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Charles Michel L'Epeé was a pioneer in the 18th century concerned about the education systems and programs for those with disabilities. As a result, he founds the first public school for people with disabilities in France and would inspire others to follow his beliefs that everyone has a right to public education. L'Epeé was concerned about the way language and phonetics were being taught in relation to blind and deaf students. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mERLZY6cnGE -
In this Supreme Court ruling, the federal government advocated for students who faced inequality by ruling school segregation by race was unconstitutional. This Supreme Court case was an early influence that led to future advocacy and legislation for people with disabilities. This case secured and protected the rights of people who were facing discrimination and would inspire future laws that protected the rights of those with disabilities. -
In Department of Public Warfare v. Haas, the Supreme Court of Illinois ruled that the states' education laws did not need to provide free public education to students with disabilities. The state of Illinois believed that students with disabilities were unable to "reap" the benefits of free public school education. This was an instance where the court ruled in favor for excluding students with disabilities from public school education. -
The Elementary and Secondary Education Act aided those who came from low-income families by securing the same educational opportunities as those who already had them. The federal government needed to protect and provide for every individual in the education system. One of the ways ESEA made a difference was through establishing free and reduced lunch for students that way they were able to properly benefit from their education programs. -
Pennsylvania Assn. for Retarded Children v. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania (PARC) was related to the exclusion of children with mental retardation from public schools. This case advocated for students with mental retardation to have a guaranteed right to free public education. This case also ruled that educational placement decisions had to include parent participation and a way to settle disputes. -
This case dealt with the practice of suspending, expelling, and excluding students who had disabilities from D.C public schools. District of Columbia schools excused this by arguing costs were too high for educating students with disabilities. As a result, the court ruled that all children have a right to public education that cannot be denied due to financial reasons and must implement due process for students with disabilities. https://kidstogether.org/mills/ -
This act is also known as the Mainstreaming Law that requires states to provide free and appropriate public education for students with disabilities. This public law first defined what least restrictive environment looked like and requires individualized education programs (IEPs). This act paved the idea and philosophy that all education services should strive to create a classroom where all children are accepted. -
The Office of Special Education Programs was established in 1979 and is responsible for the implementation of IDEA by providing leadership and finances for special education services for students with disabilities. OSEP strives to ensure the rights of children and students with disabilities and ensure their parents are protected as well. This organization goes hand-in-hand with IDEA by funding and providing programs that ensure free and appropriate public education in the LRE for students. -
This act requires schools to ensure that students with disabilities have access to the general education curriculum and also allows special education staff who are working in the mainstream class to assist general education students when needed. This law also requires a general education teacher to be a member of the IEP team and that all students with disabilities continue to receive services. This law requires specially designed instruction in the least restrictive environment for students. -
This act allows districts to use Response-To-Intervention (RTI) models for determining if a child has a specific learning disability. IDEIA expanded the disability category making it even or inclusive to receive public education by adding autism and traumatic brain injury. IDEIA also increases federal funds to provide intervention services and adopts policies designed to disproportionate representation of special education students by race and ethnicity.