Peterson,J. (July 17, 2007). A TimeLine Of Special Education History. In undefined. Retrieved May 1, 2013, from http://admin.fortschools.org/PupilServices/StaffInfo/A%20TIMELINE%20OF%20SPECIAL%20EDUCATION%20HISTORY.htm.

By kdavid

  • 1965

    Historical Event
    Congress adds Title VI to the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 creating a Bureau of Education for the Handicapped (this bureau today is called the Office of Special Education Programs or OSEP)
    Impact on Public Schools
    Educating students with disabilites is still NOT mandated by federal or state law. However, creation of the Bureau signified that a change was on the horizon.

  • 1972

    Historical Event
    Two significant supreme court decisions [PARC v. Pennsylvania (1972) and Mills v. D.C. Board of Education (1972) apply the equal protection argument to students with disabilites. Impact on Public Schools
    The courts take the position that children with disabilities have an equal right to access education as their non-disabled peers. Although there is no existing federal law that mandates this stance, some students begin going to schoool as a result of these court decisions.

  • 1973

    Historic Event
    Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 is enacted into statute. This national law protects qualified individuals from discrimination based on their disability. Impact on Public Schools
    This national law was enacted with little fanfare. Most educators were not aware that this applied to public schools.

  • 1974

    Historic Event
    The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) is enacted. Impact on Public Schools
    Parents are allowed to have access to all personally identifiable information collected, maintained, or used by a school district regarding their child.

  • 1975

    Historic Event
    The Education for All Handicapped Children Act (EAHCA) is enacted. This was also known as P.L. 94-142. Today we know this law as the Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA). Impact on Public Schools
    Before 1975, children with disabilities were mostly denied an education solely on the basis of their disabilities. EAHCA, along with some key supreme court cases, mandated all school districts to educate students with disabilites.

  • 1977

    Historical Event
    The final federal regulations of EAHCA are released Impact on Public Schools
    The final federal regulations are enacted at the start of the 1977-1978 school year and provide a set of rules in which school districts must adhere to when providing an education to students with disabilites.

  • 1986

    Historical Event
    The EAHCA is amended with the addition of the Handicapped Children's Protection Act. Impact on Public Schools
    This amendment makes clear that students and parents have rights under EAHCA (now IDEA) and Section 504.

  • 1990

    Historical Event
    The EAHCA is amended and is now called the individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Impact on Public Schools
    This amendment calls for many changes to the old law. One of the biggest was the addition of transition services for students with disabilities. School Districts were now required to look at outcomes and assisting students with disabilities in transitioning from high school to postsecondary life.

  • 1990

    Historical event
    The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is enacted. Impact on Public Schools
    ADA adopts the Section 504 regulations as part of the ADA statute. In turn, numerous "504 plans" for individual students start to become more common place in school districts.

  • 1997

    Historical Event
    IDEA reauthorized Impact on Public Schools
    This amendment calls for students with disabilities to be included in on state and district-wide assessments. Also, Regular Education Teachers are now required to be a member of the IEP team.

  • 2001

    Historical Event
    No Child Left Behind is enacted Impact on Public Schools
    This law calls for all students, including students with disabilities, to be proficient in math and reading by the year 2014.

  • 2004

    Historical Event
    IDEA reauthorized Impact on Public Schools
    There are several changes from the 1997 reauthorization. The biggest changes call for more accountability at the state and local levels, as more data on outcomes is required. Another notable change involves school districts providing adequate instruction and intervention for students to help keep them out of special education.