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First school to pave the way for Special Education schools. Built in Hartford, Connecticut and founded by Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet and Laurent Clerc. This was the beginning of formal and accessible schooling for Special Needs. -
Founded in Boston, Massachusetts. First school of its kind to provide education for individuals with visual impairments. This was a huge milestone and many were to come after, not just for visual impairments, but other related disabilities. -
Spanish Braille code was standardized, which allowed a reading and writing system for those with visual impairments who spoke Spanish as their primary language. This finally allowed them to participate with their fellow students, which was extremely difficult prior. This allowed a smoother integration. -
Racial segregation in public schools deemed unconstitutional under the 14th amendment and therefore discontinued. This started because of the school system in Topeka, Kansas refused to enroll a black student and instead forced her to attend the black-only school in a neighboring town. This allowed other families who had dealt with the same situation to come forward and join the case. -
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4okt6u6OEkg Signed in by Lyndon B. Johnson, who was previously a teacher and focused on education. Provided federal funding for Elementary and Secondary Education. This involved a large focus on educational accountability, and involved monitoring and improving achievements for students. -
Congress discovered that millions of children in America were not receiving or had access to proper education in regards to their disability. 1.75 million students were not receiving care at all, while 2.5 million were receiving an improper education. This catapulted them to change these statistics. -
Lawsuit filed against the District of Columbia. The ruling stated that students with disabilities have the right to an education regardless of their ability to pay for said schooling: "all children are entitled to free public education and training appropriate to their learning capacities." At this time, it was common for students to be denied if they were ruled as "exceptional." -
https://www.ed.gov/laws-and-policy/individuals-disabilities/idea What is now called the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. This required schools to provide resources and learning for those with disabilities. There was also a mandated assessment of schools to see what they were providing for the aforementioned group. -
https://www.nads.org/ Established to provide support for individuals with Down Syndrome and their families. This has largely increased advocacy and awareness throughout the years. This allows individuals and their families more opportunities in society as well as a better educational system. -
Signed in by President George W. Bush and was an expansion of the 1965 Elementary and Secondary Education Act signed in by Lyndon B. Johnson. This introduced standardized testing, adequate yearly progress, public reporting, and teacher evaluations/qualifications in order to teach special education.