History of Special Education

  • First school for students with disabilities.

    First school for students with disabilities.

    The first school for students with disabilities was created in an asylum and it targeted deaf people. It is recognized as the only institute of higher education that targeted helping deaf and hard-of-hearing students. It was created by Thomas Hoskins Gallaudet and Laurent Clerc
  • Brown v. Board of Education

    Brown v. Board of Education

    During the Brown v Board, the government ruled that the separation of students based on race was unconstitutional. This was the first time in history the government advocated for students who suffered inequality. This created a path for school integration that would benefit students with disabilities.
  • The Elementary and Secondary Education Act

    The Elementary and Secondary Education Act

    The ESEA opened doors for students with disabilities because it had a program that motivated schools to make accomodations for students with disabilities. After it was revised in 1970. it continued supporting the students with disabilities. Though the program was a big step it did not provided guidelines on how to accomodate the students.
  • PARC v Commonwealth

    PARC v Commonwealth

    This ruling stated that the state could not oppose giving an education based on intellectual or developmental disability status. This showed that students could no longer be segregated based on disability in the state of Penn. In a way, this set a new standard that showed everyone deserved equal education.
    https://clearinghouse.net/case/11082/
  • Least Restricted Environment (LRE)

    Least Restricted Environment (LRE)

    This is a component used when creating a child's IEP. This gave students the right to be included in regular classrooms if it was appropriate. By creating this addition to the IDEA act, students with disabilities were given the opportunity to be more included in regular classrooms.
  • Public Law 94-142

    Public Law 94-142

    This law, signed by President Ford, guaranteed free education for children with disability in all 50 states. This meant that for students with disabilities who were already attending school, their needs would now be labeled and they would receive special education. The school needed to provide resources to these students.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UYPDSIpxAgY&ab_channel=TheMNGov.CouncilonDevelopmentalDisabilities
  • Americans with Disabilities Act

    Americans with Disabilities Act

    The ADA prohibited discrimination against disabilities in all public life (school, jobs, etc). This law ensured that everyone had equal rights no matter the disability. This law applied for adults and children and in a way covered a broader category of people.
  • Individuals with Disabilities act 1997

    Individuals with Disabilities act 1997

    This improvement was included to decrease the gap between students with disabilities and regular students. It allowed students with disabilities to learn what was required in the regular curriculum. By allowing them to access the same curriculum an environment that was less restrictive allowed students with disabilities to be more included in school.
  • No Child Left Behind Act

    No Child Left Behind Act

    This act served as the main law for education from 2022 to 2015. The law held responsible the school for how students learned and what they achieved. This made schools look for improvements for all their students including the ones with disabilities.
  • Every Student Succeeds Act

    Every Student Succeeds Act

    This was signed by President Obama. It made an advance in equity and vowed to protect disadvantaged and high-need students in America. This required that students will be taught in high academic standards that will allow them to have a successful future.