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The History of Special Education in the United States
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The Soldiers Rehabilitation Act of 1918
It started with The Soldiers Rehabilitation Act of 1918, soldiers began to receive support. This act provided training and financial assistance to veterans with disabilities. While this was going on, this act had broadened to the disability community and was then amended in 1943. The act extended services and helped individuals with mental illness and intellectual disabilities. -
The Brown v. Board of Education
During 1954, many schools in the U.S. were racially segregated which were made legal by Plessy v. Ferguson (1896). Due to the ongoing case filed against the Topeka white schools, representative-plaintiff Brown claimed that Topeka’s racial segregation did indeed violate the Equal Protection Clause after denying access to his kid . After a year, studies showed that separating children based on race could have some effect on the ability for black children to learn. The case was then concluded. -
The Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA)
The Elementary and Secondary Education Act was signed into law to help low-income students receive an education and provide additional resources that were needed to help with their education. The law offered new grants for textbooks, education centers, scholarships to serve both primary and secondary education. As well as, grants to improve the quality of education. The federal government kept increasing resources. [https://www.ncld.org/archives/action-center/learn-the-law/esea-nclb] -
Mills v. Board of Education of the District of Columbia
Mills v. Board of Education of the District of Columbia helped lay the foundation to ensure that students with disabilities would receive a free public education. It also helped lay the foundation for The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act which states that all students have the right to a free public education, that federal funds received by schools will be used to ensure that all students have rights to equal education, and that schools will provide an evaluation for any student. -
The Pennsylvania Association for Retarded Children (PARC) v. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
In 1971 Pennsylvania Association for Retarded Children (PARC) v. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the first right-to-education suit in the country. Helped overturn the Pennsylvania law and secure a quality education for every children. The case was quickly settled before the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pa., resulting in a consent decree in which the state agreed to provide free public education for children with mental retardation. [https://youtu.be/QtFmp3XduaQ] -
Public Law 99-457
Public Law 99-457 made available appropriate and free public education to children ages 3-5 who are disabled. The law makes a requirement for states that offer interdisciplinary educational services to disabled toddlers, infants, and their families to receive financial grants. These financial grants act as incentives for states to provide for children from birth to age 2 that have disabilities. Also, stimulates the development and validation of infant development schedules and tests. -
The Handicapped Children’s Protection Act
President Reagan signed the Handicapped Children's Protection Act into law in 1986. The HCPA amended the EAHCA. These amendments included rigorous national agenda pertaining to more and better services to young special needs children and their families. This law gave parents of children with disabilities more say in the development of their child’s Individual Education Plan also known as IEP. -
Public Law 101-476
The IDEA replaced the EAHCA. Public Law 101-476 called for significant changes to Public Law 94-142. Autism and traumatic brain injury were added as new disability categories under the IDEA. Congress also mandated that as a part of a student’s IEP, an individual transition plan, must be developed to help the student transition to post-secondary life. -
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act
The amendments to the IDEA were passes to reauthorize and make improvements to the IDEA. These changes were seen as the next vital step in providing special education services by ensuring that students with disabilities received a quality public education through emphasizing the improvement of student performance. The amendments added new IEP contents and changed the IEP team, and added new disciplinary provisions. -
Congress amended IDEA
Congress amended IDEA by calling for early intervention for students, greater improvements towards educational outcomes, and raised the standards for instructors who teach special education classes. It also required for states to demand that local school districts shift up to 15 percent of their special education funds toward general education if it were determined that an inappropriate number of students from minority groups were placed in special education for reasons other than disability.
