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First Public Special Education Class
In 1896, Rhode Island approved the first public special education class. At this time, students with disabilities were referred to as "retarded", or "feeble-minded". There was a lack of knowledge about techniques to teach individuals with disabilities, and many still believed in institutionalizing. Some experts proclaimed that "these students" were social problems, and should not be integrated into society. -
First parent advocacy groups
The first parent advocacy groups included parents of children who had been excluded from opportunities to be educated inclusively.
Parents pushed for professionals to increase services, and knowledge about how to provide for their children with disabilities. These parent advocacy groups kickstarted a long timeline of legislative evolution in this field.
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New legislation provides first steps toward inclusive mindset
Parents and other activists began to gain traction as their persistence caused laws to be created that provided opportunity for teachers to be trained in educating students who were deaf, hard of hearing, or had other cognitive disabilities ("mentally retarded" at that time). These protests continued to set the stage for the civil rights movements in the 60s and 70s. -
Public Law 85-926 Signed
President Dwight Eisenhower signed a small act (Public Law 85-926) providing financial sup- port to colleges and universities for training leadership personnel in teaching children with "mental retardation". The law was one of the first steps toward the beginning of recognizing persons with disabilities as "teachable" individuals. In 1963, congress expanded Public Law 85-926 to include grants to train college teachers and researchers in a broader array of disabilities. -
Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA)
The Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) of 1965 was the first major federal effort to assign direct instruction, accommodations and other services to persons with disabilities. The act was a major part of Lyndon Johnson's "War on Poverty". His call for higher standards in education, and measures for accountability were aimed at an overhaul approach to reform opportunities from the foundations of the nation's school systems. -
Bureau for the Education of the Handicapped (BEH) created
Title VI of the ESEA mandated the bureaus creation, and also designated funding for states to create or improve programs for education of students with disabilities. This bureau is responsible for the creation of the upcoming Education for all handicapped children act. This act would initiate the call for equal access to free, appropriate, public education. -
PARC v. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
This case disputed the law that allowed schools to refuse services to children who had "not attained a mental age of five years". Pennsylvania agreed to grant full access to a free public education to children up to age 21. The case established a precedent for least restrictive environment, and FAPE. -
Mills v. Board of Education
The court ruled that school districts deciding that they had inadequate resources to service children with disabilities was unconstitutional.
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Public Law 93-112; Rehabilitation Act, Section 504
Provided that any recipient of federal aid, including state and local organizations must end discrimination in the offering of its services to persons with disabilities. The law granted protection of civil rights for people with disabilities, and also required students with disabilities to be provided certain accommodations. The problem with this section of the law was that it included almost no funding, or enforcement of the legislation, and thereby was largely ignored. -
EHA (Education for all Handicapped children Act), Public Law 94-142 Passed
This act required free, appropriate, public education (FAPE), a term we continue to mandate. The act also accounted for the extra financial support necessary to execute the appropriate programs. The EHA also identified specific rights to be educated in the least restrictive environment to allow maximum interaction with non-disabled peers. It also incorporated the due process clause to allow parents and school systems to mediate conflicts about placement and service decisions -
OSERS is created
Department of Education created & Bureau for the Education of the Handicapped was replaced by the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP). OSEP, the Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA), and the National Institute for Handicapped Research (now entitled the National Institute for Disability and Rehabilitation Research) were combined into one Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS), headed by an assistant secretary of education. -
1982
Head Starts (Early Childhood Education centers) are required to reserve 10% of their population for students with disabilities without requiring that these students meet the same expectations. The recognition for the need to have early intervention services in place jump-started early identification, and action plans for children with disabilities. -
EHA reformed as IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act)
Title of Public Law (Education for All Handicapped Children Act) was reformed as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.
" IDEA required more inclusion into mainstream classrooms
" Related Services are defined
" Transition services are initiated -
IDEA reauthorized
Idea is reauthorized and places further consideration on expectations for students. Students should follow general curriculum guidelines to determine appropriate outcomes, as well as a focus on transitional services for education to job skills., (ITPs) -
No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB)
No Child Left Behind Act was the reauthorization of the ESEA.
It added increased financial assistance, and technology resources for special programs. NCLB called for 100% proficiency in math and reading by the year 2014. It also initiated rigorous standardized testing.
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IDEA reauthorized again
IDEA revisions in 2004 defined transition services, and initiated those services at the age of 16. The changes also emphasized specific, individualized goals that are measurable and unique to each student. Evaluations are required before changing a student's status. Interagency responsibilities are also defined in the IEP.
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