History of Special Education

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  • The White House Conference on Children

    This conference increased interest for educating students with disabilities in a public, segregated school setting rather than in an institutionalized, isolated setting (Yell, M., 2016, p. 37). This is significant to the history of special education, as it focused national attention on how to best serve students with special needs.

  • The Cuyahoga County Ohio Council for the Retard Child

    This was an organized group that advocated for children with disabilities’ educational rights; specifically, they protested special education students being excluded from school (Yell, M., 2016, p. 37). This is significant to the history of special education, as this was the first organized advocacy group that focused on issues regarding children with disabilities and education.

  • Brown v. the Board of Education

    This lawsuit determined that it was unconstitutional for a public school to discriminate and separate students based on unalterable characteristics (Yell, M., 2016, p. 39). This is significant to the history of special education, as it paved the way for individuals to that it is also unconstitutional for public schools to discriminate against students with disabilities.

  • The Training of Professional Personnel Act

    This act stated that training must be provided to help train leaders to education children with disabilities; this is significant to the history of special education, as it was one of the earliest federal involvements in special education (Yell, M., 2016, p. 41).

  • The Education of the Handicapped Act

    The purpose of this act was to expand federal grant programs to improve projects for students with disabilities, as well as provide funding to institutions to provide professional development to teachers with regard to training for working with students with disabilities (Yell, M., 2016, p. 41). This is significant to the history of special education, as it focused federal grant funds towards the development of special education.

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

    This lawsuit determined that Pennsylvania was violating the 14th amendment by not providing a publicly provided education for students with disabilities (Yell, M., 2016, p. 40). This is significant to the history of special education, as it resulted in a mandate that all school-aged children with “mental retardation” must have access to free, public education

  • Mills v. Board of Education

    This class-action suit, filed against the District of Columbia’s Board of Education, argued that children with disabilities were being denied/excluded from public education, violating the 14th amendment (Yell, M., 2016, p. 40). Like the PARC v. Pennsylvania, this is significant to the history of special education, as it resulted in a mandated that the board must provide all children with disabilities a publicly supported education, as well as practice process safeguards.

  • Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act

    Section 504 focused on prohibiting discrimination against individuals with disabilities by any agency that received federal funding (Yell, M., 2016, p. 42). This is significant to the history of special education, as it was the first federal civil rights law that worked to protect people with disabilities.

  • Education for All Handicapped Children Act

    This act emphasized the importance of students with disabilities being provided with a least restrictive environment and maintaining procedural safeguards (Yell, M., 2016, p. 46). This is significant to the history of special education, as this act also specified that IEPs must be created, which are still actively utilized today.

  • Education for Handicapped Amendments

    This amendment focused on early intervention strategies and extending the EAHCA’s programs to 3-5-year-olds; this also mandated that IFSPs become eligible for children and their families (Yell, M., 2016, p. 46). This is significant to the history of special education, as it emphasized the importance of early intervention for children with special needs.

  • Individuals with Disabilities Education Act

    This act added two disability categories under IDEA (traumatic brain injury and Autism), as well as a transitional requirement for students sixteen and older (Yell, M., 2016, p. 47). This is significant to the history of special education, as the legislation changed its language to a "people first" tone.

  • Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act

    This act specified that special education teachers must be “highly” qualified and encouraged response-to-intervention models to be used to determine if students were disabled (Yell, M., 2016, p. 47). This is significant to the history of special education, as it sets a higher standard for educators working with students with disabilities.