History of Special Education

By medens

  • National Technical Institute for the Deaf (NTID) Act

    National Technical Institute for the Deaf (NTID) Act
    Signed by President Lyndon Baines Johnson. This act addresses the need for better education for deaf students.

  • PARC and Mills

    PARC and Mills
    These are two cases that started a change for special education: Pennsylvania Assn. for Retarded Children v. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania (PARC) and Mills v. Board of Education of District of Columbia. In both cases, schools wished to exclude, suspend, or expel children with disabilities because of the high cost of their education.

  • Congressional Investigation

    Congressional Investigation
    After the PARC and Mills cases, congress issued an investigation of the education of children with disabilities. They found that millions of handicapped children were either receiving inadequate educations or not being educated at all.

  • Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act

    Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act
    Offers protection to students with disabilities including ADHD, depression, HIV, and dyslexia. Requires teachers to make certain accommodations (for example: sitting a student with ADHD in the front row to reduce distraction).

  • Education for all Handicapped Children Act (EAHCA)

    Education for all Handicapped Children Act (EAHCA)
    Also known as EHA or Public Law 94-142. This act ensured that students with disabilities are given free appropriate public education (FAPE).

  • Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)

    Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)
    Education for all Handicapped Children Act (EAHCA) was renamed Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).

  • American Disabilities Act

    American Disabilities Act
    This is a civil rights law that makes sure people with disabilities are not discriminated against in jobs, public transportation, and school, and that they receive the same rights as everyone else.

  • No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB)

    No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB)
    This act is an update to the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). One of the requirements of this act is for schools to conduct standardized testing.

  • Individuals with Disabilites Education Act (IDEA)

    Individuals with Disabilites Education Act (IDEA)
    Children ages 3-22 that attend a public institution and have one of the thirteen specified disabilities are entitled to an appropriate education. An individual educational program is designed for each student after they have been evaluated.

  • Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA)

    Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA)
    This act replaced the No Child Left Behind Act because of criticisms about the strict standardized testing. Under the ESSA, there still are standardized testing, but they have been modified.