History of Special Education

  • First Deaf School In America

    The american school for the deaf in Hartford connecticut.
    The establishment of this educational institution marked the start of the first enduring school dedicated to educating those with hearing impairments in the United States. It was established by Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet and Laurent Clerc. It began the establishment of organized schooling for kids with disabilities in America, laying the foundation for future schools focused on special education.
  • Perkins Institution for the Blind

    This school was started in Massachusetts by Dr. Samuel Gridley Howe, who was one of the first people to specialize in special education. It was one of the first places in the world to focus on teaching people with intellectual challenges, showing early efforts to offer specialized care and education outside of normal settings.
  • Brown v. Board of Education

    In this important case, racial division in public schools was ruled to be against the Constitution. Even though it was mostly a civil rights case, it had huge effects on special education because it proved that all kids, no matter what race they are or how smart they are, should have the same chances to learn.
  • Mills v. Board of Education of the District of Columbia

    The decision in this case said that all students with disabilities must be able to get a free, proper education in public schools. It stressed that everyone has the right to go to school, no matter what the cost. This set the stage for federal laws that will protect the rights of disabled children.
    (https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/district-courts/FSupp/348/866/2010674/)(https://www.timetoast.com)
  • Rehabilitation Act (Section 504)

    It was a big civil rights law called Section 504 that said people with disabilities couldn't be treated differently in federally funded programs, like schools. The law was one of the first at the government level to protect the rights of disabled children and make sure they could go to school.