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NARC was formed to advocate for better education, services, and treatment for children with intellectual disabilities. It is now known as ARC
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It was not specifically directed to special education, but helped them. this court decision declared racial segregation in public schools wrong, setting the stage for future desegregation efforts, including for students with disabilities.
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ESEA, through its Title I program, provided funding to schools to support students in need, including those with disabilities. This marked a move toward addressing educational disparities. -
The first federal legislation focused specifically on special education, this act established grants for states to create programs for children with disabilities and began the process of improving services at the local level.
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This was the first major civil rights law for people with disabilities. Section 504 prohibited discrimination on the basis of disability in programs or activities that receive federal financial assistance, including public schools. -
These amendments extended services to preschool children with disabilities (ages 3–5), mandated early intervention services, and began to emphasize the transition of students with disabilities into adulthood and the workforce. -
This act funded the development and distribution of assistive technology for students with disabilities, facilitating greater independence and access to education. -
The ADA is a landmark civil rights law that prohibits discrimination based on disability in all areas of public life. While it applies to all public entities, it further reinforced the rights of students with disabilities in education.
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The requirement for individualized transition plans for students with disabilities.
A greater emphasis on inclusion in general education classrooms.
Provisions for the development of IEPs and the involvement of parents in decision-making. -
The IDEA was further strengthened with a focus on improving educational outcomes. Major changes included:
Ensuring students with disabilities participate in state and district assessments with appropriate accommodations.
Emphasizing the use of educational standards and accountability for special education programs.
Increased parental involvement and accountability for IEP implementation. -
NCLB aimed to close the achievement gap and increase accountability in public schools. It applied standards-based education reforms to all students, including those with disabilities, and required states to test all students and report disaggregated data, including for students with disabilities.
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IDEA was reauthorized to align more closely with NCLB, emphasizing accountability for student progress. Key provisions included:
An emphasis on providing evidence-based interventions and services.
Changes to the way students were evaluated and identified as having disabilities (including reducing reliance on discrepancy models and increasing the use of Response to Intervention (RTI)).
Requiring states to establish academic and behavioral goals for students with disabilities. -
ESSA replaced NCLB and continued to emphasize educational standards and accountability. Under ESSA, students with disabilities are required to have access to the same high standards of academic content as their peers. It also gave states more flexibility in how they assess and provide for students with disabilities, allowing for greater state control in how special education services were implemented.
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This pivotal ruling clarified the standard for what constitutes a "free and appropriate public education" (FAPE) under IDEA. The Supreme Court held that the educational program provided to a student with disabilities must be "appropriately ambitious" and provide opportunities for "significant progress," rather than minimal benefit.
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The COVID-19 pandemic posed significant challenges for students with disabilities the CARES Act, provided emergency funding to support the continuity of special education services during the pandemic, while also highlighting the digital divide and the need for further innovations in accessible learning technology. -
As of the current timeline, efforts continue to refine and potentially reauthorize IDEA, with a focus on improving post-secondary outcomes for students with disabilities, including greater emphasis on transition services, mental health supports, and addressing disparities in services for students of color with disabilities.