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1954 Brown v. Board of Education
In the Brown v. Board of Education Act the Supreme Court ruled that segregation in school was not constitutional. This was the first time the federal government endorsed the push for equality amongst students in the schools. With this act in place it laid a foundation for future legislation for individuals with disabilities. Discrimination was not tolerated at all.
Source:Vaughn & Schumm. Teaching Students who are Exceptional, Diverse, and at Risk in the General Education Classroom. -
1965 Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA)
This act was put in place to help low-income families access high- quality education programs for their children. It also implemented free or reduced lunches and additional teachers in disadvantaged communities. Putting this act in place gave additional help to students that who need some extra assistance in public schools,whether it be getting a meal or help with school work.
Source: Vaughn & Schumm. Teaching Students who are Exceptional, Diverse, and at Risk in the General Education Classroom. -
1973 Vocational Rehabilitation Act (VRA)
This act was put in place to help define what a person with a physical disability would be like. This public law also prohibited discrimination against students with disabilities in federally funded programs. In other words, programs that were funded by federal agencies could not turn down a person with a physical disability but help them with the funds they were given.
Source:Vaughn, Schumm (2014). Teaching Students who are Exceptional, Diverse, and at Risk in the General Education Classroom. -
1975 Education for All Handicapped Children Act (EAHCA)
This act required states to provide free and appropriate public education for students with disabilities from ages five to eighteen. Individualized education programs (IEP) were also put in to place. This meant students with a disability would receive the help they needed because parents, teachers, and special education specialists would create a plan to help the individuals learn the way that works for them.
Source:Vaughn, S., Bos, C. & Schumm, J. (2014). -
1990 Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
This act prohibited discrimination against people with disabilities in the private setting. People with a disability had an equal opportunity for employment and for public services, accommodations, transportation, and communications.
Source: Vaughn, S., Bos, C. & Schumm, J. (2014). Teaching Students who are Exceptional, Diverse, and at Risk in the General Education Classroom. 6th edition. Boston: Pearson. -
1990 Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) (Public Law 101-476)
The act extended special education services to include social work, assistive technology, and rehabilitation services. Two new categories were added, autism and traumatic brain injury. This required states to educate students with disabilities for employment after school and also provided bilingual educational programs for students with disabilities.
Source:Teaching Students who are Exceptional, Diverse, and at Risk in the General Education Classroom. 6th edition. Boston: Pearson. -
1997 Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) (Public Law 105-17)
IDEA required that students with disabilities would have more access to the general education curriculum with the help from special education staff. Teachers were required to be a member of an IEP team and also have their students with disabilities take a statewide and districtwide assessments. Proactive behavior management plans were included in a students with disabilities IEP.
Source:Teaching Students who are Exceptional, Diverse, and at Risk in the General Education Classroom. -
2004 Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEIA)
This allowed districts to use RTI to determine a students specific learning disability. Additional funds were put into place to help provide early intervention services to students who do not need special education services. This act was in place to help improve the special education department.
Source:Vaughn, S., Bos, C. & Schumm, J. (2014). Teaching Students who are Exceptional, Diverse, and at Risk in the General Education Classroom. 6th edition. Boston: Pearson.
