Special Education Timeline

By mallorie66

  • Law Mandating Compulsory Education

    Rhode Island passed a law mandating compulsory education for all children. Compulsory education is an education in which children are required by law to receive and for governments to provide. Click here for more information.

  • Brown V Board of Education

    While this law is most often talked about in terms of racial segregation, this case also was for special need students v. general education students. This case encouraged the formation of many advocacy groups to inform the public of the need for special education programs. Click here to listen to a great podcast about the history of special education and Brown v Board.

  • Public Law 88-164

    This law was passed and authorized funds for training professionals to work with children with special needs and for research and demonstration for students with intellectual and developmental disablities and deafness. Click here for more information.

  • Elementary and Secondary Education Act

    This law did not require the education of those with disabilities, but it did provide the funding for states to do so. Click here for more information.

  • Public Law 99-457 or Education of the Handicapped Act Amendments

    This law was passed in hopes that with the allocation of federal funds for the states to develop plans and programs for children and their familes from birth on. Click here for more information.

  • PARC v Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

    The court decided that children with IDD could not be excluded from school and did have a right to FAPE. Click here for comprehensive information about this case.

  • Section 504 of the Rehabilation Act

    This law says that it is illegal to deny participation in activities or programs solely because of a siability; people who have disabilities should be granted equal access to all programs. Click here for more information on what a 504 is and how it differs from IDEA and AD.

  • Public Law 94-142 or the Education for All Handicapped Children Act.

    This law was designed to assure that all handicapped children would have available to them a free appropriate public education that emphasized special education and related services designed to meet their unique needs. Click here for more information.

  • , Education of the Handicapped Act Amendments of 1986.

    Mandated services for preschoolers and established the Part H program to assist states in the development of a comprehensive,
    multidisciplinary, and statewide system of early intervention services for infants (now known at Part C)

  • Americans with Disabilities Act

    This law extends civil rights to persons with disabilities, although that is specifically laid out in the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Click here for more information.

  • No Child Left Behind Act

    This law had an impact on all schoolchildren and a special impact on children with disabilities. It was designed to hold schools and education responsible for bringing students to a minimum level of competency, with or without a disability. This also required schools to present data proving this information. Click here for information about the NCLB and how it compares to IDEA.

  • Individuals with Disabilities Education Act 2004 (IDEA)

    This law being passed was fixed and strengthend the original legislation. This mostly affect the quality of personnel, the IEP standards, and transition planning. Click here for more brief information. Click here for a more comprehensive guide.

  • Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments Act

    This act revised the definition of “disability” to more broadly encompass impairments that substantially limit a
    major life activity. It also amended Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. Click here for more information.

  • American Recovery and Reinvestment Act

    This law was passed to stimulate economic activity after the recession for all, but it resulted in large funds to states under IDEA to improve the quality of early intervention. Click here for more information.

  • Every Student Succeeds Act

    The law holds schools accountable for how students learn and achieve. ESSA aims to provide an equal opportunity for students who get special education services. For a quick guide click here. For a more comprehensive understanding, click here.