History in Special Education

By Eglee Nunez

  • The Beginning

    The Beginning
    Office of Special EducationCongress adds Title VI to the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 creating a Bureau of Education for the Handicapped (this bureau today is called the Office of Special Education Programs or OSEP).

  • Supreme Court Decision [PARC v. Pennsylvania (1972) and Mills v. D.C. Board of Education (1972)]

    Supreme Court Decision [PARC v. Pennsylvania (1972) and Mills v. D.C. Board of Education (1972)]
    The courts take the position that children with disabilities have an equal right to access education as their non-disabled peers. Although there is no existing federal law that mandates this stance, some students begin going to school as a result of these court decisions.

  • Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973

    Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973
    Rehabilitation ActSection 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 is enacted into statute. This national law protects qualified individuals from discrimination based on their disability. This national law was enacted with little fanfare. Most educators were not aware that this applied to public schools.

  • The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) is enacted.

    The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) is enacted.
    Parents are allowed to have access to all personally identifiable information collected, maintained, or used by a school district regarding their child.

  • The Education for All Handicapped Children Act (EAHCA) is enacted

    The Education for All Handicapped Children Act (EAHCA) is enacted
    This was also known as P.L. 94-142. Today we know this law as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Before 1975, children with disabilities were mostly denied an education solely on the basis of their disabilities. EAHCA, along with some key supreme court cases, mandated all school districts to educate students with disabilities.

  • The final federal regulations of EAHCA are released

    The final federal regulations of EAHCA are released
    The final federal regulations are enacted at the start of the 1977-1978 school year and provide a set of rules in which school districts must adhere to when providing an education to students with disabilities.

  • Students and parents have rights under EAHCA (now IDEA) and Section 504

    Students and parents have rights under EAHCA (now IDEA) and Section 504
    The EAHCA is amended with the addition of the Handicapped Children’s Protection Act. This amendment makes clear that students and parents have rights under EAHCA (now IDEA) and Section 504.

  • The EAHCA has a new name

    The EAHCA has a new name
    The EAHCA is amended and is now called the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).This amendment calls for many changes to the old law. One of the biggest was the addition of transition services for students with disabilities. School Districts were now required to look at outcomes and assisting students with disabilities in transitioning from high school to postsecondary life.

  • The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)

    The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
    The Americans with Disabilities Act became law, and it provided comprehensive civil rights protection for people with disabilities. Closely modeled after the Civil Rights Act and Section 504, the law was the most sweeping disability rights legislation in American history. It mandated that local, state, and federal governments and programs be accessible, that employers with more than 15 employees make “reasonable accommodations” for workers with disabilities and not discriminate.

  • IDEA reauthorized

    IDEA reauthorized
    This amendment calls for students with disabilities to be included in on state and district-wide assessments. Also, Regular Education Teachers are now required to be a member of the IEP team.

  • No Child Left Behind is enacted.

    No Child Left Behind is enacted.
    No Child Left Behind ActThis law calls for all students, including students with disabilities, to be proficient in math and reading by the year 2014.

  • Special Olympics

    Special Olympics
    On October 30, 2004, President George W. Bush signed into law the "Special Olympics Sport and Empowerment Act," Public Law 108-406. The bill authorized funding for its Healthy Athletes, Education, and Worldwide Expansion programs.

  • Achieving a Better Life Experience Act of 2014 (the ABLE Act)

    Achieving a Better Life Experience Act of 2014 (the ABLE Act)
    The Stephen Beck, Jr. Achieving a Better Life Experience Act of 2014 (the ABLE Act) was signed into law. [137] This Act amends Section 529 of the Internal Revenue Service Code of 1986 to create tax-free savings accounts for qualified expenses. With these accounts (each person may have only one account) people with disabilities who have a condition that occurred before age 26 can save up to $100,000 without risking eligibility for Social Security and other government programs.