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Establishment of American School for the Deaf
Thomas Gallaudet and Laurent Clerc founded American School for the Deaf in Hartford, Connecticut and introduced education for the deaf community. This soon led to other schools being established in the U.S. and propelled the growth of specialized education for those with disabilities. -
American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities
The founding of this crucial group of advocates started a movement for those with intellectual and developmental disabilities. They created standards to teach those with disabilities that soon became guidelines for educational and professional environments. These assisted with the making of Special Ed careers as well as there was a clear expectation to their treatment. -
Creation of Council for Exceptional Children
The CEC advocates for children with disabilities and made continuous efforts to educate those on the best practices for them. They taught Special Ed teachers and helped created policies for the development of special education in classrooms. -
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign: Research of Exceptional Children
This institution was at the University of Illinois and conducted research that would be the first ever done of special education. It was founded by Samuel A. Kirk and would be the first of its kind to conduct research on special education. They studied the "slow learner" and investigated further into what is known today as learning disabilities. -
Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) of 1965
President Johnson wanted to close the achievement gap in schools and proposed a plan to give more federal funding to schools. The law stated that there should be help for those with disabilities. This marked the start of government involvement in Special Education classrooms. -
Education for All Handicapped Children Act (IDEA)
This law required schools to give "free and appropriate public education" to those with disabilities along with individualized education programs (IEP). The mention of least restrictive environments (LRE) pushed schools to include children with disabilities in general classrooms (of students without disabilities) as much as they could.
Relevant video: [(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G4Xzvafi-Pg)] -
American with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990
ADA is a civil rights laws that requires accommodations to be made to educational environments in order to have accessibility for those with disabilities. The laws grants them protections and gives them same opportunities as everyone else in schools.
Relevant Website: https://www.dol.gov/general/topic/disability/ada -
IDEA Amendments (1997)
This added adjustments of the previous IDEA bill made and proposed the idea of parent involvement, inclusion in statewide assessments, and a program that will help their transition from school intro the real world, providing stepping stones to their success. This contributes to their goal of placing them in least restrictive environments. Enforcing such policies would ensure every child got individualized learning catered to their pace and skills. -
No Child Left Behind Act (2001)
This act left schools accountable for the progress of students with disabilities as well as students without disabilities. It emphasized the importance of well-trained teachers who knew how to approach and foster growth within these students. It also reinforced their inclusion in standardized testing. -
Endrew F. v. Douglas County School District (2017)
A case that stated children with disabilities must be supported by IDEA policies and that each school should have meaningful progress. They stressed their must be careful attention placed in their growth and different approaches to assist their journey. The case is still influential in that it emphasizes the importance of these policies.