Special Education in America

  • American Asylum for the Education and Instruction of the Deaf and Dumb

    American Asylum for the Education and Instruction of the Deaf and Dumb
    First special education school in
    the United States, the American
    Asylum for the Education and
    Instruction of the Deaf and
    Dumb (now called the American
    School for the Deaf), was
    established in Hartford.
  • Council for Exceptional Children

    Council for Exceptional Children
    The Council for Exceptional Children is the first advocacy group for children with disabilities. The CEC is one of the largest special education advocacy groups. The main objective of this group is to ensure that children with special needs receive FAPE.
  • The Department of Special Education was established

    The Department of Special Education was established
    The Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) is a unit within the U.S Department of Education. Originally created as the Bureau of the Education of the Handicapped in 1967, its purpose is to strengthen and coordinate activities on behalf of students with disabilities. OSEP
  • Cuyahoga Council for Retarded Citizens

    Cuyahoga Council for Retarded Citizens
    A Parental Advocacy Group composed of five mothers of children with mental retardation who came to Cuyahoga, Ohio to protest their children’s exclusion from public schools. This lead to the establishment of a special class for the children, even though the parents sponsored it.
  • Brown v. Board of Education

    Brown v. Board of Education
    Supreme Court rules that segregation in public schools is unconstitutional and began the movement of equality in education
  • Section 504

    Section 504
    Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act allows protection from discrimination of special needs and disabilities. Tis law is considered the first law giving protection to students with special needs. This law includes FAPE and LRE. Students are eligible when they have either a physical or mental disability that inhibits their learning experience. Section 504 Video
  • Education for All Handicapped Children Act

    Education for All Handicapped Children Act
    Federal funding was provided to those who promised to education students with disabilities. Started requiring schools to develop an Individualized Education Plan (IEP). Established procedural safeguards.
  • Americans with Disabilities Act

    Americans with Disabilities Act
    The Americans with Disabilities Act was signed into law by President George W. Bush. The act promises people with special needs will have the same rights as everybody else. This includes both school and work. This act also stated that people with special needs cannot be discriminated against in schools, the workplace, and everyday society such as public transportation.
  • IDEA

    IDEA
    The individuals with disabilities Education Act was also signed into law by George W. Bush. This law includes 6 pillars: FAPE, LRE, IEP, evaluation, parent/student participation, and all procedural safeguards for participants. This law also has 4 sections.
  • No Child Left Behind Act

    No Child Left Behind Act
    No Child Left Behind Act was the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA). ESEA has been reauthorized seven times, most recently in 2002. This Act increases the role of the federal government in guaranteeing the quality of public education for all children in the United Stated, with an emphasis on increased funding, and new measures to hold schools accountable for their students' progress and in the role of standardized testing.