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In 1954, the U. S. Supreme Court issued a civil rights decision in Brown v. Board of Education. Students from four states in Brown State claimed that separate public schools were inherently unequal and deprived them of equal protection of law. The Supreme Court declared that "African American children have the right to equal education opportunities" and that segregated schools “have no place in the field of public education.”
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PARC was the first significant challenge to laws in the United States prohibiting or excluding students with mental disabilities from attending school alongside other children or even in special programs tailored to their needs. On October 8, 1971, the Court required the state to evaluate and place all students with mental disabilities (age from 6-21) in a proper publicly funded educational setting.
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The court claimed that the board of education had an obligation "to provide education for all students, regardless of disability." The education system was violating students' natural rights by not providing equal protection and education for all students under law, which impacted on civil liberties in the United States. The court ruled that students with disabilities must be given a public education even if the students are unable to pay for the cost of the education.
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The Rehabilitation Act of 1973 was major legislative effort to secure an equal playing field for individuals with disabilities. This legislation provides a wide range of services for persons with physical and cognitive disabilities. This covered students with disabilities who attend schools receiving Federal financial assistance.
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Congress enacted Public Law 94-142. Congress stated that all children with disabilities would “have a right to education, and to establish a process by which State and local educational agencies may be held accountable for providing educational services for all handicapped children." The law focused on ensuring that children with disabilities had access to an education and due process of law.
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The EAHCA mandates that public schools receiving financial support from the federal government give children with disabilities nondiscriminatory access to all education programs.
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ADA is the civil rights law declaring the needs of people with disabilities, banning discrimination. ADA protects anyone with “a physical or mental impairment which substantially limits one or more life activities.” ADA extends protection against discrimination to the full range of state and local government services, programs, and activities including public schools.
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The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 1997 required every state to have in effect policies and procedures to ensure a free appropriate public education (FAPE) for all students with disabilities. This Act strengthened academic expectations and accountability for the children with disabilities. This law linked the differences that occur too between what children with disabilities learn and what is required in a regular curriculum.
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The No Child Left Behind law effectively scaled up the federal role in holding schools accountable for student outcomes. 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.
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The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 2004 has main purposes that the Act is to provide an education that meets a child’s unique needs and prepares the child for further education, employment, and independent living, and is to protect the rights of both children with disabilities and their parents.
