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One of the earliest examples of special education was Jean-Marc-Gaspard. Gaspard was a French physician who worked with a boy who was considered a feral child. -
Edouard Seguin followed in Gaspard's footsteps and greatly influenced the outlook people had on special education. Seguin was one of the earliest educators to believe that children who are blind, emotionally disabled, or intellectually disabled, had the potential to be productive members of society, which was not a common belief at the time. -
In 1875 a school in Cleveland Ohio established the first public school special education class which didn't last long. -
The second special education class was established in Providence, Rhode Island. -
Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas established the belief that separate classrooms for special education were not equal. -
The Elementary and Secondary Education Act was the first federal law to address special education. The primary purpose of this law is to encourage new and existing programs for students with disabilities. -
P.L.94-142 is the basis of all education practices that follow. -
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IDEA is the current name for federal legislation concerning special education. At the same time as the name change, the government added support for students transitioning from high school to college. -
IDEA was reauthorized again in 2004 to better protect parental rights as well as to better meet a child's unique individual needs.