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First permanent school for deaf children.
The Connecticut Asylum for the Education and Instruction of Deaf and Dumb Persons began the institutionalization of educating students. The institution was founded by Mason F. Cogswell, Thomas Hopkins Galluadet, and Laurent Clerc. It is today known as the American School for the Deaf (Gallaudet University, 2022). -
The Arc is formed.
Parent groups from around the country organized together to form the National Association for Retarded Children (NARC), presently known as The Arc. Parents organized to advocate for their children and all people with disability to have opportunities outside of institutionalization. The Arc has worked hard to advocate for state and local legislation people with disabilities. -
Brown v. Board of Education
This court case was instrumental in the civil rights movement across the United States. The Supreme Court ruled that segregated schools, previously considered separate but equal, were unequal and unconstitutional. The Court ruling that education should be equal for all also opened the opportunities for Special Education reform. -
Pennsylvania Association for Retarded Citizens v. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
PARC v. Pennsylvania was an important court case in the history of Special Education, as it ruled that students with intellectual disabilities should have access to education as any other child had. -
Mills v. Board of Education
Mills v. Board of Education was a case of 7 students who were denied an education because the District of Columbia stated that the cost of educating them with their disabilities was too high. The court rules that students with disabilities are entitled to an education that cannot be taken away because of cost. -
Rehabilitation Act, Section 504
Section 504 under the Rehabilitation Act stated that any program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance could not exclude anyone because of his or her disability. This applies to any school that receives federal financial assistance and requires service to all students. -
Education for all Handicapped Children Act
Now known as Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA), or Public Law 94-142. Rothstein and Johnson lists IDEA's basic principles:
"1. All students with disabilities must be given an education. 2. It must be provided in the least restrictive appropriate placement. 3. Education is to be individualized and appropriate to the student’s unique needs. 4. It is to be provided free. 5. Procedural protections are required to ensure that the substantive requirements are met." (Rothstein & Johnson, 2021) -
Burlington School Committee v. Massachusetts Board of Ed.
The Court decided that parents had the right to be reimbursed for private special education and an IEP if placement in a school district was inadequate or inappropriate and that the private school placement was appropriate (Arons, 2020). -
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act
What was originally the Education for All Handicapped Children Act was reauthorized and amended to what we know as IDEA today. -
Americans with Disabilities Act
The Americans with Disabilities provided people protection from discrimination based on their disabilities. It also required employers and government agencies, including schools, to provide reasonable accommodations for people with disabilities. -
Oberti v. Board of Education, 995 F.2d 1204 3rd Circuit
The court adopted a two-part test to determine whether a student has been placed in the least restrictive environment (LRE). 1. If education in a regular classroom, with supplementary aids and services, can be achieved satisfactorily. 2. If placement outside the regular classroom is necessary, the child should be mainstreamed to the maximum extent. (Arons, 2020) -
T.R. v. Kingwood Township, 205 F.3d 572 3rd Circuit
The court clarified that the Least Restrictive Environment (LRE) is the one that, to the greatest extent possible, satisfactorily educates the child in the same school the child would attend if not disabled (Arons, 2020). -
No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB)
No Child Left Behind Act held schools responsible for the learning and achievement of students who were often disregarded and not focused on. Its goal was to help students: in poverty, of color, receiving special education services, and those who spoke limited or no English. -
Rosa's Law
Changed U.S. federal laws that used the term "mental retardation" changing the term to "intellectual disability". The law was inspired by Rosa Mardellino, a 9-year-old. -
Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA)
ESSA replaces the NCLB act by holding states accountable to improve student performance for all students. ESSA is designed to develop better teachers and more effective instructional practices such as MTSS and PBIS.