Regalado, 510; History of Special Education

By JohannaR

  • The White House Conference of 1910

    The first White House Conference on Children in 1910. Focused on children and youth with disabilities. The goal was to "define and establish remedial programs for children with disabilities or special needs". (Yell, 2019)

  • The Cuyahoga County Ohio Council

    Parents banned together to advocate for their children with disabilities' educational rights. The Cuyahoga County Ohio Council for the Retarded Child was the first advocacy group of five mothers with having mental retardation banning together to protest exclusion of their children from school.

  • Brown V. Board of Education

    In a monument case, Brown vs. Board of Education is considered a significant victory for the civil rights movement. It became a foundation for further civil rights lawsuits. "Advocates for students with disabilities, citing Brown, claimed that students with disabilities had the same rights as students without disabilities." (Yell, 2019)

  • Pennsylvania Association for Retarded Citizens (PARC) V. Pennsylvania

    This is a class-action lawsuit against the state of PA in a federal district court. The parties resolved the case with a consent agreement, stating children ages 6 to 21 must be provided free public education and that children with mental retardation be in a program most like that of their peers without disabilities.

  • Mills v. Board of Education

    A class-action lawsuit filed in the Federal District Court for the District of Columbia. The case resulted in a judgment against the school board and mandated the school must provide free education for students with disabilities. The court outlined due process procedures which later became the framework for the Education for All Handicapped Children Act (EAHCA).

  • Vocational Rehabilitation Act and Section 504

    Aims to prevent discrimination toward students with disabilities in federal funding. Defines appropriate education. Section 504 ensures students with disabilities has equal access as other students.

  • Education for All Handicapped Children Act

    Defined the Least Restrictive Environment (LRE) and Individualized Education Plan (IEP) and requires free and appropriate public education for students with disabilities ages 5-18.

  • Education of Handicapped Act Amendment

    "Free and appropriate education extended to children ages three to 5. Introduces early intervention programs for children birth to 2 years old." (US Dept of Justice, 2020)

  • Americans with Disabilities Act

    Confirmed the eligibility criteria of Section 504 with it's passage. Amended definition of persons with disabilities in the Rehabilitation act of 1973. Makes it illegal to discriminate against a person with a disability. "The ADA also bans discrimination in State and local government services, public accommodations, transportation and telecommunications." (The ADA: Your Employment Rights as an Individual With a Disability, 2019)

  • The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)

    IDEA was originally called the Education of Handicapped Children Act, but in 1990, amendments changed the name. The amendments that passed which caused the change included, mediation to resolve differences, General Education teachers were to be part of the IEP process, students with disabilities were required to take state tests and Behavior Management Plans were created.

  • No Child Left Behind

    The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 ensures that "all children have a fair, equal, and significant opportunity to receive a high-quality education and reach, at a minimum, proficiency on challenging State academic achievement standards and state academic assessments."
    This included early intervention reading programs, calls for highly qualified teachers, increased accountability on schools.

  • Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act

    IDEIA is a law that requires fairness, responsibility, and excellence in education for students with disabilities. It does so by requiring higher standards for special education teacher licensure and certification, providing increase funding to early intervention services, and the use of response to intervention.

  • Americans with Disabilities Act

    The purpose of the ADA, 2008 was to clarify and restore the definition of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.