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Brown v. Board of Education
This is the original legislation that set the stage for future legislation in terms of students with exceptionalities. Primarily focused on the desegregation of schools in the Southern United States, this pertains to students with disabilities given that it is the first time legislation gave consideration to students experiencing challenges in a school setting. -
Elementary and Secondary Education Act
This legislation passed in 1965 (ESEA) is a landmark legislative event given that it provided legislation that acted to provide equal access to the public education system for students with disadvantaged backgrounds. A provision of this act was the implementation of a free and reduced lunch program system. Additionally, ESEA provided a grant program to encourage states to implement and improve educational programs for students with exceptionalitites. -
PARC v. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
This is a landmark legislative even for students with disabilities given that it challenged the constitutionality of denying individuals with mental retardation (language used at the time of enactment) from public education. PARC provided free access to public education with menatlly challenged students as well as introducing the concept of the least restrictive environment and the right to the access of an IEP. -
Mills v. Board of Education of the District of Columbia
This is a landmark special education legislative event given its similarity to, and improvement upon the PARC case on year earlier. These improvements, namely, were provisions providing for "adequate alternative education services" and "prior hearing and periodic review of the child's status, progress, and the adequacy of any educational alternative." Essentially, the Mills case went a step further than simply providing access to public education--it provided for 'adequate' programs. -
Board of Ed. of Hendrick Hudson Central School Dist. v. Rowley
This is a landmark special education legislative event in that it clarified the definition of a free and appropriate public education, or FAPE. Ultimately, the Rowley case resulted in the Supreme Court ruling that P.L. 94-142 required that students with challenges must be provided with support in order to benefit from public education on a level equal to that of a typical non-disabled student. -
Honig v. Doe
This is a landmark special education event in that it addresses students that may not have 'traditional' cognitive challenges. The Honig v. Doe case provided benefits for students that experience emotional and/or behavioral challenges. This landmark case determined that schools could not expel children for behaviors related to their disability. -
Individuals With Disabilities Education Act P.L. 101-476
This is a landmark special education legislative event given that it replaces and vastly improves the previous P.L. 94-142 (EAHCA). Some of the major improvements implemented by IDEA are: the establishment of 'people first language,' due process and confidentiality for students and parents, adds autism and TBI as disability categories and requires individualized transition programs for students with disabilities by age 16. -
Individuals With Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEIA)
This is a landmark special education legislative event given that it improves the previously established legislation, IDEA. These improvements include: the ability for districts to use RTI models for determining specific learning disabilities, an increase in federal funds for early intervention services, elevated special education licensure requirements and provisions to avoid disproportionate representation of students by race and ethnicity.
