SPED History Timeline

  • For the blind

    A school for the blind was opened in 1784 by a man named Valentine Huay after he watched blind men as an act in a freak show.
  • Education for the Disabled

    Jean-Marc Gaspard Itard establishes the principles and methods used today in the education of the mentally disabled through his controversial work with Victor, the "wild boy of Aveyron."
  • Physicians interests

    Few Physicians were interested in Children with disabilities. Two doctors Jean-Marc Itard and Edouard Seguin tries to teach children with delays.
  • Communites Interest

    There were a few classes that helped children with disabilities.
  • CEC

    Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) was founded to organize teachers who helped children with exceptionalities.
  • Dyslexia

    Samuel Orton began a study of dyslexia. He hypothesized that it could be neurological versus visual, and that it was likely connected to left-handedness. His first assumption is right. His second one, not so much.
  • Early Intervention

    Early childhood programs begin in the early 1930's.
  • "nothing could be done"

    It was believed that children with disabilities could not be helped so the parents were encouraged to place their children in institutions and orphanages.
  • Post WWII

    Special programs for children with exceptionalities in the states of California and Illinois were beginning to emerge.
  • Brown v. Board of Education

    This case was a school desegregation case to began to reestablish the rights of minority citizens.
  • Heredity

    Up until 1960, it was believed that heredity was the cause for disabilities whether they were giftedness or mental disability.
  • Environments role

    A major movement that stressed how environment played a role in creating or worsening disabilities.
  • Children with disablities included

    Children with disabilities were excluded from early childhood programs until the 1960's.
  • Public Law

    Public Law also known as (PL) 88-164, authorized funds for training professionals to work with children that had special needs.
  • FAPE

    A case Pennsylvania Association for Retarded Children (PARC) v. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania was a case that decided that children with IDD could not be excluded from school and had the right to a FAPE,( free and appropriate public education).
  • Unchained

    A physician in Paris removes the chains of the mentally ill at an asylum. Some had been chained to the walls for 30 years.
  • Congress and Legislature

    Congress had assigned legislation to provide help for children with exceptional needs. Still some disorders were not well-known.
  • Public Law 94-142

    Congress passed PL-94-142, whch is called the Education for All Handicapped Children Act. It didn't take effect until 1977.
  • Larry P. v. Riles

    Children shouldn't be labeled "handicapped or put in special education without diagnosis that takes their cultural and linguistic backgrounds into consideration.
  • Jose P. v. Ambach

    Bilingual children who are exception need to be identified, evaluated, and educational procedures need to reflect their dual-language backgrounds.
  • Board of Education v. Rowley

    Children with disabilities are entitles to appropriate but not optimum education.
  • Public Law 99-457

    The law formally known as The Education for All Handicapped Children Act was misnamed. It did not include children of all ages. the title was changed to Individuals with Disabilities Education Act or IDEA.
  • Polk v. Central Susquehanna Intermediate Unit 16

    sufficient support for children with disabilities must be provided and can benefit the children educationally.
  • Heredity and Environment

    There was a shift in views the heredity and environment played a role in the effects the can result in behavioral changes.
  • Barnett v. Fairfax County Board of Education

    Allowed a child to attend a school several miles from her home because she had a hearing disability and the school met her needs better.
  • Greer v. Rome City SChool District

    Child with Down syndrome was placed in general education programs rather than in a special education class because the inclusion priority that was mentioned in IDEA.
  • Americans with Disablities Act of 1992

    The act PL 101-336, guaranteed rights to people with disablities no matter what race, color, national origin, gender, or religion
  • Oberti v. Board of Education of the Borough of Clementon School District

    court ruling that the school is responsible for demonstrating that a child's disability is severe enough that they will receive little benefit from inclusion or that they will be so disruptive to other children.
  • No Child Left Behind Act of 2001

    Public Law (PL 107-110), No Child Left Behind (NCLB), was designed to hold schools and educators responsible for bringing students to a minimum level of competency.
  • Individuals with Disbailities Education Act 2004

    The reauthorization of the original legislation IDEA act was designed to improve earlier versions.
  • Henrico County School Board v. R. T.

    A judge found a public school knowingly failed to provide appropriate educational programs to a child with autism and they were awarded reimbursement for private school costs.
  • L.I. b. Maine School Administrative District

    A child with Asperger's syndrome was denied special education services because she performed well academically. Courts ruled she should have special education.
  • Winkleman v. Parma City School District

    Supreme Court ruled that parental participation in special education process is crucial to endure that children with disabilities receives a FAPE.
  • American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009

    The goal of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act was to stimulate economic activity in areas that included financial and social institutions to ensure the health of out nation.
  • Drobnicki v. Poway United School District

    When a school board scheduled an IEP meeting when parents could not attend, the U.S. Courts declared that was denying a child of receiving a FAPE.
  • Changing a name

    The name mentally retarded was changed to intellectually and developmentally delayed somewhere between 2010-2013.