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Perkins Institution Founded
Perkins Institution was the first residential institution for people with physical impairments or mental disabilities. It was founded in 1848 in Boston by Samuel Gridley Howe. -
Columbia Institution for the Deaf and Dumb and Blind Founded
This was the first college or university established for people with cognitive disabilities or physical impairments. It was founded in 1864 and was eventually renamed Gallaudet College -
Brown vs. Board of Education
This monumental Supreme Court Case mandated that separate schools for black and white children were unconstitutional. Eventually, this legislation would become an important catalyst in the movement for disability rights. -
Civil Rights Act
This act was the culmination of a long battle for the equal rights of all races and an end to extreme racial segregation. The act outlawed discrimination based on race, religion, ethnicity, or national origin and provided a model for future disability rights acts that would come in the decades to follow. -
Christmas in Purgatory
This documentary by Burton Blatt and Fred Kaplan documented the poor and unsatisfactory conditions in state institutions. -
Physically Disabled Student Program
The University of California at Berkeley began a student organization dedicated to providing community living, personal assistance services and political advocacy for disabled students. -
Board of Education and PARC vs. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
This Supreme Court case ruled that every child must be offered an individualized education and be placed in the least restrictive environment possible. It was the first right-to-education suit in the country. -
Wyatt vs. Stickney
This case by the United States District Court for the Middle District of Alabama ruled that people in state schools have a right to a "realistic opportunity...to improve his or her mental condition." -
New York ARC vs. Rockefeller
This lawsuit was filed by parents of residents of Willow Brook State School who were in search of better conditions for their children in the institution. The institution was broadcast as on television and the poor conditions sparked national outrage and controversy. -
Mills vs. Washington DC
This court case ruled that the District of Columbia could not exclude children with disabilities from public schools. This case also inspired work towards the Education of All Handicapped Children Act. -
Rehabilitation Act
Prohibited discrimination in federal programs receiving federal funding. The law states: "No otherwise qualified handicapped individual shall, solely by reason of his handicap, be excluded from participation in, be denied benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving federal financial assistance." -
Section 504 of Rehabilitation Act
This is one of the first civil rights laws for people with disabilities. It provided equal access to higher education for people with disabilities and also applied to K-12 and public schools. -
Inaugural Convention of People FIrst
People First is a national organization of people with developmental disabilities speaking for themselves. The first convention was held in Portland, Oregon. -
Education for Handicapped Children Act
This act is now known as IDEA and guarantees free, appropriate, public education for all children with disabilities in the least restrictive environment possible. -
O'Connor vs. Donaldson
This court case ruled that people could not be institutionalized against their will in a psychiatric hospital unless they were a direct and persistent threat to themselves or others. -
Southeast Community College vs. Davis
This legislation ruled that under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, programs receiving federal funds must make "reasonable modification" to enable participation of otherwise qualified individuals. -
Civil Rights of Institutional Persons Act
This act stated that the Department of Justice has power to sue state or local institutions that violate the rights of people held against their rule. -
Protection and Advocacy for Mentally Ill Individuals Act
This act established protection and advocacy agencies for people who are inpatients or residents of mental health facilities. -
Assistance Technology Initiative
Increases access to, availability of, and funding for assistance technology through state and national initiatives. -
Americans with Disabilities Act
Local, state, and federal governments and programs be accessible and that businesses make "reasonable accommodations and modifications" to ensure access to disabled members of the public. -
Holland vs. Sacramento City Schools
This case affirmed the rights of children with disabilities to attend public schools with non-disabled children. -
American Association of People With Disabilities
This association was founded in Washington D.C. by Paul Hearne. -
Telecommunications Act
This act requires that computers, telephones, closed captioning and many other communication devices and equipment be made accessible. -
No Child Left Behind
This act supported education reform and required states to develop assessments in basic skills for all grade levels. -
History of Disability Rights Taught in School
A bill was passed requiring students in k-12 public schools be taught the history of disability rights.
