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Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA)
This act helped low income students gain access to high quality public educations including free and reduced priced lunch. Additionally, this act works to provide extra teachers where they are needed. -
Vocational Rehabilitation Act (VRA)
This act created definitions for handicapped person and appropriate education. This act also made it illegal to discriminate against students who have disabilities, thus allowing them to fully take part in programs funded by the federal government. -
Educational Amendments Act
This act was the first to provide extra federal funding for schools to create programs for gifted and talented students. Additionally, this act worked to guarantee due process (fair treatment in the judicial system) for students in special education programs. -
Education for All Handicapped Children Act (EAHCA)
This act made it a requirement to develop an IEP for a student with a disability, as well as guarantee public education for students with disabilities. Additionally, this act created a formal definition for least restrictive environment. -
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
This act worked to broaden the protection of people with disabilities to when they are attempting to enter and take part in the private sector. This protection includes employment, public services, telecommunication and transportation. Finally the act worked to add AIDS under the definition of disability. -
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)
This act replaced the education for all handicapped children act (EAHCA). This is the first emergence of people first language and worked to provide extra security to children and the families of children who have disabilities. This act added autism and traumatic brain injury to the umbrella of disability and required more services to be available for children who have disabilities. This act creates the goal of educating of students with disabilities for entrance into the workforce. -
No Child Left Behind
This act worked to improve overall school performance regarding all of the schools students including minority students and students with special needs. This act also allows students who are currently attending a failing school to choose and transition to more successful school that they want to attend. -
Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEIA)
This act made determining if a student has a learning disability easier through the use of RTI, thus allowing for earlier detection and a faster response. Additionally, IDEIA worked to make special education services more racially equal. Finally, this act required greater training for people to receive licensure in special education.
