History of Special Education

By ChavieKahn
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    The History of Special Education

  • 1893 Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court

    The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court decided that a child who was “weak in mind” and was mentally challenged and could be expelled from school. They felt these children couldn’t benefit from instruction from education, so there was no need to have them in the school system where they could cause a disturbance. (Yell, 2016)

  • 1910 The White House Conference

    This conference focused on children with disabilities to help create an environment where these children can succeed in public school systems instead of institutions. (Yell, 2016)

  • 1919 Wisconsin Supreme Court

    If a student made bizarre facial expressions or noises, drooled, or had speech problems, he could be excluded from the classroom. If the student nauseated the teacher in any way, then the teacher had the right to leave the child out. (Yell, 2016)

  • 1922 Council for Exceptional Children (CEC)

    CEC is a group that was formed to fight for the rights of students with disabilities both at a federal and state level. (Yell, 2016)

  • 1934 Compulsory Attendance

    Children 6 to 18 were allowed to be excluded by the Department of Education. This was mandated in the Cuyahoga County of Appeals of Ohio. (Yell, 2016)

  • 1954 Brown vs. Board of Education

    This was a court case that ended up creating a major civil rights movement where it affected many society and education laws. Approaches towards students with disabilities completely changed. (Yell, 2016)

  • 1975 Education of All Handicapped Children Act (EAHCA)

    EAHCA paid special attention to student with disabilities and ensuring that they all receive special and individualized education. This act provided students with federal funding to receive different services that will benefit their various needs. (Yell, 2016)

  • 1990 The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)

    EAHCA was renamed The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). This new Act changed derogatory words such as disabilities for handicap. Also, instead of writing disabled students, students with disabilities were written. (Yell, 2016)

  • 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)

    ADA was signed by President George Bush. This Act protected people with disabilities. (“Americans with.”, n.d.)

  • 2002 The No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB)

    The NCLB Act was a law that said all children receiving an education may not be left behind and/or forgotten about. Students with disabilities had their scores included with the rest of their peers when looking at the improvement of the students. (Yell, 2016)