History of Special Education

  • Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka

    Separation is not equal
  • Lyndon B. Johnson signs ESEA into Law

    Lyndon B. Johnson signs the Elementary and Secondary Education Act which called for equal access for all student
  • ESEA Amendment

    Congress amended ESEA to include grant programs that would help schools create or expand special education programs.
  • Education of the Handicapped Act

    This act encouraged states to develop education programs for individuals with disabilities.
  • PARC v. Pennsylvania

    The Pennsylvania Association for Retarded Children called for students with disabilities to be place in public schools that meet the needs of individual students.
  • Mills v. Board of Education of District of Columbia

    This ruling made it unlawful to deny access to public education due to "exceptionalities"
  • Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973

    This was the first disability civil rights law. It prohibited discrimination of individuals with disabilities.
  • Public Law No. 94-142

    Gerald Ford signed the Education for All Handicapped Children Act that required all federally funded schools to provide access to public education for students with disabilities. This ensures a free, appropriate public education for all children with disabilities.
  • Handicapped Children's Protection Act

    Ronald Reagan signed the Handicapped Children's Protection Act, which gave parents more rights in regards to being involved with their child's IEP.
  • IDEA Emerges

    Education for All Handicapped Children Act was renamed Individuals with Disabilities Education Act
  • 1997 IDEA Amendment

    This amendment to IDEA pushed for the use of the IEP as the main tool for educational planning and promoted parents' roles in the IEP process.
  • No Child Left Behind

    All students held to the same standards and ensures exposure for students with disabilities to the general education classroom.
  • IDEA 2004 Amendment

    This amendment aligned with the No Child Left Behind Act and called for earlier intervention.