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Brown v. Board of Education
This legendary court case focussed on desegregation in schools on the basis of race, and in turn gave parents of children with disabilities to speak out in defense of their kids and demand that they be treated equally as well. Although Brown v. Board of Education wasn't meant to help special education law, it did tremendously. -
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Special Education Legal Milestones
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Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965
The Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, or ESEA, to address the inequality of underprivileged children in schools, and it also allowed disadvantaged students to gain access to a quality education. -
Education of the Handicapped Act
The Education of the Handicapped Act took place in hopes of swaying states to consider developing educational programs that cater to students with disabilities. This program took the place of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965. -
Pennsylvania Association for Retarded Citizens (PARC) v. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
In PARC v. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, The Pennsylvania Association for Retarded Citizens was fighting against the possible exclusion of dibbled children from public schools because of their disabilities. It was argued that educational placement decisions should be made on the basis of resolving disputes and it should also involve parental guidance. -
Mills v. Board of Education of District of Columbia
In this infamous court case, the District of Columbia board of education wanted to be able to suspend and expel children with disabilities without cause, and they tried to explain it was due to budgeting issues and the cost of education disabled students was too expensive. -
The Education for All Handicapped Children Act of 1975
Public Law 94-142, also known as the Education for All Handicapped Children Act of 1975, stated that all children with disabilities will be given an equal and just access to an education, and it also put in place rights that protect disabled students and their families. This law was a huge deal back then, and I have no clue where we'd be without it now! -
Massachusetts Education Reform Act
The Massachusetts Education Reform Act called for a higher standard for all students, including students with disabilities. This act came hand-in-hand with billions of dollars to reform the education in Mass., which was a very positive thing for students with disabilities in need of more resources. -
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act
The reauthorization of the federal special education law became what people refer to as IDEA, or the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. Congress wants to make sure, however, that special education programs were still breaching access to the general school curriculum, so following the enacting of this Act, it was required that all students with disabilities complete the statewide assessments and be placed in programs. -
No Child Left Behind Act
No Child Left Behind is another very popular advancement for the legal side of education, but I'm sure that not many know how much it also helped children with disabilities. Sure, students with disabilities may not have the same math and reading proficiency levels as able-bodied students, but No Child Left Behind allowed these students to feel included despite their disabilities. -
Individuals With Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004
After being amended and renamed several different times, the IDEA Act of 2004 settled in the court room. In this final amendment, Congress stepped up and magnified the importance of providing students with disabilities with a proper education. This Act emphasized research based instruction, reading, and early intervention. In addition, they required that all special education teachers be extremely well qualified.
