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First Special Education School
Horace Mann School for the Deaf was one of the first schools to ever be established as a special education school for disabled students. It's a public school specifically for disabled students due to disabled students, white students, and students of color were all categorized and educated differently rather than equal at the time. The school also had no access to public funding, therefore it had limited resources for disabled students. -
Council for Exceptional Children
The Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) was organized by a group of educators at Teachers College, Columbia University, and their faculty members. The purpose for this council is to establish the professional standard for the field of special education. The council accomplished various goals throughout the years, specifically by raising awareness that there needs to be drastic improvements in providing special education for disabled students. Website: https://exceptionalchildren.org/ -
Brown vs. Board of Education
The Supreme Court made a landmark decision that banned segregated schools between white people and colored people. Although the main intention of Brown v. Board of Education was specifically for students to be treated equal no matter the color of their skin, this ruling also benefitted students with special needs to also receive proper education that fits their learning capacity. Special needs students had to be educated in special institutions, but after this ruling, they're treated equally. -
Elementary and Secondary Education Act
President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Elementary and Secondary Education Act as a law after Congress passed it. The overall purpose of ESEA was to improve educational opportunities for poor children. Many students that require special education come from poor families, so this act improved their need for special education. -
Rehabilitation Act of 1973
The Rehabilitation Act of 1973 granted civil rights to all disabled people and required accommodations for disabled students in schools. This act required state and local governments to fund their school system for disabled students to receive the proper resources they need in order to learn. Such funds could be to hire personnel to assist disabled students to learn in their classrooms. -
Education for All Handicapped Children Act
President Gerald Ford signed into law the Education for All Handicapped Children Act, or the EHA. The EHA guaranteed a free, appropriate public education to each child with a disability in every state and locality across the country. This act required all public schools accepting federal funds to provide equal access to education and one free meal a day for children with physical and mental disabilities. -
Office of Special Education Programs
Originally created as the Bureau of the Education of the Handicapped, the Office of Special Education Programs is part of the U.S. Department of Education. This government agency provides support for professionals in the educational industry that work with disabled students. They've created various educational programs to improve special education in various learning areas for disabled students. -
Americans with Disabilities Act
People with disabilities were being discriminated based on their disability. Congress passed the Americans with Disabilities Act that prohibits any discrimination towards the disabled. This shed some light in special education for students to be treated equal like every student receiving a general education. -
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act was previously known as the Education for All Handicapped Children Act from 1975. It is a piece of American legislation that ensures students with a disability are provided with a Free Appropriate Public Education that is tailored to their individual needs. It establishes various principles that weren't established back in 1975 to improve the civil rights of disabled students receiving special education. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cNFzitdI768 -
No Child Left Behind Act
President George W. Bush signs the No Child Left Behind Act into law. It's like an updated version of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965. It created new standards and goals for the nation's public schools and implemented tough corrective measures for schools that failed to meet them. This applies to special education to help them not fall behind from students that don't need a special education and fall under the same grade as them.