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Civil Rights Act of 1866
This act defined citizenship and affirmed that all citizens were equally protected by the law. In exact terms, the bill stated that all American citizens, "full and equal benefit of all laws and proceedings for the security of person and property." -
Plessy V. Ferguson
A court declaration that it was legal to segregate individuals and have separate facilities so long as they were equal. Of course, on the African American side this was not always the case. This is a foreshadowing to the battle fought in Brown V. Board of Education 58 years later. -
Brown V. Board of Education
An extremely important court case in which the Supreme Court declared state laws establishing separate public schools for black and white students to be unconstitutional. This Court decision is absolutely vital to special education because it provided a springboard for litigation and legislation that provided individuals with disabilities equal access to a free and appropriate public education. -
Mills V. Board of Education of the District of Columbia
Was brought about when a class comprised of seven students with a variety of disabilities were being illegally excluded from school, therefore breaking the 14th amendment in the District of Columbia. The District of Columbia was denying these children public education without due process of law. In the court case, it was established that due process procedures were required to ensure all students equal protection under the laws. -
PARCS V. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
When the Pennsylvania Association for Retarded Citizens brought a class action lawsuit against the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania because students with mental retardation were being denied their constitutional right to equal protection of the laws under the Fourteenth Amendment. The federal district court ruled that children with mental retardation were to be provided a free public education similar to that provided to their peers without disabilities. -
Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973
An American legislation that guarantees certain rights to people with disabilities. It was the first U.S. federal civil rights protection for people with disabilities. In exact terms, “"No otherwise qualified individual with a disability in the United States shall, solely by reason of her or his disability, be excluded from the participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance." -
The Signing of Public Law No. 94-142
The greatest triumph in the history of special education advocacy. President Ford signed Public Law No. 94-142 – The Education for All Handicapped Children Act – into law. The Council for Exceptional Children and parents and families across the U.S. were very strong supporters of this because it was the single most important piece of legislation to secure a free and appropriate education in the least restrictive environment for all children with disabilities. -
Board of Education of the Hendrick Hudson Central School District v. Rowley
The most significant court case concerning the interpretation of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. It is the only occasion the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled on the requirement of public schools to provide an appropriate education to students with disabilities. It is estimated that is has been cited by at least 3,279 cases. A foreshadowing of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. -
The American’s With Disabilities Act of 1990
Was passed by George H.W. Bush and was the nation's first comprehensive civil rights law addressing the needs of people with disabilities, prohibiting discrimination in employment, public services, public accommodations, and telecommunications. -
The No Child Left Behind Act
Under the 2002 law, states were required to test students in reading and math in grades 3–8 and once in high school. All students were expected to meet or exceed state standards in reading and math by 2014. Its main focus was to close student achievement gaps by providing all children with a fair, equal, and significant opportunity to obtain a high-quality education.