History of Special Education

American Asylum for the Education of the Deaf and Dumb

Apr 15, 1817

The Connecticut Asylum for the Education and Instruction of Deaf and Dumb Persons is the first permanent school for deaf Americans, opened on April 15, 1817, in Hartford, Connecticut. At that time, "dumb" meant only "unable to speak”. At that time, practically all those who were born deaf never learned to communicate with others only by home-made signs. Deaf people were frequently viewed as cognitively impaired as well.

History of Special Education

Period: Apr 15, 1817 to Jul 26, 2015

First teacher training program

Jul 1, 1839

In 1839, another Normal School was established in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. This school offered the first teacher training program. It operates today as Bridgewater State University.

The first professional association concerned with disabilities

Dec 30, 1876

Edouard Seguin helps to organize the first professional association concerned with disabilities (mental retardation). The first name was Association of Medical Officers of American Institutions for Idiotic and Feebleminded Persons. It is the oldest professional association concerned with intellectual and developmental disabilities. This association have change its name five time in history and it is the predecessor to today’ American Association on Mental Retardation.

United Cerebral Palsy (UCP)

Dec 30, 1949

There were not many options for families of and people with cerebral palsy and other disabilities in the 1940s. Faced with fear and a lack of understanding by both the medical community and the general public, individuals with a disability were relegated to second-class status. United Cerebral Palsy (UCP) association was born as a national organization in 1949.

The Association for Children with Learning Disabilities (ACLD)

Jan 30, 1964

http://ldaamerica.org/about-us/history/The Association for Children with Learning Disabilities (ACLD) was created and incorporated in January, 1964. Samuel A. Kirk is the first person to use the term "learning disability" at a conference in Chicago. http://ldaamerica.org/about-us/history/

Public Law 93-112 Section 504

Dec 30, 1973

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CB4QFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ed.sc.edu%2Fspedlaw%2FPresentations%2FChapter6_Section%2520504.ppt&ei=Jc1YVZiIOoSmgwT18oHIAg&usg=AFQjCNF0w8BX3HrGLToZmKyTurLoPf8yzAIn 1973 the first federal civil rights protection for people with disabilities, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act was signed into law. Section 504 says is "no otherwise qualified handicapped individual in the United States shall solely on the basis of his handicap, be excluded from the participation, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving federal financial assistance." http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1

Education for All Handicapped Children Act (Public Law 94-142)

Dec 30, 1975

The Education for All Handicapped Children Act (Public Law 94-142) became law in 1975.
This law became known as the “Bill of Rights” for students identified with disabilities and their families.
PL 94-142 required states that received federal funds to provide to their students with disabilities. It mandates a free, appropriate public education for all students. (This law is renamed IDEA in 1990.)

Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) 1990

Dec 30, 1990

Education for all Handicapped Children Act was amended and renamed the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) in 1990. The term 'disability' replaces 'handicap,' and the new law requires transition services for students. Autism and traumatic brain injury are added to the eligibility list. This Act contains a permanently authorized grant program that provides federal funding to the states; all states that receive these federal funds are required to provide a "free, appropriate public

IDEA is reauthorized in 1997

Dec 30, 1997

IDEA is reauthorized in 1997. Regular education teachers are included in the IEP process, students have more access to the general curriculum and are included in state-wide assessments, and ADHD is added to the list of conditions that could make a child eligible for services under the category "other health impairment."

IDEA is reauthorized again in 2004

Dec 30, 2004

IDEA is reauthorized again in 2004. School personnel now have more authority in special education placement decisions. The new law was to bring IDEA of 1997 into alignment with No Child Left Behind Act.
Six Principles of IDEA 2004
Zero reject/No exclusion
Protection in evaluation
Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE)
Least Restrictive Environment (LRE)
Procedural Safeguards
Parental Participation

Rosa Law

Oct 5, 2010

The Rosa Law was signed by President Barack Obama on October 5th, 2010. This law changed references in many federal statutes that referred to "mental retardation" to make them refer, instead, to "intellectually disability". The law is named for Rosa Marcellino, a girl with Down syndrome who was nine years old when it became law, and who, according to President Barack Obama, "worked with her parents and her siblings to have the words “mentally retarded” officially removed from the health and educ

25th Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act

Jul 26, 2015

July 26th, 2015 is the https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=mW4hB2hcPBM.