History of Special Education

  • First Special Edu. School in U.S.

    First Special Edu. School in U.S.

    The first special education school opened, known as the American Asylum for the Education and Instruction of the Deaf and Dumb. Only starting with seven students that had a huge increase within one year of up to thirty-three students. This school opened in Hartford, Connecticut and is now known as the American School for the Deaf.
  • First institution for research on exceptional students

    First institution for research on exceptional students

    This institution opened in 1951 at the University of Illinois. Its sole purpose was to focus on special education. Slow learner was their main focus, but we now know this term as learning disability. It is important that research was done giving an understanding of how to better educate students with learning disabilities.
  • Brown v. Board of Education

    Brown v. Board of Education

    This supreme court case ruled that racially segregating students was unlawful. It brought attention to African American students ensuring that they receive equal educational opportunities. This allowed students to be brought together and receive equal educations.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OkuiMr2tLJE&t=10s
  • PARC v. Commonwealth

    PARC v. Commonwealth

    Students were being called untrainable and uneducable. Students were also being turned away from school from not having brain function of a 5 to 8-year-old. Fortunately, this case made it mandatory for students between 6 and 21, with disabilities to be placed into a free publicly funded school in the least restrictive alternative, also known as the least restrictive environment. This court case was crucial in the helping of the Education for All Handicapped Children Act.
  • Mills v. Board of Edu of District of Columbia

    Mills v. Board of Edu of District of Columbia

    This states that all children are eligible to have an education. Students of all disabilities will be allowed an equal right to education. No student will be denied an education because of being mental, having behavioral issues, having physical or emotional handicaps or deficiencies.
  • Vocational Rehabilitation Act (P.L. 93-112)

    Vocational Rehabilitation Act (P.L. 93-112)

    Section 504 makes it illegal to deny or discriminate against any individual based on their disability. These individuals will receive equal opportunity to programs and services. It states that the disabled still have a right to participate as well as have the ability to be involved with program benefits and services.
  • The Edu. for All Handicapped Children Act (P.L. 94-142)

    The Edu. for All Handicapped Children Act (P.L. 94-142)

    P.L. 94-142 made it required that all children with disabilities have a right to an education. The state and local agencies were also being told that they had to provide services for all handicapped children. A system was also put into place to ensure the rights of parents and the students were protected, known as the procedural safeguards. Since this act, in 2020-2021 disability children have been spending 80 percent or more of their day in a general education classroom.
  • IDEA

    IDEA

    Individuals with Disabilities Education Act
    This law ensures that each student with a disability is getting an education, one that is free, public and appropriate. Previously IDEA was known as Education for All Handicapped Children Act of 1975. In 1990 this act made changes adding traumatic brain injury and autism to the disabilities list.
  • Americans with Disabilities Act

    Americans with Disabilities Act

    P.L 101-336
    This law makes it illegal for any individual with a disability to be denied in many types of ways. It is illegal to discriminate against these individuals in terms of employment, transportation, accommodations, etc. This also contains AIDS to be a disability.
  • NCLB

    NCLB

    (No Child Left Behind)
    This act was signed by George W. Bush, holding schools accountable for the progress of their students academically. Students are tested in math and reading between grades 3 and 8. This law focused on bettering the performances of groups such as; ELE’s, special education, and poor and minority students.
    https://www2.ed.gov/nclb/overview/intro/execsumm.html