Appropriate Public Education Act was created and became legal actions for families of children with disabilities to guarantee that their child had the rights to free education.https://youtu.be/aX9Dmo24_cc video -
Pennsylvania Association for Retarded Children vs. Pennsylvania
- Ruled Free Appropriate Education must be provided for all children with exceptionalities regardless of severity of their disability. The case was brought about because children and youth were being excluded from a program of education and training in public schools. The children were excluded for several reasons. The case insured that all children whether they had cognitive disabilities or not could benefit from free education (The Public Interest Law Center).
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Section 504 Vocational Rehabilitation Act
- Act passed to provide persons with exceptionalities with a free appropriate public education, civil rights, accessibility of programs, and employability rights. The act prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities in program that receives federal financial assistance. The act protects the rights not only for individuals with visible disabilities but also those with disabilities that may not be apparent (U.S. Department of Education)
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The Education of All Handicapped Children Act-
Allowed education form student ages 3-21 years old. Rights included identification of students, nondiscriminatory environment, confidentiality of information, procedural safeguards, and individualized education plan (IEP). Renamed Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.-1990 (The Britannica). -
Americans with Disabilities Act-
Passed to provide more societal opportunities for persons with special needs. The legislation that protects people with disabilities. It also guarantees equal opportunities in public accommodations, employment, transportation, state and local government services, and telecommunications. The legislation was signed into law in July 1990 ( Britannica). -
No Child Left Behind Act-
The federal law rolled out significant changes to the public-school curriculum. Increasing accountability for schools based on student’s performance on standardized tests. Under the law states were required to administer yearly test based on reading and math skills to students. Schools had to earn a passing score or be “proficient” to receive funding. President Obama signed into law the Every Student Succeeds Act to replace (Britannica).
