-
In 1922, the Council of Exceptional Children (CEC) was established by group of administrators along with supervisors attending Columbia University. -
In 1950, the National Association for Retarded Children was organized by parent groups around the US in Minneapolis. This was the first organization to support research on intellectual and developmental disabilities financially. -
In 1954, the Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka was a landmark Supreme Court case that allowed education to made equally available to everyone regardless of color, sex or economical status. -
In 1965, The Elementary & Secondary Education Act was created to improve education equity for students of lower-income schools by providing federal funds to schools in these areas. -
In 1971, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania was sued by the Pennsylvania Association for Retarded Citizens due to a law that granted public schools the right to deny free education to children who had not reached a mental age of five years old.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QtFmp3XduaQ -
In 1990, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) was created in order to provide students with a disability Free Appropriate Public Education that is structured to their individual needs. https://sites.ed.gov/idea/ -
In 2001, No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) reauthorized the ESEA. This act required states to develop assessments in basic skills. In order to receive federal funding, states had to give these assessments to all students in certain grade levels. -
In 2004, The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) was reauthorized with new requirements for “highly qualified” special education teachers.