Connecticut Asylum for the Education and Instruction of Deaf and Dumb Persons opens in Hartford, Connecticut.
Perkins Institution for the lind opened by Samuel Gridley Howe
Braille code is first published
Howe establishes experimental school for feebleminded youth
American Printing House for the Blind is established
National Deaf Mute College is established, later to be renamed Gallaudet University
Formal training for teachers of blind persons begins at Columbia University; Alexander Graham Bell introduces the term "special education"
College-level training for teachers of students with intellectual disabilities begins
Alfred Binet and Theodore Simon publish their intelligence test, the basis for modern IQ testing
Segregated classes in the public schools are established as viable alternatives to instructing children with disabilities; the term "emotional disturbance" comes into use
The term "mentally retarded" is introduced; the term "gifted" appears in the professional literature
Council for Exceptional Children founded
Leo Kanner identifies the characteristics of children with autism
Dr. Hans Asperger identifies children with characteristics that later would come to be called Asperger syndrome
Willowbrook State School (NY) opened as a facility for children with intellectual disabilities. After medical scandals and an expose' about its horrible conditions, it was closed in 1987
U.S. Supreme Court hands down decision in "Brown v. Board of Education"
Samuel A. Kirk introduces the term "learning disability"
B.Blatt and F.Kaplan publish "Christmas in Purgatory", a photographic expose' of life in institutions for those with intellectual disabilities. The widespread publicity it received led to significant changes in law and policy
Congress provides funding to disseminate best practices for special education by adding Title VI to the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA)
P.L. 94-142 amendments to the 1974 Education for All Handicapped CHildren Act (EAHCA), is enacted
Americans with Disabilities Act is enacted; EAHCA is amended and renamed the Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA)
IDEA is amended, adding provisions related to transition services, participation by general education teachers, and discipline
No Child Left Behind Act increases accountability for outcomes for ALL students and requires that they are taught by highly qualified teachers.
Reauthorization of IDEA raises standards for quality instruction for students wit disabilities, elaborates on parent involvement and discipline, and defines "highly qualified" for special education teachers.
President Obama signs Rosa's Law, which changes federal language usage from "mental retardation" to "intellectual disability"
