History of Special Education Timeline

By ksvinarich

  • 1817- American School for the Deaf in Hartford, Conn

    Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet and Laurent Clerc found the first permanent school for the deaf in the United States. American Sign Language is believed to have originated here. Attitudes began to change toward the education and abilities of those who were deaf (American School for the Deaf, n.d.).

  • 1876- American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities

    AAID is founded by French physician Édouard Séguin. This organization continues to promote research, progressive policies, and advocates for human rights for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (AAIDD, 2021).

  • 1893- Watson v. City of Cambridge

    The Massachusetts Supreme Court upheld the expulsion of students who struggle academically because they would not profit from an education. This legalized the exclusion of students with disabilities (Forte, 2017).

  • 1896- Plessy v. Ferguson

    The U.S. Supreme Court found Louisiana’s Jim Crow law to be constitutional. This gave validity to those who supported “separate but equal” and created an environment where discrimination within education was acceptable (Our Documents, n.d.).

  • 1934-Board of Education v. State, ex Rel. Goldman

    The Cuyahoga County Court of Appeals in Ohio ruled that although there was a mandate of compulsory attendance, the State Department of Education could exclude students with disabilities. The court acknowledged but did not address the contradiction (Court of Appeals of Ohio, 1934).

  • 1954- Brown v. Board of Education

    U.S. Supreme court overturned Plessy v. Ferguson. Separate but equal was no longer protected under the constitution. This encouraged diversity, although communities still fought against it (History.com Editors, 2021).

  • 1965-Elementary and Secondary Education Act

    The Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 was the first time that federal funding would be allocated to schools for programs for disadvantaged students (Laws, 2019). Title I provides supplemental funding for schools serving low-income students.

  • 1969- The Children with Specific Learning Disabilities Act

    With passage of The Children with Specific Learning Disabilities Act, Federal law now included a definition of learning disabilities and mandated remedial education to address the needs of learning disabled students (LDA, n.d.).

  • 1970- The Education of the Handicapped Act

    The Education of the Handicapped Act of 1970 replaced Title VI. This was the first federal that required disabled students to be educated and to receive related services. It also provided money to colleges for special education teacher preparation programs (Yell, 2018).

  • 1973- Section 504

    Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act is a civil rights law that protects students with physical or mental disabilities from discrimination and ensures them a free, appropriate public education (Michigan Alliance for Families, 2019).

  • 1975- Education for All Handicapped Children Act

    The Education for All Handicapped Children Act ensured access to education for all students ages 3-21. It mandated that districts receiving federal funds provide FAPE, LRE, due process (Yell, 2018).

  • 1990- Americans with Disabilities Act

    The Americans with Disabilities Act is a civil rights law that protects disabled people in the workplace, public services such as education, and mandates reasonable accommodations (Disability Rights Education & Defense Fund, 2021).

  • 1990- Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)

    IDEA is an educational act that allocates funding to state and local agencies for special education programs for students with a disability listed within the 13 categories. It ensures FAPE, requires the development of an IEP, and mandates transition planning for children 16 and older (Yell, 2018).

  • 2004- Reauthorization of IDEA

    This reauthorization defines and requires highly qualified teachers, no longer requires short-term objectives on IEPs, prohibits the discrepancy model for determining eligibility, and encourages the use of RtI to provide interventions and to identify students with learning disabilities (Yell, 2018).