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The American School for the Deaf
The Connecticut Asylum for the Education and Instruction of Deaf and Dumb Persons was the first permanent school for deaf Americans. The initial motivation for a school for deaf people came from parents who wanted an education for their deaf children. Soon after its establishment, the Federal government awarded the Connecticut Asylum a grant of 23,000 acres of land in Alabama to help the school provide education for deaf people throughout the United States. https://youtu.be/uwlnXtBCfc8 -
Miami Lighthouse for the Blind
Founded in 1931 as the Florida Association of Workers for the Blind, Miami Lighthouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired has been Florida’s premier rehabilitation organization. Miami Lighthouse now serves nearly 15,000 people each year and reaches an additional 3,300 through community education and outreach program. The Lighthouse collaborates with the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, Florida International University, and Miami-Dade County Public schools. https://miamilighthouse.org/default.asp -
The Arc
In 1950, a group of parents and individuals came together with the desire to raise their children in the home and they refused to accept that institutionalization was the only option. At the outset, the organization was committed to altering perceptions of children with IND and educating society regarding the potential of people with IND. Today, it is the largest national community-based organization advocating and serving people with IND and their families. https://youtu.be/TgEDmUUEKJE -
First Special Olympics
The first Special Olympics competition was held in Chicago’s Soldier Field for young people with intellectual disabilities. The goal was to put a bright and public spotlight on ability, not disability. The 1968 event was the start of a global movement for people with intellectual disabilities.
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Rehabilitation Act of 1973
The Rehabilitation Act of 1973 is a federal law whose principal sponsor of the bill was Representative John Brademas. This law prohibits discrimination based on disability in programs conducted by federal agencies, in programs receiving federal financial assistance, in federal employment and the employment practices of federal contractors.
https://www.access-board.gov/the-board/laws/rehabilitation-act-of-1973 -
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest
Hollywood shined a bright light on the horrors of institutionalization with the movie One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest which won an Academy Award. In the movie a criminal gets transferred for evaluation from a prison farm to a mental institution; he assumes it will be a less restrictive environment. However, the nurse who runs the psychiatric ward with an iron fist, keeps her patients cowed through abuse, medication, and sessions of electroconvulsive therapy.
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Education of the Handicapped Act (EHA)
In 1975, EHA was passed as a landmark education legislation signed into law by President Ford. This Act opened public school doors for millions of children with disabilities and laid the foundation of the country’s commitment to ensuring that children with disabilities have opportunities to develop their talents, share their gifts, and contribute to their communities. The law guaranteed access to a FAPE in the LRE to every child.
https://sites.ed.gov/idea/about-idea/#IDEA-History -
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was signed into law by George H.W. Bush on July 26, 1990. It recognizes and protects the civil rights of people with disabilities and is modeled after earlier landmark laws prohibiting discrimination based on race and gender. The ADA addresses access to the workplace, state and local government services, places of public accommodation and commercial facilities, and telecommunication services.
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No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB)
NCLB was signed into law by President George W. Bush. It significantly increased the federal role in holding schools responsible for the academic progress of all students. Moreover, it put a special focus on ensuring that states and schools boost the performance of certain groups of students whose achievement, on average, trails their peers. States did not have to comply with the new requirements, but if they did not, they risked losing federal Title I money.
https://youtu.be/0--2nhsDorg -
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)
IDEA is a law that makes available a free appropriate public education to eligible children with disabilities throughout the nation and ensures special education and related services to those children. The six key principles are no exclusions, protection in evaluation, free appropriate public education, least restrictive environment, procedural safeguards, and parental participation. This Act protects children and youth with disabilities from birth to age 21.
https://youtu.be/3XMndYNEGFA
