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National Mental Health Act
President Harry Truman signed the National Mental Health Act, which called for the establishment of a National Institute of Mental Health. While this law had no bearing on education, and only focused on mental health disabilities, it was the first federal legislation that acknowledged the need to study mental health. This law acted as a foundation upon which future disabilities would be studied, in both an educational and non-educational sense.
(source: Nat'l Institute of Health Almanac) -
Brown vs. Board of Education (Supreme Court Ruling)
This 1954 ruling ended segregation in all public schooling in the United States. This landmark decision was made on the basis that every person, regardless of race, was entitled to the same education. This case also noted that the premise "separate but equal" was in fact not true, a premise which is later looked back upon in the classroom when considering the issue of inclusion.
(source: nationalcenter.org) -
Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act
"No otherwise qualified individual with a disability in the United States, as defined in section 705(20) of this title, shall, solely by reason of her or his disability, be excluded from the participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance or under any program or activity..." This important legislation served as a civil rights victory by outlawing any discrimination based on disability. -
Education for All Handicapped Children Act
This act mandated that all public schools which were accepting federal funds to provide students with equal access to education, and also one free meal each day for children with disabilities. This act served as a foundation for IDEA, which came 15 years later. EAHCA, however, did not define what constitues a disiability. -
Americans with Disabilities Act
The ADA, while not pertaining directly to education, took the premise of the 1975 Rehabilitation Act (section 504) and expanded it to include specific example of disabilities that are and are not considered to be legitimate. ADA also defined a disability as "a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits a major life activity." The ADA still serves as the most substantial legilation combating discrimination based on a disability. -
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)
This federal law established that all children, regardless of disabiliteis, have the same right to learn. IDEA outlined how students with disabilities would be afforded intervention, special education and services in all aspects of education. -
No Child Left Behind
No Child Left Behind was passed in 2002 with the goal of improving education through setting high goals and measuring them in a very quantifiable way, under the notion that competition would bring about across-the-board academic improvement. What this meant for special education, though, was that now the students with disabilities were held to the same standards as the non-disabled students; everyone took the same test. NCLB was a cornerstone legislation in bringing about inclusive classrooms. -
IDEA Reformed
When IDEA was revisited in 2004 and overhauled by the Bush Administration, it was rewritten to include more accountability within the original IDEA. This new legislation fortified the implementation of the special education process changing the nature of the individualized education plan (IEP), and defining "due process" in the special education world. This 2004 IDEA is still adhered to today, and is the current guideline for special education in America.
