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Originally called The American Asylum, At Hartford. This was the first special education school for the Deaf. It became one of the first schools to receive funding at the state level when it was awarded a grant by the Connecticut General Assembly. -
This was the 1st time the federal government fought for students who were experiencing inequality and bias in the education system. The Supreme Court ruled that separating children on the basis of race violated the constitution. This created a future that would come to protect the right to an education for students with disabilities.
[https://youtu.be/TTGHLdr-iak] -
The Supreme Court of Illinois maintained that their laws did not require them to provide an education to students with disabilities. The reasoning behind this had been that these students had limited intelligence or were "feeble minded" so it was not their fault that they wouldn't be able to actually benefit from a good education. In other words they saw them as not capable and decided for themselves they were not worthy of a free education. -
ESEA (The Elementary and Secondary Education Act) put the responsibility of protecting and providing equal access to education to the federal government. This newfound role would ensure students from low-income families or disadvantaged backgrounds would be granted public education. Part of ESEA was a grant program that would encourage improvement in schools for students with disabilities.
[https://socialwelfare.library.vcu.edu/programs/education/elementary-and-secondary-education-act-of-1965/] -
Vocational Rehabilitation Act (VRA) would prohibit discrimination against students when it came to federally funded programs. It also defined handicapped person and added meaning to appropriate education. It would later help to provide services in receiving post-secondary education and employment services. -
Originally known as mainstreaming law. EHA was designed to make sure that all children with disabilities receive a free and appropriate education through special education and related services. Included the ages of 5 to 18 and required students to have an IEP (individualized education program.) -
IDEA replaced and renamed EHA. This act expanded on the idea of free and appropriate education for students with disabilities. It expanded on this by requiring states to develop individualized transition programs for students who were reaching adulthood. It also added autism and traumatic brain injuries as categories of disabilities. Finally, but not least required states to provide bilingual education programs for children with disabilities. These are just some of the ways it was expanded. -
ADA prohibits discrimination in the private sector and protects equal employments opportunities for people with disabilities. It expanded the term disability to include people who suffer from AIDS. It also expanded protect for things such as public services and transportation. -
NCLB was created to provide a guideline of what was necessary to improve elementary and secondary schools. The main idea was to close student achievement gaps. The three key areas of this act were increased accountability, school choice, and greater flexibility for states, school districts, and schools. One of the main components of NCLB is statewide assessments aka testing, something still used in school til this day. -
ESSA was enacted to replace the No Child Left Behind Act. ESSA continues the commitment to equal oppurtunity for all students. This act shifts responsibility from the federal level to state and local control. This act allows schools to provide more opportunities for students so that they can improve in their academic progress when initially showing low performance thus furthering their education.