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1817 American Asylum for the Education and Instruction of the Deaf and Dumb
The American School for the Deaf and Dumb was founded April 15, 1817, in Connecticut by Thomas Gallaudet. It was the first deaf school of primary and secondary education in the United States. A year after the school was opened it consisted of 33 students. In 1816, the founders appealed for aid and received five thousand dollars and access to a permanent fund. The founders set an example for other states so that deaf and mutes are educated with public funding. -
1852 Law Mandating Compulsory Education
In 1852, Massachusetts became the first state to implement the Compulsory Education Law, which requires all children to attend primary school. Parents were obligated to send their children to school; those that refused to send their children were fined and lost parental rights. Before this law was enforced children that were from low socio economically background were excluded from receiving education. -
May 18, 1896 Plessy v. Ferguson, 163 U.S 537
Plessy v. Ferguson, 163 U.S 537 was a landmark United States Supreme Court case that upheld the constitutionality of segregation in public facilities under the doctrine of “separate but equal”. As a result the court ruled legal distinction between whites and blacks did not violate the 13th and 14th Amendments. This case allowed segregation in the United States, which discriminated against African American to access public facilities such as schools, courtrooms, fountains and buses. -
1954 Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas
A Supreme Court decision that ruled that segregation based on children's race in public schools violates the 14th Amendment. Thirteen Topeka parents argued that segregated schools were not equal and that it denied African American children of Equal Protection Right. Due to the court’s decision, educational institutions cannot deny admissions based on race or disabilities. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TTGHLdr-iak -
1961 President's Panel on Mental Retardation
President Kennedy created the President’s Panel on Mental Retardation, which recommended federal fundings for research, treatment, education and preparation for employment for individuals with mental illness. -
1971 Pennsylvania Association for Retarded Children (PARC) V Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
PARC filed a lawsuit against the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania for a law that allowed public schools to deny education for children with disabilities. Children with developmental disabilities who had not reached a mental age of 5 were denied access to public education. http://www.pubintlaw.org/cases-and-projects/pennsylvania-association-for-retarded-citizens-parc-v-commonwealth-of-pennsylvania/ -
1972 Mills v. Board of Education of the District of Columbia
The court ruled that denying children with disability violated their right to a free and public education. It was in this case that the court mandated documentation of the special education services for each child. This was the beginning of the Individualized Education Plans (IEP). -
Education for all Handicapped Children Act (EHS) PL 94-142
Education for All Handicapped Children Act provided equal access to education for children with disabilities. It ensures that all children with disabilities have access to special education and related services. -
1990 The American with Disabilities Act
The American Disabilities Act is a civil rights law that prohibits the discrimination against individuals with disabilities in all public areas; such as jobs, schools, transportation and all other public and private places open to the general public. -
2001 No Child Left Behind
This law ensures that all students in public schools achieve proficiency levels in reading and math. It also emphasizes that highly qualified and prepared teachers educate students. -
2004 IDEA Individuals with Disabilities Education Act
It is a federal law that requires school to provide special education and related services to eligible student with disabilities. Schools are obligated to identify and evaluate students that are suspected of having a learning disability. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rgwstMsPvd4 -
2016 Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act
This civil rights act ensures that a child who has a disability receives accommodations in an elementary or secondary educational institution. Students are entitled to receive special education and related services to met their needs. Section 504 also mandates that students with disability have equal access to extracurricular activities. -
2016 SB 507 Video Cameras in Special Education Classrooms
Texas became the first state to pass a senate bill that requires schools to install surveillance cameras in self- contained classrooms. The cameras are installed at the request of a parent, trustee or staff member. This law only applies to students that receive services in a special education classroom.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ceW4TNWc1M8
