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Created by Samuel Gridley Howe and Alexander Graham Bell, Perkins school for the blind was one of the first schools created for children with disabilities. The school conducted research to find cures for disabilities until studies were inconclusive. Perkins taught students using lipreading and oral communication. Their most famous student was Helen Kellar, who is now famously known for her success despite her disabilities.
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This U.S. Supreme Court case argued segregated public schools deprive African American children of the right to equal educational opportunities. The segregation of African American children from white children in schools created a superiority complex allowing for African Americans to feel inferior to their white peers. This famous court case opened the doors to allow for children with disabilities to argue their equal rights in public schools.
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This educational Act, enacted by Congress, brings forward the inequality for underprivileged children in public schools to access high quality education. The Act discusses the improvement of educational opportunities for handicapped children that led to the Education of the Handicapped Act in 1970. These Acts both addressed the States responsibility of providing equal education to handicapped children and development of programs that support children with disabilities.
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PARC was a famous court case that demanded change for children with disabilities. PARC, Pennsylvania Assn. for Retarded Children v. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania was the court case that insisted parental involvement be mandatory for children with disabilities. The court case also demanded that children with disabilities not be excluded from general education.
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Mills v. Board of Education of District of Columbia was the court case that demanded children with exceptionalities not be suspended or expelled for behaviors regarding their disabilities. What was found was the expulsions and transfers of students with disabilities from one school to another was due to insufficient funding or administrative inefficiency. These excuses for unequal educational opportunities were not accepted by public opinion.
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The PARC and Mills court cases led Congress to investigate the quality of education of children with disabilities. Congress found that children with disabilities were receiving extremely unequal education due to their disabilities and insisted on providing educational assistance to those who need it. Due to this investigation, legislation was introduced to Congress to establish in law the right to education for the handicapped.
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Public Law 94-142, this Act states the rights that all handicapped children have equal access to education and are provided assistance by State and local agencies. The State and Local agencies may be held accountable if children with disabilities do not receive the assistance they need to achieve to specified standards. This Act sets forth the system of “Procedural Safeguards” that allows for children with disabilities and their parents to receive the assistance needed under their rights.
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This Act ensured that all special education teachers met high quality educational standards in order to practice teaching special education. The Act states that all children have a fair, equal, and significant opportunity to receive high quality education. These requirements brought this Act into conformity with that of IDEA.
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IDEA demands that special education teachers be highly qualified for the position of educating children with disabilities and also focuses on the accountability of the education system in providing quality education to children with disabilities. IDEA’s purpose is to “meet the child’s unique needs, and prepares the child for further education, employment, and independent living”. The second purpose is to “protect the rights of both children with disabilities and their parents”.
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This Act was formerly known as the No Child Left Behind Act of 200. Due to complaints from State and school districts regarding the accountability aspects of the law, Congress revised many portions of the law. President Obama signed the Every Student Succeeds Act into law with revisions.
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