History of Special Education Timeline

April 15, 1817

The American School for the Deaf

1

This school was the first school for the deaf in the U.S. and a provided educational programs and services for deaf and hard-of-hearing students still till this day. This is still relevant today because it initiated the advancement of special education

March 2, 1829

The Perkins School for the Blind

2

The was the first school for the blind in the U.S. The school was originally named the New England Asylum for the Blind. Again, this part of history was important for the advancement of special education

JAN 20, 1840

Compulsory Education Law

3

Rhode Island passed a law mandating compulsory education for children, but not all states had compulsory education until 1918. This was a big step in special education because states were now making sure kids with special needs recieved an proper education

May 18, 1896

Plessy v. Ferguson

4

Seperate but equal. This was important to the advancement of special education because it now had a technicality on paper in which had to be followed, although it was a racial problem

1919

Beattie vs. Board of Education

5

In this court case, special needs students were expelled from school due to facial abnormalities and drooling. What this did for special education was tremendous because it made states and school boards begin to start looking for funds to make programs within the school for special education

February 24, 1922

Council for Exceptional Children

6

The Council for Exceptional Children is the first advocacy group for children with disabilities. The CEC is one of the largest special education advocacy groups. This is relevant to me specifically because I am being taught about the importance of their ethical principles

1943

Classification of Autism

7

Originally introduced by Dr. Leo Lanner of John Hopkins University, the classification of Autism is arguably one of the biggest breaks in special education. This is relevant because of the exponential growth of what exactly Autism is, as well as how many cases we are seeing

May 17, 1954

Brown v. Board of Education

8

This court case brought attention to black v. white’s in school and special need students v. general education students. This case encouraged the formation of many advocacy groups to inform the public of need of special education programs. This is still one of the most relevant cases talked about in special education

September 26, 1973

Section 504

9

Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act allows protection from discrimination of special needs and disabilities. This law is considered the first law giving protection to students with special needs. Students are eligible when they have either a physical or mental disability that inhibits their learning experience.

October 30, 1990

IDEA

10

The individuals with disabilities Education Act was also signed into law by George W. Bush. The law ensures students with a disability are provided with Free Appropriate Public Education that is tailored to their individual needs. This law was revised on December, 2004. The revisions include the IEP, due process, and student discipline.