History of Special Education Timeline

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  • Compulsory attendance laws

    States had compulsory attendance laws, but despite this many students who were disabled were left out of the classroom. In 1893 a case upheld that if a student could not benefit from education, or made weird noises, he or she could not be educated in the public school classroom. Parents and advocacy groups began to fight for the rights of disabled children.

  • The White House Conference on Children

    This conference was focused on finding was to educate students with disabilities. Children were being moved from institutions to segregated classrooms in public school. This was an important step because it got the ball rolling for more educational opportunities for disabled children. (Yell,2016)

  • Brown vs. Board of Education ruling

    This landmark case set the notion for the concept of "separate can not be equal". Parents groups later sued school districts using this as a precedent. If you can't discriminate based on race then you cant discrimnate based on disability.(Yell,2016)

  • Education of the Handicapped Act

    This act provided funds to states to increase ther programs for the intellectually disabled. This also allowed for the growth of training special education teachers and staff. (Yell, 2016)

  • Mills vs.Board of Education of the District of Columbia

    This case showed that discrimination based on race was illegal, then discrimination based on disability was also illegal. Schools would be required to teach children with disabilities in the public school setting. (Yell, 2016)

  • Education for All Handicapped Children Act

    This act provided funds to states that came up with plans to educate students with disabilities. Called on states to develop IEP's and to give services to students in the Least Restrictive Environment.This act established procedural safeguards.(Yell,2016)

  • Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (1990)

    Renamed the EAHCA to IDEA. This act added categories to the disabling conditions for Autism and Traumatic Brain Injury. This put the act in people first language.Added language that let states know they could be sued for failure to adhere to the act. Added a transition requirement to the IEPs. (Yell,2016)

  • The IDEA amendments

    This reauthorization of the act and its amendments were passed to ensure a quality of education for children with disabilities. The IEP was retooled and many parts of the act were added, (Yell, 2016)

  • No Child Left Behind Act

    The NCLB introduced legislation that made sure all students with disabilities were included in state and district testing. States had to come up for ways to test students with disabilities and to publish the test results with their state testing. This ensured that all children received a quality education. (Yell,2016)

  • Improvements to the IDEA act

    This act defined a "highly qualified teacher" and removed the short term objectives from students except for the most severely disabled. This act defined response to intervention and to use this model when determining if a child has a disability. This act also changed the eligibility requirements by removing the discrepancy model to determine if a child has a disability. (Yell,2016)