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The First School for Students with Disabilities Opened!
The first special education school in the US, the American Asylum for the Education and Instruction of the Deaf and Dumb, was opened in Hartford, CT by Thomas H. Gallaudet. At the American Asylum for the Death and Dumb, manual communication or sign language was first introduced. It was also the first school to receive financial aid from congress for special education. -
The First Charter School for the Blind Opens in USA
The first special education school in the US, the American Asylum for the Education and Instruction of the Deaf and Dumb, was opened in Hartford, CT by Thomas H. Gallaudet. -
The First University for the Deaf Opened!
Congress established the Columbia Institution of the Deaf and Dumb and the Blind as a degree-conferring college. This happened under the presidency of Abraham Lincoln. In 1893 the name of the Columbia Institution for the Death and Dumb and the Blind changed to the Gallaudet College. -
First Separate Class for Students with Mental Retardation is Created!
School superintendent Horace Tarbell created the first separate class in the USA for students with mental retardation. This class was created in Rhodes Island. The creation of this class led to the beginning of the special class movement. -
Public Schools Launch Learning Disabilities Programs!
William Cruickshank designed a pilot project in public schools in Syracuse, New York that modifies instruction to meet the needs of students with learning disabilities. -
Funding for Teacher Training for Learning Disabled Students became available!
A public law was passed that required federal funding for teachers to train them on how to teach students with learning disabilities. The law was called: Children with Specific Learning Disabilities Act (Public Law 91-230). -
Free Public Education for Students with Disabilities is made Mandatory!
Public Law 91-230 was passed which made it a requirement that both students with and without disabilities were given a free appropriate public education. The law required funds to be spent on gifted and talented students as well. -
Section 504
In 1973 Section 504 was created, and was the first disability civil rights law to be enacted in the United States. It prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities in programs that receive federal financial assistance, and set the stage for enactment of the Americans with Disabilities Act. (https://www.dol.gov/agencies/oasam/centers-offices/civil-rights-center/statutes/section-504-rehabilitation-act-of-1973) -
Open doors for Inclusive Education!
In the court case, Roncker V. Walter courts determined that if special education services can be provided feasibly in a non-segregated school setting then they should be. This ruling opened the doors for more inclusive education. -
Americans with Disabilities Act
The ADA is a civil rights law that prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities in all areas of public life, including jobs, schools, transportation, and all public and private places that are open to the general public. The purpose of the law is to make sure that people with disabilities have the same rights and opportunities as everyone else. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5XX3F3idDA0) -
IDEA was Reauthorized
Traumatic brain injuries and autism were added as disabilities. Transition plans became mandatory and services were increased by allowing additional therapies to students. -
No Child Left Behind!
No Child Left Behind was the main law for K–12 general education in the United States from 2002–2015. The law held schools accountable for how kids learned and achieved. The law was controversial in part because it penalized schools that didn't show improvement.
