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This civil rights case resulted in the decision that segregation based on race in public schools was unconstitutional. The implications of this law for special needs education were that all students, regardless of race (and later to be recognized, ability or disability) deserve the right to free appropriate public education. -
This act addressed and proposed reform for federal education in the US and consisted of plans to create programs to meet the needs of underprivileged children, including children with special needs and their families. As a part of President Johnson's legislative program the "War on Poverty," the act provided a framework for future legislation benefiting early special education. -
This was the first legislative act that addressed the need for the establishment and improvement of federal bilingual education programs. It established a launching point for further amendment and legislation for students of limited English speaking ability (LESA), later referred to as English-language learners (ELL). -
This was the first civil rights law in the US which protected the rights of people with disabilities. It contributed to the pursuit of equal educational opportunities to people with disabilities by prohibiting school districts and other agencies that receive federal funding from discriminating against these individuals. It also created a foundation for the Americans with Disabilities Act. -
This law granted the protection of students’ privacy, granting parents their children’s personal education files as well as the students’ rights to their own file after they reach 18 years of age. Schools were not permitted to release confidential information from a student’s file beyond directory information. In regard to the implications on special education, this law provided confidentiality to students with special needs and information like their IEPs. -
Signed into law by President Ford, this act mandated the federal funding of a free appropriate public education for all children with disabilities. It included the provision of one free meal a day and the establishment of IEPs (Individualized Education Programs) and LRE (Least Restrictive Environment). -
Originally from the Education of the Handicapped Act Amendments of 1990 (P. L. 101‐476), the IDEA expanded on the promise of free appropriate public education (FAPE) for children with disabilities by authorizing grants to support special education, further developing the parameters of Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) and Least Restrictive Environments (LRE), providing transition services at 16, and including autism and traumatic brain injury (TBI) to the list of eligible disabilities. -
This act was a reauthorization of ESEA (1965) and emphasized high standards, setting goals, and the use of standardized testing for all states to ensure that all students had equal opportunity for proficiency and success in the subject areas of reading and math. While many students with disabilities or special needs benefitted from the Act’s assessments and accommodations, the emphasis on standards-based success led to limited emphasis on the curriculum which was necessary for students’ IEPs. -
Reenacted from the EAHCA and original IDEA, IDEA 2004 attempted to align IDEA with the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) by defining the requirements of highly qualified special education teacher, established means of granting access to instructional materials, and helped provide education for students of special populations such as those attending private schools, those who are homeless and those who are highly mobile. -
This law included a broader definition of the term “disability” to benefit individuals seeking protection under the ADA who may not have otherwise been considered to have had a disability prior to this amendment. The act was proposed after a number of controversial court cases regarding the interpretation of the ADA’s functional definition of disability.