-
The first special education school in the United States (The American Asylum for the Education and Instruction of the Deaf and Dumb- now called the American School for the Deaf) was established in April of 1817 in Hartford and was the first attempt in educating individuals with special needs.
-
President Franklin Delano Roosevelt founded the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis, which was later changed to March of Dimes, in 1938. It was originally created to combat Polio, a viral illness that causes nerve injury that leads to paralysis and sometimes even death. The organizations mission later shifter to birth defects prevention in 1958, focusing on a lot more than just Polio. Link text
-
Also known as the Community Mental Health Act, the Public Law 88-164 became a law in 1963, which was passed as part of President John F. Kennedy's New Frontier. It authorized the funding for developmental research in university affiliated and community mental health facilities for individuals with mental retardation. It is known to be the first law that was passed in an attempt to assist individuals with developmental disabilities.
-
The first International Special Olympics Summer Games was held in Chicago in 1968. This movement began with a summer camp for children with intellectual disabilities, which had been created out of frustration from a mother not having anywhere to enroll her own child for the summer. Eunice Kennedy Shriver was the founder of this incredible movement that still stands strong today.
-
The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act was passed in 1974. It is a federal law that protects student records and that grants the parents access to their children's educational records along with the right to amend them and to have control over the information in them. This right is then transferred from the parent to the student at the age of eighteen or once the student enters a post-secondary school.
-
The Education for All Handicapped Children Act, also known as the Public Law 94-142, was signed in 1975 by President Gerald Ford. This was the law that required all states receiving financial assistance from the federal government to provide individuals with disabilities with equal access to education and to one free meal per day. Link text
-
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act was passed in 1975 and ensures that all eligible children with disabilities receive a free and appropriate education and ensures that these children receive special education and related services. It also provides children from birth through the age of two with early intervention services.
-
The Americans with Disabilities Act was signed by President George Bush and Justin Dart in 1990. This act is considered one of the most important civil right laws to be passed as it focuses on ensuring equal access, rights and treatment for individuals with disabilities. It is about providing individuals with disabilities with not only a free education, but with one that is appropriate, nondiscriminatory and in a less restrictive setting.
-
The No Child Left Behind Act was passed in 2001. This act was passed in order to provide schools with additional resources for special education, additional technology assistance and loan programs. This act emphasizes on accountability, flexibility, research-based education and parent options.
-
The Special Olympics Sport and Empowerment Act was signed by President George W. Bush in 2004, providing annual funds for the Special Olympics Programs. It was the first time that these programs received support through legislation. The funds are intended for use towards the support, development and expansion of educational and healthy athletes programs along with many other things.
