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The American School for the Deaf
Thomas Hoskins Gallaudet and Laurent Clerc pioneered the first efforts to educate individuals with disabilities. In 1817, Gallaudet and Clerc established the Connecticut Asylum for the Education and Instruction of Deaf and Dumb Persons. This school provided the first formal education program designed for people who are deaf or hard of hearing. The school was renamed the American School for the Deaf and is currently the oldest school for the deaf in the United States. -
Perkins School for the Blind
Sam Gridley Howe was a physician who formalized education for individuals who were blind, founding the Perkins Institution in 1829. Later renamed Perkins School for the Blind, Perkins was the first school for the blind in the United States, and continues to help train teachers and build education systems worldwide.
The success of formal educational programs for deaf and blind individuals facilitated research and educational programming for other disabilities. -
First Public School Class
The first recorded public school class for students with disabilities was established in 1899 by Elizabeth Ferrell. What began in a New York City public school soon spread, and by the 1920s, over half of the states had established public school special education programs in hundreds of school districts. However, these programs typically focused on manual training and imparting social values to prevent delinquency in urban areas. -
Council for Exceptional Children
The Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) is the largest international professional organization promoting the academic success of children with disabilities and/or gifts/talents. The CEC sets professional standards and provides special educators and service providers with professional development and resources. Additionally, the CEC advocates for special education legislation and government funding. -
Elementary and Secondary Education Act
The Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) of 1965 provided states and local districts with direct grant funding to educate children with disabilities. This legislation marked the first major federal involvement in K-12 education. President Lyndon B. Johnson's "War on Poverty" aimed to address educational disparities and ensure all children, particularly disadvantaged students, were afforded equal educational opportunities. -
Early Education Act
The Handicapped Children’s Early Education Assistance Act of 1968 established model programs and training for professionals serving preschool-aged children with disabilities. They aimed to design approaches that met the developmental needs of young children with disabilities.
The Economic Opportunities Amendments of 1972 increased Head Start enrollment, mandating that at least 10% of enrollment be reserved for disabled children. -
PARC v. Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania Association for Retarded Citizens (PARC) v Commonwealth of Pennsylvania (1971) ruled that students with intellectual disablities have the right to equal access to public education.
PARC was established in 1950 when parent groups nationwide met in Minneapolis, MN to organize. The organization, now called The Arc, is a non-profit organization that supports the full inclusion of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. -
Mills v. Board of Education of DC
Mills v. Board of Education of the District of Columbia (1972) ruled that students with disabilities are entitled to a public education, regardless of the cost of providing the necessary accommodations. This legislation also ordered the schools to give students with disabilities individual assessments, educational plans, and disciplinary practices. 16,000–22,000 students with physical, intellectual, and behavioral disabilities, previously excluded from DC public schools, could now attend. -
Rehabilitation Act
The Rehabilitation Act of 1973 prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities in federally funded programs. It also extended Federal responsibilities, research, and educational programs.
Section 504 of this law requires schools to provide accommodations to meet the needs of students with disabilities as adequately as the needs of their non-disabled peers are met.
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990 expands on what reasonable accommodations
involve. -
Education of All Handicapped Children
The Education of All Handicapped Children (EHA) Act of 1975 required public schools to provide children with disabilities a free and appropriate public education (FAPE) in the least restrictive environment (LRE). FAPE includes individualized special education and related services.
In 1997, EHA became the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), mandating individual education plans (IEPs) and initiating individualized transition plans (ITPs). -
Every Student Succeeds Act
The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) of 2015 enables students with significant cognitive disabilities to earn a regular high school diploma, even if they take alternate state assessments. Additionally, ESSA’s focus on achievement gaps between student subgroups made it possible for schools to be targeted for improvement based solely on the performance of their special education students. This change may be the primary reason why states are adopting more inclusive teaching practices.