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Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas
After Linda Brown was denied entrance to an all white school in Topeka, Kansas , her father Oliver Brown went to court.The courts ruled unanimously that school segregation was unconstitutional and violated the equal protection clause under the 14th Amendment. This ruling ended segregation and paved the way for other Civil Rights movements such as special education. https://www.history.com/topics/black-history/brown-v-board-of-education-of-topeka -
Section 504 Vocational Rehabilitation Act
A civil rights law prohibiting discrimination on the basis of disability in programs and activities that receive federal funding. This has provided employment opportunities for those with disabilities. This law also requires colleges to make reasonable accommodations for students with disabilities so they will not be discriminated allowing students with disabilities an opportunity to receive higher education. https://dredf.org/legal-advocacy/laws/a-comparison-of-ada-idea-and-section-504/ -
Education for All handicapped Children Act-Public Law 94-142
This landmark federal law guaranteed a free appropriate education for all children with disabilities in the least restricted environment. This opened up opportunities for children with disabilities to receive an education in state schools that may have been denied or limited before. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/STATUTE-89/pdf/STATUTE-89-Pg773.pdf -
Hudson v. Rowley
Amy Rowley, a deaf student, attended Furnace Woods School. Her parents sued the school after the school refused to provide Amy a sign language interpreter. The Supreme Court ruled in favor of the school district agreeing that the school provided Amy an individualized program of special services and that she was performing at the level of her non-disabled peers. This set the precedent for the necessary level of benefits a student must be provided.
https://www.oyez.org/cases/1981/80-1002 -
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act
PL 94-142 was amended to become the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Congress added the requirement for individual transition plans (ITP) as part of a student's individualized education program. This will benefit students with disabilities as they enter adolescence and adulthood to prepare them for life after high school. https://educationonline.ku.edu/community/idea-timeline -
Americans with Disabilties (ADA)
This civil rights law prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities in all areas of public life. This includes jobs, schools, transportation and all public and private places that are open to the general public. This has a positive impact for not only students with disabilities but for adults as well to be protected from discrimination in every day functions and to have equal opportunities. https://www.ada.gov/ada_intro.htm -
No Child Left Behind (NCLB)
George W. Bush signed the law out of concern that the American education system was no longer internationally competitive. This federal law requires each state to develop state academic standards and a testing system. The law increased the federal role in holding schools accountable and it put a larger focus on boosting progress for special education, ELL, and minorities. https://www.k12.wa.us/policy-funding/policies/elementary-and-secondary-education-act-esea/no-child-left-behind-act-2001 -
Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act
Congress reauthorized IDEA with a focus for early intervention, greater accountability for academic outcomes, and raised the standards for teachers who taught special education classes. Having highly qualified special education teachers will benefit students with disabilities to receive the best course of action. As well as, with a focus on early intervention schools can reduce the amount of students who need special education services. https://educationonline.ku.edu/community/idea-timeline -
Rosa's Law-PL 111-256
Obama signed to remove terms such as "mental retardation" and "mentally retarded" from federal health, education, and labor policy. These words are replaced with words such as "individual with an intellectual disability" or "intellectual disability". By eliminating the pejorative words once used to describe people with intellectual disabilities shows there is a greater respect across the nation for these individuals. https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2017/07/11/2017-14343/rosas-law -
Endrew F. v. Douglas County School District
Endrew, a student with autism, was placed in private school after his parents believed his public school education was inadequate. They sued for payment for private school tuition. The Supreme Court ruled the school district's IEP should not provide "merely more than de minimis" and should require an IEP reasonably decided to enable a child to make appropriate progress based on their circumstance setting a new precedent for future students with disabilities.https://www.oyez.org/cases/2016/15-827
