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Opening of American Asylum for the Education of the Deaf and Dumb
Reverend Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet becomes principal of the American Asylum for the Education of the Deaf and Dumb, the first residential school in the U.S. Support for the school came from [wealthier] families or parents of children who were deaf, and they desired educational options that may help their child learn to communicate. -
Braille Code Published
Louis Braille publishes the Braille code. He had been blind from the age of 3, and was living in Paris when he published his idea of using dots as the basis of a tactile alphabet. He was only 20 years old! The publishing and development of Braille Code was huge, as it made true literacy possible for those who are blind. -
Opening of New England Asylum for the Blind
At the direction of Dr. John Dix Fisher, Samuel Gridley Howe establishes and opens the New England Asylum for the Blind in Boston. The institution opened with six students, but within six years, it had ten times that number. For the first time, blind and deafblind American children could attend a school that would teach them reading, writing, and math. Students were taught to use their sense of touch to compensate for their lack of sight. It was later renamed the Perkins School for the Blind. -
Columbia Institution
The Columbia Institution for the Deaf and Dumb and Blind was opened in Washington D.C. This school set apart from others, as it was allowed to grant college degrees by U.S. Congress. It was the first college in the world established for people with disabilities. In 1894 the college was renamed, ‘Gallaudet College’ in honor of the Rev. Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet. -
Helen Keller arrives at the New England School for the Blind
Helen Keller arrived at the school with her teacher, Annie Sullivan. She was a student there until 1892. -
Plessy vs. Ferguson
A landmark U.S. Surpreme Court case that upheld the constitutionality of racial segregation under the “separate but equal” doctrine. The case stemmed from an incident in 1892 when African American train passenger Homer Plessy refused to sit in a car for blacks. -
Beattie vs. Board of Education
A Wisconsin Supreme Court case which upheld a ruling that a student could be excluded from a school based on a disability. The student had a condition that caused drooling and facial contortions. Teachers found the student's presence in class "nauseating" (Yell, 1998). The courts agreed with school officials that argued the student required too much time of the teacher and caused disruptions to the learning environment. -
The Bradley Home and Hospital
The Bradley Home was the first psychiatric hospital for children in the United States. it was established in East Providence, Rhode Island. The establishment of the Bradley Home opened the door for medical professionals to have a place to continue studying psychiatry of children. -
Cuyahoga Council for the Retarded Child
A parental advocacy group that began with 5 mothers of children with mental retardation, who came to Cuyahoga, Ohio to protest their children’s exclusion from Public Schools. In the years that followed, similar support groups and leagues opened on the east coast. These groups were the result of a growing concern of parents for their children, many of whom lived in large state institutions. The initial goal of these organizations was to provide support for parents of children with disabilities. -
Classification of Autism Introduced
The classification of Autism was introduced by Dr. Leo Lanner of Johns Hopkins University. -
Brown vs. Board of Education
A landmark U.S. Supreme Court case that overturned the ruling in Plessy vs. Ferguson, officially saying that “separate is not equal.” This case brought attention to the disparities between the quality of education for white students versus black students, and special education students vs. general education students. This case encouraged the formation of many advocacy groups to inform the public need of special education programs. -
Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA)
The Elementary and Secondary Education Act was signed into law in 1965 by President Lyndon Baines Johnson, who believed that "full educational opportunity" should be "our first national goal." From its inception, ESEA was a civil rights law. With regard to special education, ESEA provided funding for centers and schools to support students with disabilities. -
Pennsylvania Association for Retarded Children (PARC) v. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
The Pennsylvania Association for Retarded Children brought a class-action suit against the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania for the failure to provide a public education to students with disabilities. The Federal District Court ruled that all children from ages 6-21 be provided with free public education, stipulating that it was most desirable to educate children with disabilities in programs most like those provided to their peers without disabilities. -
Mills vs. Board of Education of the District of Columbia
The court ruled that students with disabilities must be given a public education even if the students are unable to pay for the cost of the education. The case established that "all children are entitled to free public education and training appropriate to their learning capacities. -
Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973
Section 504 is a civil rights law that prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities. Section 504 ensures that the child with a disability has equal access to an education. The child may receive accommodations and modifications. -
Least Restrictive Environment
Least Restrictive Environment (LRE) means that when a student has an individualized learning plan, or IEP, it should be a goal that the student is as many regular education classes as possible, in an effort to ensure that the student has social interaction and plenty of time with peers without disabilities. -
Public Law (PL) 94-142 The Education for All Handicapped Children Act of 1975
Congress intended that all children with disabilities would “have a right to education, and to establish a process by which State and local educational agencies may be held accountable for providing educational services for all handicapped children.” -
Handicapped Children’s Protection Act
Signed by President Ronald Reagan, this law gave parents of children with disabilities more agency in the development of their child’s IEP and services. -
Americans with Disabilities Act
The Americans with Disabilities Act was signed into law by President George W. Bush. The act states that people with special needs are afforded the same rights as those without. Often compared to the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Americans with Disabilities Act stated that people cannot be discriminated against on the basis of a disability diagnosis. -
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)
A four-part piece of legislation that ensures students with a disability are provided with a Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) that is tailored to their individual needs. IDEA came as a reauthorization of the Education for All Handicapped Children Act of 1975. The major goal of IDEA is to provide children with disabilities the same opportunity for education as those students who do not have a disability. -
Reauthorization of IDEA
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act preserved the basic structure and civil rights guarantees of IDEA but also makes significant changes in the law. -
Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA)
Signed into law by President Barack Obama, this measure re authorize de the 50-year-old Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). The new legislation builds on progress make in recent years, and for the first time requires that all students in America be taught to high academic standards. This incorporation of raising the expectation of rigor shows tremendous growth compared to the nation’s earliest perceptions of special needs.
