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Thomas Gallaudet opened the first U.S. school for the deaf. The school was in Hartford, Connecticut and was called called "Connecticut Asylum for the Education and Instruction of Deaf and Dumb Persons". This school allowed deaf children to communicate with others for the first time in their lives. -
In 1829, Samuel Gridley Howe founded the first school for blind children in the United States- the Perkins School for the Blind. In 1848, he founded the Massachusetts School for Idiotic and Feebleminded children with the purpose of preparing children with disabilities to live with the rest of society. Following this example, other states began opening institutions to educate disabled children. Schools were opened in Albany, Pennsylvania, Ohio and Connecticut. -
On this day, the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) was founded by Elizabeth Farrell and a group of educators at Columbia University. This Council plays an important role in supporting and protecting individuals with exceptionalities. They provide laws, set standards, advocate for government policies and under-served individuals, and more.
Their website: https://exceptionalchildren.org/about-us#:~:text=Our%20Founding%20%26%20History,Council%20began%20with%2012%20members. -
Brown v. Board of Education was a landmark case that set the path towards future legislation in favor of individuals with disabilities. In this case, the Supreme Court ruled that racial segregation in public schools was unconstitutional and violated the Equal Protection clause of the 14th Amendment. Although this case mainly involved race, it was still a turning point in history. -
On September 2, 1958, President Eisenhower signed public law 85-926. This law made sure that courses would be offered that prepare teachers in teaching special education. Grants were provided to universities and higher education programs to offer these courses.
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The Elementary and Secondary Education Act is what initiated the federal government's role in giving students with disadvantaged backgrounds equal access to the public education system. It provided funding for schools so that they would have a proper environment for children with disabilities. For example, one provision established a "free and reduced lunch system" so that students would not go hungry and could fully benefit from instruction. -
Pennsylvania state law authorized public schools to deny services if a child has not "attained a mental age of five years" by the beginning of first grade. Pennsylvania Association for Retarded Children (PARC) v. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania challenged this exclusion of individuals with mental retardation from an education. This case did not allow the state to deny any mentally retarded child access to free public education. -
President Gerald Ford signed Public Law 94-142 into law on November 29,1975. Under this law, schools were required to guarantee all children with disabilities a free and appropriate public education. Before EHA, U.S. schools only educated 20% of children with disabilities and states held laws excluding students with disabilities. EHA has helped make significant progress since then. After it was revised in 1990, it became known as IDEA- Individual with Disabilities Education Act. -
This case ruled that a Ca. school board violated the EAHCA by suspending two students- Doe and Smith who showcased disruptive behaviors due to their disabilities. Officials of the SFUSD were then barred from suspending students with disabilities for more than 5 days if that student’s behaviors were related to their disability & could not change the placement of a student during EAHCA proceedings without parental consent. (This was later modified, allowing for suspensions of more than 10 days) -
President Obama signed the ESSA (Every Student Succeeds Act) in 2015, replacing the NCLB (No Child Left Behind Act). Its main purpose is to make sure that all students are given a quality education. While it includes components from the NCLB, it also provides additional opportunities to put in place when students aren't making adequate progress.
https://youtu.be/8XUV6mtbd54
