-
Opening of Gallaudet University
Gallaudet University was originally a grammar school for both deaf and blind children. It was the first school for the advanced education of the deaf and hard of hearing in the world and it remains to be the only higher education institution in which all programs, pathways and services are designed to accommodate deaf and hard of hearing students. -
Opening of the Florida School for the Deaf and Blind
The Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind is a state-funded boarding school for deaf and blind children that was established in 1885, in St. Augustine, Florida. -
Founding of Special Olympics
Special Olympics is a worldwide inclusion movement using sport, health, education and leadership programs to empower people with all different kinds of disabilities. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n3I8qdVFHyw -
Pennsylvania Association for Retarded Citizens (PARC) v. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania was sued by the Pennsylvania Association for Retarded Citizens (PARC), now called, The Arc of Pennsylvania, over a law that gave public schools the authority to deny a free education to children who had reached the age of 8 but had not progressed passed the mental age of 5. This was the first major legal case to provide equality to students with disabilities. -
Mills v. Board of Education of the District of Columbia
This lawsuit decision extended the right to special education to children with all different disabilities. "all children are entitled to free public education and training appropriate to their learning capacities" -
Education for All Handicapped Children Act (Public Law 94-142)
This law guaranteed a free, appropriate public education, or FAPE, to every child with a disability across the whole country. Public schools were required to evaluate children with disabilities and create an individualized educational plan with parent input that would mirror the educational experience as closely as possible of their non-disabled peers. -
Founding of the Center for Autism and Related Disorders
The Center for Autism and Related Disorders, Inc. is one of the largest autism treatment organizations in the world. It provides a range of services for children and adults on the autism spectrum. These services include home-based, early intensive behavioral interventions based on the principles of applied behavior analysis, as well as diagnostic and psychological assessments. https://www.centerforautism.com/ -
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) (P.L. 101-476)
This law ensures students with a disability are provided with Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) that is customized to their individual needs. IDEA was previously known as the Education for All Handicapped Children Act (EHA) from 1975 to 1990. In 1990, the United States Congress reauthorized EHA and changed the title to IDEA. The main goal of IDEA is to provide children with disabilities the same opportunity for education as those students who do not have a disability. -
No Child Left Behind Act
This was a U.S. Act of Congress that reauthorized the Elementary and Secondary Education Act; it included Title I guidelines applying to less fortunate students. It supported standards-based education reform based on setting high standards and establishing measurable goals that could improve individual outcomes in education. The Act required states to develop assessments in basic skills. -
Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEIA)
This Act increased funding to early intervention services for students who do not require special education, it also eliminated IEP short-term goals for some students, it raised special education licensure standards and adopted polices to prevent over-representation of minority students in special education.