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The American School For The Deaf opened in 1817 in West Hartford, Connecticut. It is the first school available to disabled children anywhere in the Western Hemisphere. The school became state-supported later the same year. -
In 1852, Massachusetts was the first state to enact a compulsory education law. This law required all towns and cities to offer primary school and required parents to send their children to these schools. Before these laws, most education was privately funded which excluded poorer children from receiving an education. By 1918, all states in America enacted their own compulsory education laws. -
The Columbia Institution for the Deaf and Dumb and Blind was granted the ability to award college degrees to disabled students by Congress. This was the first college established for people with disabilities in the world. -
The Council for Exceptional Students was the first group to advocate for children with disabilities. The CEC is one of the largest special education advocacy groups. The group's main objective was to ensure special education students received free, equal, and appropriate education (FEAP). -
In 1943, Dr. Leo Kanner, of John Hopkins University, published the first description of early infantile autism. Dr. Kanner concluded that Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder. This changed the view of autism as it was before seen as a form of schizophrenia caused by cold parenting. -
In 1954, Brown V. Education overturned the ruling in Plessy v. Ferguson. This Ruling determined that "Separate is not equal." The ruling in Brown v. Board of Education began leading the way to understand that all children regardless of race, gender, religion, or disability, have a right to public education. This case helped lay the foundation for later laws, and movements, that would further implement integration in the classroom. -
Prior to the court ruling in PARC v. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the state of Pennsylvania had a law in place that allowed public schools to deny an education to any child that had not "attained a mental age of five years old" by the start of the first grade. This was fought as unjust by the Pennsylvania Association for Retarded Children (PARC) and was determined unconstitutional by the Supreme Court. -
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act is a federal law that supports education and related services for children with disabilities. This law was designed to ensure all children with disabilities receive free and appropriate education (FAPE) in the least restrictive environment (LRE). -
The Americans with Disabilities Act prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities in many areas. These areas include education, employment, transportation, public accommodations, communications, and access to state and local government programs. This act was signed into effect by George H.W. Bush and promised people with special needs are equal and have the same rights as anyone else. -
The No Child Left Behind Act authorized several federal education programs. This act ensures students with disabilities receive an equal and high-quality education. The goal of the No Child Left Behind Act is to help close the achievement gap between disabled, disadvantaged, and minority students and their peers.