History of Special Education

By jhawe

  • First public school for children with hearing impairments

    In 1869 Horace Mann School for the Deaf (formerly known as The Boston School for Deaf-Mutes) is founded under the direction of the Boston School Board. This institution marks the first free public day-school for deaf ever established (HMS, 2020).

  • Compulsory Attendance Laws

    Each state reserves the right to govern its own public education, by way of the 10th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. Starting with Massachusetts in 1952, all states had their own compulsory education laws by 1918. However, children with disabilities were left out of consideration when these laws came into effect (Yell, 2016).

  • Council for Exceptional Children (CEC)

    1922 marks the establishment of International Council for the Education of Exceptional Children, which would later be known as Council for Exceptional Children (CEC). This council began with only 12 members, all focused on one goal: educational rights of children and youth. It carries out this goal through educational programming, teacher education and policy making (Yell, 2016).

  • Cuyahoga County Ohio Council for the Retarded Child

    The Cuyahoga County Ohio Council for the Retarded Child was a nationally groundbreaking parent advocacy organization that initially consisted of five mothers of children with mental retardation (Yell, 2016).

  • Association for Retarded Children (ARC)

    Formerly known as the Association for Retarded Children (ARC), known today as the Association for Retarded Citizens, or simply the Arc, was founded in 1950. This agency fights for the protection of civil rights and access to vital programs for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

  • Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, 347 U.S. 483 (1954)

    This court case laid the foundation for the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act by requiring access to free and appropriate public education for all children, including those with disabilities.

  • Association for Children with Learning Disabilities

    Formerly known as the Association for Children with Learning Disabilities, the Learning Disabilities Association of America founded in 1963 as a resource for parents to convene. This organization became the first national recognized advocacy group for parents of children with disabilities.

  • Education for All Handicapped Children Act (PL 94-142)

    The passing of this law guaranteed access to free appropriate public education for each child with disabilities. Changes in the wake of this law had dramatic impact for children with disabilities and their parents in every state. This law would lay the foundation of holding schools accountable for providing effective and accessible education for all children with disabilities.

  • Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973

    Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 disseminates and protects individuals from discrimination based on their disability. This law forbids employers and organizations from excluding individuals based on disability an equal opportunity as non disabled individuals.

  • Americans with Disabilities Act (PL 101-336)

    Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was signed into law to ensure that both public and private settings cannot discriminates access against anyone with disabilities. Affects of this law changed the way that public transportation systems, private companies and public places operated.

  • Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (PL 105-117)

    Originally called the Education for All Handicapped Children Act of 1975, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act was established to require all schools and districts receiving federal dollars to provide public education for students with disabilities that is designed to meet unique needs. This includes both special education and related services for children ages 3-21 and early intervention programs for infants and toddlers up to age 2.