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Learning Disabilities Association of America is Established
Formerly known as the Association for Children with Learning Disabilities, LDA was established to ensure that people with learning disabilities are provided with educational opportunities -
Rehabilitation Act
The Rehab Act of 1973 was the first bill passed by Congress that pushed for equal rights on the basis of disability. Section 504 made it illegal to discriminate a person based on physical or mental disabilities in programs that receive federal financial assistance. -
Education for All Handicapped Children Act
This was the first special education law that was directed toward students with physical and mental disabilities stating that all public schools provide students with special needs the same educational opportunities as regular students. This law was an attempt to make education equal for all students attending public schools and that all students were given the same chances to be educated. -
Americans with Disabilities Act
The Americans with Disabilities Act is a civil rights law formed from the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 that made it illegal to discriminate against anyone with disabilities in all facets of public life. -
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act
IDEA was created as an update to Education for All Handicapped Children Act and ensures that all special education students receive free public education in the least restrictive environment possible and allows them to participate in the same activities as other children so that their development will be allowed to grow. -
IDEA 1997
In 1997, IDEA was reinstated with new provisions to further help students with special needs. It required every state to have policies and procedures in effect to ensure free appropriate public education for special needs students. -
No Child Left Behind Act
The NCLB Act was meant to be a step forward in education for all students, including those with special needs. NCLB, combined with IDEA required equal and appropriate education or all students receiving public education and made each stat, school district, and teacher responsible for providing and teaching said education. -
Individuals with Disabilities Improvement Act
This Bill reinstated IDEA to align its provisions with NCLB by modifying the process in which NCLB affects discipline, due process, and evaluating special needs students. -
ADA Amendments Act
The ADA Amendments Act of 2008 amended the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 at the federal level that overturned some decisions made by the Supreme Court in interpreting the provisions in ADA, granting people with disabilities protection from discrimination from government officials and making the bill easier to interpret. -
Rosa's Law
Rosa's Law removes the terms "mental retardation" and "mentally retarded" from federal health, education and labor policy and replaces them with “individual with an intellectual disability” and “intellectual disability.”
