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Opening of the American School for the Deaf
Located in West Hartford, Connecticut, the American School for the Deaf was founded by Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet, Dr. Mason Cogswell, and Laurent Clerc. It was the first school for children with disabilities in the western hemisphere. In its inaugural year, the school had only seven students and its main focus was teaching American Sign Language to its students who were deaf. -
Braille Code is Invented
At just the age of 15, Louis Braille invented a universal system for reading and writing to help those who were visually impaired. Braille code is the arrangement of six raised dots in two parallel rows each having three dots. Louis was blind himself and went on to be the first blind teacher at the New School for the Blind in Paris, France. Braille can be written using a Braillewriter or by using a pointed stylus to punch dots through paper using a Braille slate. https://youtu.be/R0cbckyD9Q0 -
Opening of Horace Mann School for the Deaf
The Horace Mann School for the Deaf is a school located in Boston, Massachusetts that provides education to those who are deaf or are hard of hearing. This school is still open today and it's the oldest public school for the Deaf in the United States. In its first few years, the school wasn't in one location, instead in different available spaces around the city. Alexander Graham Bell was involved with the school giving instruction to its teachers in "Visible Speech". -
Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scales Published
Lewis Terman, who was a psychologist at Stanford University, publishes the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale, an intelligence test. The test was used (and still used) to test a person's (usually a young child's) cognitive ability to diagnose developmental or intellectual deficiencies. At the moment, it's in its fifth edition. It was originally used in France to determine if children should be placed in special education programs. -
International Council for the Education of Exceptional Children is Founded
The International Council for the Education of Exceptional Children (CEC) was founded by Professor Elizabeth Farrell and a small group of students in the Teachers College at Columbia University. Its purpose is to "improve the educational experience of students with gifts, talents, or disabilities." The CEC continuously provides updated resources and professional development for educators to give those with special needs the best education possible. -
Pennsylvania Association For Retarded Citizens (PARC) v. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
In this Supreme Court case, the court ruled that Pennsylvania had to guarantee a free public education to all children with intellectual disability from ages 6-21 regardless of the degree of disability. It declared that students had to be placed in the most integrated environment. This ruling also established the right of parents to participate in educational decisions affecting their children. Before this case, Pennsylvania state law allowed schools to deny services to special needs children . -
Education for All Handicapped Children Act
Signed into law by President Gerald Ford in 1975, this law was the first of its kind directed at students with physical and mental disabilities. It required that public schools had to provide students with special needs the same opportunities for education as other children. The mission of the act was to "make special education services accessible to children who require them and maintain fair and appropriate services for disabled students. https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/94/s6 -
Honing v. Doe
In the Supreme Court case, Honing v. Doe, the SC ruled that a California school board had violated the Education for All Handicapped Children Act, due to the school board suspending a child with disabilities for violent and disruptive behavior. The 6-2 ruling in favor of the the student clarified that a school district cannot expel a disabled child for their disruptive conduct out of their disabilities. This case created the "ten-day rule", allowing a school to only suspend a child for ten days. -
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act
A modification to the Education for All Handicapped Children Act, this law ensures that special needs students receive appropriate free public education in the least restrictive environment necessary to meet those students' needs. This allows students with disabilities to participate in the same activities as children without special needs while also receiving extra assistance if needed. This act is also known as IDEA. This act helps add inclusivity in schools wherever and whenever possible. -
Oberti v. Board of Education of the Borough of Clementon School District
This Supreme Court case called for a less restrictive environment in schools. It established inclusion with aids and services because "it is a fundamental value of the right to public education for children with disabilities." The family of Rafael Oberti, who has down syndrome, wanted him to be placed in a regular classroom with supports and the SC ruled in their favor, stating that school districts must include children with special needs in as many programs with those who do not have.
