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First Special Education School
Rhode Island opened the first public special education class in the United States in 1896. During this time, it was not called special education but "special defectives". With time the population of special education students grew. Teachers would adapt to these special education students to make sure they were getting the education needed. -
The President's Panel on Mental Retardation
John F. Kennedy in "Special Message to the Congress on Mental Illness and Mental Retardation," he declared "a bold new approach" to Intellectual disabilities. He gave recommendations from the panel including new programs for maternity and prenatal care, and plans for research centers that would include diagnostic, clinical, and treatment services. He made clear the the importance of special education, training, and rehabilitation. -
First Special Olympics Held
Held at Soldier Field in Chicago, Illinois, USA. A thousand people with intellectual disabilities from 26 U.S. states and Canada competed. This was major for special needs because they saw that they could accomplish anything. This organization provided hope and a positive outlook during a tough time. -
Rehabilitation Act of 1973
Signed by President Richard Nixon, The Rehabilitation Act of 1973 replaces the Vocational Rehabilitation Act of 1973. The purpose of it was to cover and revise the authorization of grants to States for vocational rehabilitation services, with special emphasis on services to those with the most severe disabilities. -
Education for All Handicapped Children Act
This act required all public schools accepting federal funds to provide equal access to education and one free meal a day for children with physical and mental disabilities. Public schools were required to evaluate handicapped children and create an educational plan with parent input that would emulate as closely as possible the educational experience of non-disabled students. -
The final federal regulations of EAHCA are released
The final federal regulations are enacted at the start of the 1977-1978 school year and provide a set of rules in which school districts must adhere to when providing an education to students with disabilities. -
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
Act addresses the needs of people with disabilities, prohibiting discrimination in employment, public services, public accommodations, and telecommunications. ADA adopts the Section 504 regulations as part of the ADA statute. In turn, numerous “504 Plans” for individual students start to become more common place in school districts. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eq0pBEJoCvY -
The EAHCA is amended
The EAHCA is now called the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).This amendment calls for many changes to the old law. One of the biggest was the addition of transition services for students with disabilities. School Districts were now required to look at outcomes and assisting students with disabilities in transitioning from high school to post secondary life. -
The IDEA is reauthorized
This amendment calls for students with disabilities to be included in on state and district-wide assessments. Also, Regular Education Teachers are now required to be a member of the IEP team. This is important in the process because teachers have much information of the child in their classroom that can be beneficial. -
No Child Left Behind
Signed by George W. Bush, NCLB significantly increased the federal role in holding schools responsible for the academic progress of all students. It also put a special focus on ensuring that states and schools boost the performance of certain groups of students, such as English-language learners, students in special education, poor and minority children, etc. Schools put more effort into this because if they did not, they would loose federal funding. -
Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004
They required schools to use research based interventions in the process of assisting students with learning difficulties, or determining eligibility for special education. Many schools have implemented Response to Intervention (RTI) to meet the new requirements. See the comparison of IDEA 1997 and 2004
http://www.ncset.org/publications/related/ideatransition.pdf
