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Brown vs. Board of Education
The Court decided that state laws requiring separate but equal schools violated the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. This was an attempt at ending "separate, but equal" schools depending on race, but the extent to which segregation actually ended from that time forward is still debated. https://www.landmarkcases.org/cases/brown-v-board-of-education -
Public Law (PL) 88-164
This PL authorized funds for training professionals to work with children with special needs and for research and demonstration for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) and deafness. This was the first real step of creating legislation that ensures all children with disabilities to have access to quality information. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/STATUTE-77/pdf/STATUTE-77-Pg282.pdf -
Handicapped Children's Early Education Assistance Act
This act set up twenty model programs, including Head Start, in the US to demonstrate how working with children with disabilities could change their lives. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED029406.pdf -
Pennsylvania Association for Retarded Children (PARC) vs. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
Began the series of court cases in favor of children with exceptionalities to the right of free and appropriate public education (FAPE). Children with IDD could no longer be excluded from school and did have a right to FAPE. https://www.pubintlaw.org/cases-and-projects/pennsylvania-association-for-retarded-citizens-parc-v-commonwealth-of-pennsylvania/ -
Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act
It is illegal to deny participation in activities or programs solely because of a disability. This is the first disability civil rights law to be enacted in the US. https://dredf.org/legal-advocacy/laws/section-504-of-the-rehabilitation-act-of-1973/ -
PL 94-142: The Education for All Handicapped Children Act
Ensured that all children have access to an appropriate public education which emphasizes special education and related services designed to meet their needs. The six provisions include: zero reject, nondiscriminatory evaluation, individualized education program, least restrictive environment, due process, and parental participation. https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/osers/idea35/history/index_pg10.html -
PL 99-457: An Amendment to PL 94-142
Added services for kids from birth on, therefore increasing the ages of kids that these laws covered. The title of the Education of the Handicapped Act was changed to Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2801456 -
Americans With Disabilities Act
Extends civil rights to persons with disabilities: rights that are guaranteed no matter what race, color, national origin, gender or religious identity. https://www.ada.gov/ -
PL 107-110: No Child Left Behind
A major piece of legislation from the George W. Bush era with a purpose to hold teachers and schools accountable for bringing students to a minimum competency level. These standards are based on test scores, which are not altered to consider those with special needs. https://www.edweek.org/ew/section/multimedia/no-child-left-behind-overview-definition-summary.html -
IDEA: A Reauthorization of Legislation
Major changes include: quality of personnel, IEP standards, and transition planning. This legislation funded many of the support elements that provide quality special education. https://sites.ed.gov/idea/ -
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act
Intention to improve the quality of early intervention services. These were one time funds. https://www.ntia.doc.gov/page/2011/american-recovery-and-reinvestment-act-2009
