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1st Federal Law
The Fifth Congress passed the first federal law concerned with the care of persons with disabilities (Braddock, 1987). This law authorized a Marine Hospital Service to provide medical services to sick and disabled seamen. By 1912, this service became known as Public Health Service. -
1st Special Education School
American Asylum for the Education and Instruction of the Deaf and Dumb was located in Hartford, Connecticut. During this time, the term "dumb" was referred to as not being able to speak. It is now called the American School for the Deaf. -
Compulsory Education Law
Rhode Island passed a law mandating that government must provide and all children must receive education. It requires children between the ages of 6 and 16 to attend school, with the exception of certain physical or mental conditions that may render this impractical. Also, parents of children not attending school, may be held criminal liable and could face fines and even jail. Initially, this law did not apply to African American children and children with disabilities. -
1st Public Special Education Class
Rhode Island opened the first public special education class in the U.S. in 1896. The class consisted of children who were mentally disabled. In 1899, a class for students with physical impairments was formed. By 1923, almost 34,000 students were in special education classes. -
The Arc
The ARC was developed by a small group of parents and other concerned individuals came together to act as voices for change for individuals with disabilities. It laid the foundation for implementing
effective programs and services of early intervention
and special education around the country. ARC previously stood for the Association for Retarded Citizens of the United States, but today, it is known as The Arc of the United States (The Arc). -
Brown v. The Board of Education of Topeka
Brown v. The Board of Education of Topeka ruled that "separate, but equal" has no place in education. The case argued that the racial segregation of children in public schools violated the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment. This case serves as the landmark for many other cases as it also led to advocates challenging the school policies for children with disabilities. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aX9Dmo24_cc -
Elementary and Secondary Educational Act
Introduced Head Start which is to address the educational needs of poor children. Also, it is to provide federal funding to schools in need with its Title One Program. In addition, it improved instruction in math, science, and foreign language. www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/oese/index.html -
Special Olympics
Special Olympics is an international organization created to help people with intellectual disabilities develop self-confidence, social skills and a sense of personal accomplishment. Today, it offers over 30 sports for people with intellectual disabilities and many Unified Sports for people with and without ID.
To learn more about Special Olympics, visit http://www.specialolympics.org/ -
PARC v. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
The case of Pennsylvania Association for Retarded Children (PARC) v. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania determined all persons considered to be mentally retarded could benefit from education and training. It stated that schools are to provide free, public education to children ages 6-21 years old. -
Mills v. Board of Education, District of Columbia
The case of Mills v. Board of Education, District of Columbia found that children who had disabilities were not to be denied admission, suspended, expelled, reassigned or transferred from regular public school classes without due process of law. Also, it mandated for each child to have a periodic educational review. Moreover, a census of all children in the District of Columbia was to be completed to discover any children who were not attending public school. -
The Rehabilitation Act
Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability in programs conducted by Federal agencies, in programs receiving Federal financial assistance, in Federal employment, and in the employment practices of Federal contractors. -
Bill of Rights
The Education for All Handicapped Children Act (Public Law 94-142) became law and is referred to as the "Bill of Rights" for students with disabilities. It requires states that received federal funds to provide to their students with disabilities. In addition to the free appropriate public education mandated from the PARC's case and extensive evaluation before placement from the Mill's case, PL 94-142 includes children from 3-21 years old to have IEPs written to meet their needs. -
ADA
The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) prohibits discrimination and ensures equal opportunity for persons with disabilities in employment, State and local government services, public accommodations, commercial facilities, telecommunications, and transportation. -
IDEA
PL 94-142 became The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). It requires students to have a transition plan and it added social work and rehabilitation counseling as related services, plus autism and traumatic brain injury as disability categories. In 1997, it was amended to add changes in regards to discipline, participation in the general education curriculum and state assessments, transition planning by 14 years old, assistive technology, related services and structure of the IEP. -
No Child Left Behind
The No Child Left Behind Act authorizes several federal education programs that are administered by the states. The law is a reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. The major focus of No Child Left Behind is to close student achievement gaps by providing all children with a fair, equal, and significant opportunity to obtain a high-quality education. It emphasizes Accountability, Flexibility, Research-based education,and Parent options. -
IDEiA 2004
IDEA was updated and designed to align with the No Child Left Behind Act. Renamed to Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004 (IDEiA). It includes six principles, 1. Zero reject/No exclusion 2. Protection in evaluation 3. Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) 4. Least Restrictive Environment (LRE) 5. Procedural Safeguards 6. Parental Participation http://www.idea.ed.gov
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3XMndYNEGFA -
Everybody Succeeds Act
The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) was signed by President Obama on December 10, 2015. It will update and replace the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) and takes full effect in the 2017-18 school year.
https://www.ed.gov/essa?src=rn provides more information about ESSA.
