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The first school for disabled children in the U.S., the American School for the Deaf (ASD) in Hartford, Connecticut, was founded by Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet, Dr. Mason Cogswell, and Laurent Clerc. Initially, the institution was called the Connecticut Asylum at Hartford for the Instruction of the Deaf and Dumb Persons (Connecticut Deaf History, n.d.)
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Columbia Institution. Columbia Institution for the Instruction of the Deaf and Dumb opened the first college of its kind, Gallaudet University, as the National Deaf-Mute College. It is the only institution of higher learning in the U.S. explicitly devoted to educating people who are deaf or hard of hearing (Nwefblog, 2023).
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The Supreme Court in Wisconsin ruled in favor of the school district to allow the school to expel Merritt Bailey based on his disabilities, which distracted the class (Nwefblog, 2023).
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A parental advocacy group comprises five mothers of children with disabilities from Cuyahoga, Ohio. They assist children who had been excluded from their public schools (Quest Digital – A Digital Marketing Company, n.d.)
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Supreme Court signaled the end of legalized racial segregation in the schools, overruling the “separate but equal” principle outlined in the 1896 Plessy v. Ferguson case. The case originated in Topeka, Kansas (Brown v. Board of Education (1954), 2021).
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The ESEA is a law that aims to address educational disparities and provide additional support to disadvantaged students. It was part of President Johnson’s initiative. It marked a milestone in federal involvement in education and the promotion of parental involvement (Nwefblog, 2023).
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Parents were granted the right to be involved in educational placement decisions concerning their children with special needs. The court ruled that the state could not deny an individual’s right to equal access to education based on their disability status (Pennsylvania Association for Retarded Citizens (PARC) v. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania (1972) | The Embryo Project Encyclopedia, n.d.)
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This law was the first disability civil rights law in the U.S. The Rehabilitation Act prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities in programs and activities receiving federal funding through Section 504 (Section 504, Rehabilitation Act of 1973, n.d.)
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The Act mandated that states receiving federal funds must provide equal access to education for children with disabilities. This Act also protects the rights of, meets individual needs, and improves the results for infants, children, and youth with disabilities and their families (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, 2023).
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A law signed by President Regan gave parents further involvement in their children’s Individual Education Plan (IEP). The act allows the court to award a reasonable attorney’s fee as part of the costs to a parent or guardian of a child with a disability who prevails in a suit under the act (Statement of Signing the Handicapped Children’s Protection Act of 1986, n.d.).
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President W. Bush revised the name of the Education for All Handicapped Children’s Act to IDEA. The law was designed to ensure that children with disabilities receive free appropriate public Education (FAPE) in the least restrictive environment (LRE). IDEA provisions were reauthorized in 2004 (What is the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act? | DO-IT, n.d.).