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White House Conference on Children
As a result of the White House Conference on Children of 1910, segregated classes were formed for student with disabilities. The idea was that these student would benefit from smaller classes and personal instruction whereas the opposite gradually occurred. By the 1930's, programs began declining and the increase in special classrooms eventually led to them being as restrictive as placements in institutions and thus failed to benefit students with disabilities. -
Compulsory Education Laws
By 1918 every state had Compulsory Education Law(s) requiring the regular attendance of schools, either public or private (state-accredited). This means all children are required to receive education from K-12, including children with disabilities. Rhode Island was the first to pass this law in 1840 and it was the first stepping stone that would ensure children with disabilities would have access to and be required to attend school (and later receive proper and appropriate education). -
Brown v. Board of Education
Legislation that guaranteed the protection of minorities in an educational setting. Brown v. Board ensured that minorities would not be segregated and would be allowed equal educational opportunities. This important date created a stepping stone that eventually led to the inclusion of student with disabilities, also protecting their rights to equal education. -
PARC v. Pennsylvania
Class action lawsuits filled over the failure to provide proper and adequate education to students with disabilities in 13 school districts. These lawsuits used the state's failure to uphold constitutional obligations to these students and the violation of state statues as stated by the Fourteenth Amendment as basis for suing. -
Mills v. Board of Education
A class action lawsuit in which the District of Columbia's BoE was sued regarding the exclusion and rejection of students with disabilities from enrolling and attending public schools in Washington, DC. The students were excluded without due process which violates the Fourteenth Amendment and was thus basis for the lawsuit(s). -
Section 504
Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 protected students with disabilities from discrimination. Section 504 prohibits the discrimination of people with disabilities by agencies receiving federal funding (public schools, gov. workplaces, etc) and also allows for accommodations to be made for people with disabilities who qualify and need them. -
Rehabilitation Act of 1973
The Rehabilitation Act has been referred to as a "civil rights" movement for people with disabilities. Despite this, the act failed to include means in which discrimination would be eliminated and is therefore not a civil rights statute but instead only prohibits the discrimination of people with disabilities by agencies receiving federal funding. Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act allows for accommodations to be made in these agency for people with disabilities who need and qualify for them. -
The Education for All Handicapped Children Act of 1975 (EAHCA)
EAHCA was a bill reintroduced by Senator Williams to tackled the problems that still interfered with the education of children with disabilities. EAHCA mandated that qualifying student with disabilities had the right to nondiscriminatory testing, evals., placement, procedural due process, parent involvement, free/appropriate education, etc. The bill also guaranteed that an IEP (Individualized Education Plan) would and must be developed for every student with a disability. -
No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB)
The No Child Left Behind Act of 2002 required states to test children in reading and math from grades 3-8 and again in high school. The purpose was to identify children who were "disadvantaged" and them help them reach proficiency. Despite this, identification of students with disabilities and recommendation for testing were not part of the Act, hence the development of IDEA to help these students become as independent and as proficient as possible with respect to their disabilities. -
Individuals with Disabilities Improvement Education Act (IDEA revised)
IDEA originally passed in 1975, ensuring children with disabilities receive free, appropriate public education like all other children. The most recent amendments were passed in 2004, the latest revisions are part B (2006) for school-aged children and Part C (2011) for babies and toddlers. IDEA ultimately covers children from birth through 21 years.
