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A school in Rhode Island was the first U.S. public school that was opened for special education. This allowed for other states to follow suit for students that could benefit from a special education environment. -
On May 17, 1954, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that racial segregation in public schools violated the 14th Amendment to the Constitution. This decision made it so separate educational facilities for white students and African American students were ruled unequal. -
The President's Panel on Mental Retardation was appointed by President Kennedy on October 17, 1961, with the mandate to prepare a "National Plan to Combat Mental Retardation." -
Mills v. Board of Education of District of Columbia was a lawsuit filed against the Board of Education in the District of Columbia. The court ended up ruling that students with disabilities must be given a public education even if the students are unable to pay for the cost of the education. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CczpZGT0Tjo -
Section 504 of the 1973 Rehabilitation Act was the first disability civil rights law to be enacted in the United States. This act prohibits discrimination specifically against people with disabilities. Section 504 works with the ADA and IDEA to make sure to protect children and adults with disabilities. https://www.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/ocr/civilrights/resources/factsheets/504.pdf -
On November 29, 1975, President Gerald Ford signed into law the Education for All Handicapped Children Act (Public Law 94-142), or the EHA. The EHA guaranteed a free, appropriate public education, or FAPE, to each child with a disability in every state and locality across the country. This is now known as the IDEA act. -
NCLD was founded in 1977 by Carrie and Pete Rozelle as the Foundation for Children with Learning Disabilities. Its mission was to provide leadership, public awareness and grants to support research and innovative practices in learning disabilities. -
The Education for All Handicapped Children Act (EHA) was reauthorized in 1990 and changed to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. -
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was signed into law on July 26, 1990, by President George H.W. Bush. This act guarantees that those with disabilities have the same opportunities as everyone else in life. -
The No Child Left Behind Act was signed into law by President George W. Bush on Jan. 8, 2002. It is the name for the most recent update to the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965.The major focus of No Child Left Behind is to close student achievement gaps by providing all children with a fair, equal, and significant opportunity to obtain a high-quality education.