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First Disability Federal Law
The first federal law was designed to assist those with disabilities. On July 16, 1798, Congress passed and President John Adams signed "An Act for the Relief of Sick and Disabled Seamen". This law authorized a Marine Hospital Service to provide medical services to sick and disabled seamen. https://www.forbes.com/sites/rickungar/2011/01/17/congress-passes-socialized-medicine-and-mandates-health-insurance-in-1798/?sh=449225ea53ff -
First School of the Deaf
The Connecticut Asylum for the Education and Instruction of Deaf and Dumb Persons, located in Hartford, Connecticut, was founded by Thomas H. Gallaudet in 1817. It was the first school for the deaf in America. It marked the beginning of efforts in America to educate people with disabilities. -
Council for Exceptional Children
The Council for Exceptional Children started in 1922. It allows parents, teachers, and administration to be well-informed in the education of individuals with disabilities. It was created to help improve education for all disabled people by advocating different policies, teaching the public, and setting professional standards. https://exceptionalchildren.org/ -
Florida's First Special Education Class
The first special education class started in 1926, in Jacksonville, Florida. Since then, similarity-designed instruction and services have expanded throughout Florida. Approximately 360,000 students with disabilities have participated in the public education system, graduating and then going on to postsecondary education or employment. -
Brown vs. Board of Education
A landmark decision by the U.S. Supreme Court. For this case, the court ruled that U.S. state laws establishing racial segregation in schools was unconstitutional, even if the school were equal in quality. This is a gateway for any law making regarding students with disabilities. https://www.britannica.com/event/Brown-v-Board-of-Education-of-Topeka https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NBlqcAEv4nk -
Rehabilitation Act of 1973
Section 501 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 is a national law that prohibits employment discrimination against individuals with disabilities in the federal sector. This law signed by Richard Nixon prohibits federal agencies, public universities, and other public institutions receiving any federal funds to discriminate on the basis of disability. https://www.eeoc.gov/statutes/rehabilitation-act-1973 -
Education for Handicapped Children Act
This act required that public schools accept federal funds to provide equal access to education for children with physical and mental disabilities. Public schools had to evaluate children with disabilities and create an educational plan with parent input. This plan has to mimic as closely as possible the educational experience on non-disabled students. -
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
A civil rights law that prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities in employment, education, transportation, and access to goods, services, and programs. https://www.ada.gov/ -
No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB)
This act was a U.S. Act of Congress that reauthorized the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. It included Title I provisions applying to disadvantaged students. It supported standards-based education reform based on the premise that setting high standards and establishing measurable goals could improve individual outcomes in education. The act required states to develop assessments in basic skills. -
Post Secondary Education
Secondary transition refers to the process a student with a disability goes through as they move from high school to whatever comes next, including postsecondary education, employment, and independent living. https://www.fldoe.org/academics/exceptional-student-edu/secondary-transition.stml