Timeline of the History of Special Education

By tadpole13

  • Plessy v. Ferguson

    Court case that declared it was legal to segregate individuals and have separate facilities so long as they were equal.

  • Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka Kansas

    It outlawed segregation in all public education. This was important because students with disabilities were now protected under the 14th Amendment.

  • Cooperative Research Act

    The first federal research program in special education.

  • Training of Professional Personnel Act

    The initial federal program focusing on professional preparation for educating children with mental retardation.

  • Teachers of the Deaf Act

    Trained educational personnel for hard of hearing and deaf children.

  • Mental Retardation Facilities and Community Health Centers Construction Act

    Expanded support for professional preparation to teach a wider population beyond mental retardation and further expanded the research program.

  • Federal Assistance to State Operated and Supported Schools for the Handicapped

    Passed as an amendment to Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. It was the first major direct program supporting the education of children and youth with disabilities.

  • Elementary and Secondary Education Act Amendments of 1966

    Created the Bureau of Education for the Handicapped.

  • Elementary and Secondary Education Act Amendments of 1967

    The first national commitment to technical assistance and dissemination. Created centers for deaf-blind children and regional resource centers.

  • Handicapped Children's Early Education Assistance Act

    Authorized the first early childhood model programs, emphasizing the preschool years for children ages 3-5.

  • Tinker v. Des Moines

    Students wore armbands to school and the administration tried to make them take the armbands off. It went to court as a violation of the students' First Amendment rights. The court ruled that it was okay as long as there was no educational interference.

  • Extention of Programs of Assistance for Elementary and Secondary Education Act Amendments of 1970

    Decoupled special education programs from the ESEA and consolidated them in a separate and independent EHA.

  • PARC v. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

    PARC claimed that students with mental retardation were being denied their right of equal protection under the 14th Amendment. The outcome was the mandate that children with disabilities have access to a FAPE.

  • Mills v. Board of Education of District of Columbia

    Parents claimed that their children were being illegally excluded from school. The court established due process procedures to ensure all students equal protection under the law.

  • Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act

    A civil rights law that protects individuals with disabilities from discrimination in the workplace, public schools, and any entity recieving federal funding.

  • Education Amendments of 1974

    Required full-service goals and timetables, as well as assurances that such elements as due process and least restrictive placements were in development.

  • Goss v. Lopez

    The case that held that a public school must conduct a hearing before subjecting a student to suspension.

  • Education for All Handicapped Children Act

    The landmark legislation requiring a FAPE for all children with disabilities.

  • Education of the Handicapped Amendments of 1977

    Extended authority for the discretionary programs and eliminated the National Advisory Committee of the Handicapped.

  • S-1 v. Turlington

    The court held that special procedures apply when a student with a disability is suspended for more than ten days under the IDEA and Section 504.

  • Education of the Handicapped Act Amendments of 1983

    Strengthened the support programs under Part D to promote integration of children with severe disabilities. Also promoted transitions in statewide service systems and required LRE.

  • Handicapped Children's Protection Act of 1986

    Reversed a U.S. Supreme Court decision requiring exhaustion of IDEA due process procedures before filing a civil action under any other statute.

  • Education of the Handicapped Act Amendments of 1986

    Completed the age mandate of PL 94-142 by establishing a phase-in of FAPE for preschool children from 3-5 years old under Part B. Created an early intervention program for infants and toddlers from birth-3 years old under Part C.

  • Honig v. Doe

    The court ruling that a California school board violated the Education for All Handicapped Children Act when it indefinitely suspended a student for violent and disruptive behavior that was related to his disability.

  • Education of the Handicapped Act Amendments of 1990

    Added transition services to the required content of the IEP. Added TBI and Autism to the disability categories. Changed the name of the EHA to the IDEA.

  • Individuals with Disabilities Education Act Amendments of 1997

    Opened Part B to needed adjustments more than 20 years after the enactment of PL 94-142. Included refinements that strengthened the relationship to general curriculum, overhauled the evaluation and reevaluation provisions, and added new stipulations in the IEP.

  • No Child Left Behind

    A reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, which included Title I, the government's flagship aid program for disadvantaged students.

  • Individuals with Disabilities Education Act Amendments of 2004

    Coordinated the policy and procedures of the IDEA with those of the No Child Left Behind Act. Amended eligibility procedures, IEP requirements, and procedural safeguards.