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Landmark case in the history of the United States, decided by the Supreme Court in 1954. Segregation of students by race ruled unconstitutional; childen deprived of equal educational opportunity. Ended "seperate but equal" schools for whte and black pupils. Although this case was primarily about racial segregation, this case set a precedent in education including for students with disabilites.
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Kennedy called for improved education and services for children with disabilities, leading to federal funding for special education programs. -
Case that established the constitutional right of children with exceptionalities to a public education, matched to their needs, including specialized instruction, regardless of their functional level.
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Decision that significantly advanced the rights of children with disabilities in the U.S. The case was brought on behalf of children with intellectual disabilities who were being denied access to public education. State must guarantee a free public education to all children with intellectual disability ages 6-21 regardless of degree of impairament or associated disabilities. This case also established the right of parents to participate in educational decisions affecting their children.
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A civil rights law, Section 504 of this enactment was the first public law specifically aimed at protecting children and adults against discrimination due to a disability. It said that no individdual can be excluded, solely because of his or her disability, from participating in or benefiting from any program or activity receiving federal financial assistance, which includes schools (Council for Expectional Children, 1997)
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The Education for All Handicapped Children Act (EHA), originally enacted in 1975 as Public Law 94-142, was a landmark federal law that mandated free and appropriate public education (FAPE) for children with disabilities. It set the foundation for special education services in the United States.
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a. Expanded services to include children aged 3 to 5 years.
b. Created early intervention programs for infants and toddlers (birth to age 2). -
a. Public Law 101-476 replaced "handicapped" with "individuals with disabilities" to reflect more respectful language.
b. Added autism and traumatic brain injury (TBI) as recognized disability categories.
c. Introduced transition services for students preparing for post-school life. -
a. Strengthened inclusion by emphasizing that students with disabilities should participate in general education curriculum as much as possible.
b. Expanded disciplinary rules regarding students with disabilities. -
a. Public Law 108-446 aligned IDEA with the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB).
b. Increased emphasis on accountability and academic performance.
c. Allowed schools to use Response to Intervention (RTI) for identifying students with learning disabilities rather than relying solely on IQ-achievement discrepancy models.
d. Reduced paperwork requirements and introduced flexibility for IEP updates. -
The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) was signed into law by President Barack Obama on December 10, 2015, replacing the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) of 2001. ESSA aimed to provide greater flexibility to states while maintaining accountability for student performance, including students with disabilities.