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The International Council for the Education of Exceptional Children
CEC is founded in the summer of 1922, by a group of students attending the Teachers College at Columbia University. Elizabeth E. Farrell was one of the founders and CEC's first President and the council began with only 12 members. CEC Milestones. (n.d.). Retrieved November 12, 2017, from https://www.cec.sped.org/About-Us/CEC-Milestones -
ARC (National Association for Retarded Citizens)
A group of parents and concerned community members came together to be a voice of change for those with disabilities. They were the first to put money into research on intellectual and developmental disabilities. The ARC continues to advocate and be a voice for those with disabilities. History of The Arc. (n.d.). Retrieved November 12, 2017, from http://www.thearc.org/who-we-are/history -
Brown v. Board of Education
Brown v. Board of Education paved the way for all children to be desegregated and allow all to the right of an equal education. This brought about a number of parents who had children with disabilities to engage in lawsuits against their school districts for excluding and segregating children with disabilities. Wright, P., & Wright, P. (2010, November 29). Retrieved November 12, 2017, from http://www.wrightslaw.com/law/art/history.spec.ed.law.htm -
John F. Kennedy created President’s Panel on Mental Retardation
His intentions were to appoint a panel of scientists, doctors, and others to help develop a plan that would help in the field of intellectual disabilities. This institution was in charge of conducting and supporting research on intellectual disabilities. John F. Kennedy and People with Intellectual Disabilities. (n.d.). Retrieved November 12, 2017, from https://www.jfklibrary.org/JFK/JFK-in-History/JFK-and-People-with-Intellectual-Disabilities.aspx -
Elementary and Secondary Education Act
Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, which provided funding for primary education, and is seen by advocacy groups as expanding access to public education for children with disabilities. Social Welfare History Project (2016). Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965. Social Welfare History Project. Retrieved from http://socialwelfare.library.vcu.edu/programs/education/elementary-and-secondary-education-act-of-1965/ -
PARC v the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
This lawsuit brought about a change in a law that allowed public schools the right to deny service to any child that had not yet reached the mental age of 5 years old, by the start of first grade. This lawsuit forced a change in which the state agreed to provide free and public education for children with intellectual disabilities. Center for Parent Information and Resources Retrieved November 12, 2017. Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Newark, NJ, Author. -
Education for All Handicapped Children Act
This law began by challenging classification procedures and seeking a remedy to free and appropriate education in a least restrictive environment. This has been amended to account for research on teaching & learning about the lives of students with disabilities. Turnbull, A., Turnbull, R., Wehmeyer, M., & Shogren, K. (2016). Chapter 1 Overview of Today's Special Education. In Exceptional lives: Special education in today’s schools (8th ed., pp. 9-11). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education. -
The Americans with Disabilities Act
An act created so that the American society could be more accessible to people with disabilities. It keeps private employers, state & local governments, employment agencies and labor unions from discriminating against qualified applicants with a disability. Facts About the Americans with Disabilities Act. (2008, September 9). Retrieved November 12, 2017, from https://www.eeoc.gov/facts/fs-ada.html -
No Child Left Behind
This law increased the federal role that held schools responsible for the progress of all students. All states must test students in reading and math, grades 3 through 8 and once in high school, and report the results. Editorial Projects in Education Research Center. (2015, April 10). Issues A-Z: No Child Left Behind: An Overview. Education Week. Retrieved 12 Nov. 2017 from http://www.edweek.org/ew/section/multimedia/no-child-left-behind-overview-definition-summary.html/ -
Rosa’s Law
Rosa’s law removes the term “mental retardation” from federal health, education and labor policy and replaces it with “individual with an intellectual disability”. Rosa's Law. (n.d.). Retrieved November 12, 2017, from http://www.specialolympics.org/Regions/north-america/News-and-Stories/Stories/Rosa-s-Law.aspx
