History of Special Education

HISTORY OF SPECIAL EDUCATIONBY: KAYLA FARLEY

DR. LORI GOEAS

SPE/300

TIMELINE OF HISTORICAL EVENTS OF SPECIAL EDUCATION

• 1 JANUARY 1866- CIVIL RIGHTS ACT OF 1866

• 1 JANUARY 1896- PLESSY V. FERGUSON

• 6 OCTOBER 1954- BROWN V. BOARD OF EDUCATION

• 1 JANUARY 1972- MILLS V. BOARD OF EDUCATION OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

• 5 MAY 1972- PENNSYLVANIA ASSOCIATION FOR RETARDED CITIZENS V. PENNSYLVANIA. & MILLS

V. D.C. BOARD OF EDUCATION

• 26 SEPTEMBER 1973- SECTION 504 OF THE REHABILITATION ACT OF 1973

• 1 JANUARY 1975- PUBLIC LAW NO. 94-142

• 1 JANUARY 1982- THE ROWLEY DECISION

• 26 JULY 1990- THE AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT

• 1 JANUARY 2001- NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND

CIVIL RIGHTS ACT OF 1866- 1 JANUARY 1866

• BY DECLARING THAT ALL PERSONS BORN

HERE IN THE US ARE CITIZENS THIS ACT

PROVIDES THAT IT WAS ILLEGAL TO

DISCRIMINATE AGAINST INDIVIDUALS ON

THE BASIS OF COLOR, RACE OR WHETHER

THEY WERE A SLAVE. THIS IN TURN

WOULD HELP IN FUTURE LITIGATION AND

PROVIDE REMEDY FOR THOSE EFFECTED IN

THE EDUCATION SYSTEM (SMITH,

POLLOWAY, PATTON & DOWDY, 2011).

PLESSY V. FERGUSON 1 JANUARY 1896

• THE SUPREME COURT ORDERED THAT IT WAS

LEGAL TO SEGREGATE INDIVIDUALS AND HAVE

SEPARATE FACILITIES AS LONG AS THEY WERE

EQUAL. HOWEVER, SEPARATE IS NOT EQUAL

AS WE LEARN THROUGH OUT THE CIVIL

RIGHTS MOVEMENT. THIS DECISION WOULD

NOT BE CORRECTED UNTIL BROWN V. BOARD

58 YEARS LATER (SMITH, POLLOWAY, PATTON

& DOWDY, 2011)

BROWN VS. BOARD OF EDUCATION-6 OCTOBER 1954

• THIS IS A CONSOLIDATED CASE THAT

FOUGHT FOR DESEGREGATION OF ALL

PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEMS IN THE US AND

SEPARATE BUT EQUAL WAS

UNCONSTITUTIONAL. THIS IS THE

SPRINGBOARD FOR LITIGATION AND

LEGISLATION REGARDING STUDENTS WITH

DISABILITIES (SMITH, POLLOWAY, PATTON &

DOWDY, 2011).

MILLS V. BOARD OF EDUCATION OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA- 1 JANUARY 1972

• THIS CASE INVOLVED THE COURT ESTABLISHING DUE

PROCESS PROCEDURES TO ENSURE ALL STUDENTS HAD

EQUAL RIGHTS. THIS WAS A PROCEDURAL LAW THAT

WAS LATER INCLUDED IN PUBLIC LAW NO. 94-142. THE

BOARD OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA DENIED ACCESS

TO EDUCATION FOR STUDENTS WHO WERE SPECIAL

NEEDS. THE COURT FOUND THAT FREE PUBLIC

EDUCATIONAL SERVICES, OR A SUITABLE PRIVATE

ALTERNATIVE PAID FOR BY THE BOARD OF EDUCATION,

MUST BE DELIVERED BASED ON THE STUDENTS'

INDIVIDUAL NEEDS, REGARDLESS OF COST (SMITH,

PENNSYLVANIA ASSOCIATION FOR RETARDED CITIZENS V. PENNSYLVANIA. & MILLS V. D.C. BOARD OF EDUCATION

5 MAY 1972

• THE FEDERAL COURT DECIDED THAT CHILDREN

WITH MENTAL DISABILITIES WOULD BE

PROVIDED WITH FREE AND APPROPRIATE

PUBLIC EDUCATION. THESE CASES PROVIDED A

LEGAL STANDING TO CHALLENGE OFFICIALS

DENYING EQUAL OPPORTUNITY. THESE CASES

BROUGHT TO ATTENTION THAT STUDENTS

WITH DISABILITIES SHOULD NOT BE EXCLUDED

AND SHOULD HAVE EQUAL PROTECTION

UNDER THE LAW.

SECTION 504 OF THE REHABILITATION ACT OF 1973- 26 SEPTEMBER 1973

• THIS LAW SIGNED IN BY PRESIDENT NIXON

PROHIBITS DISCRIMINATION IN THE WORKPLACE

AND SCHOOLS AND ANY ENTITY RECEIVING

FEDERAL FUNDING. THIS PLAN MANDATES

INDIVIDUALIZED PLANS FOR ELIGIBLE DISABLED

STUDENTS WHO NEED ACCOMMODATIONS OR

MODIFICATIONS IN OR ORDER TO RECEIVE FAPE.

LEAST RESTRICTIVE EDUCATION MANDATE IS AN

ESSENTIAL ELEMENT AS FAR AS PLACEMENT TO THE

LEARNING ENVIRONMENT (SMITH, POLLOWAY,

PATTON & DOWDY, 2011).

PUBLIC LAW NO. 94-1421ST JANUARY, 1975

• THE EDUCATION FOR ALL HANDICAPPED

CHILDREN ACT. THIS LAW SECURED THE BASIC

IDEALS, RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES TO

ENSURE EQUAL ACCESS TO PUBLIC

EDUCATION FOR ALL CHILDREN WHO ARE

DISABLED. THE KEY ELEMENT BEING THAT PRIOR

WRITTEN NOTICE BE PROVIDED TO THE PARENT

REGARDING PROPOSES OR REFUSES

CHANGES TO IDENTIFICATION, OR PLACEMENT

OF A CHILD OR FAPE (SMITH, POLLOWAY,

PATTON & DOWDY, 2011).

THE ROWLEY DECISION1ST JANUARY, 1982

• THE U.S. SUPREME COURT'S FIRST

INTERPRETATION OF WHAT WAS THEN CALLED

THE EDUCATION FOR ALL HANDICAPPED

CHILDREN ACT (NOW THE INDIVIDUALS WITH

DISABILITIES EDUCATION ACT, "IDEA"). "BASIC

FLOOR OF RESPONSIBILITY" AND "SOME

EDUCATIONAL BENEFIT" A TWO PART TEST

CAN BE IMPLEMENTED NOW WHEN WORKING

THROUGH SPECIFIC CASE ISSUES. (SMITH,

POLLOWAY, PATTON & DOWDY, 2011).

THE AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT26TH JULY, 1990

• THIS LAW PROHIBITS DISCRIMINATION BY YOUR

EMPLOYER, SERVICES RECEIVED BY STATE AND

LOCAL GOVERNMENTS, IN PLACES OF PUBLIC

ACCOMMODATION, TRANSPORTATION AND

TELECOMMUNICATIONS. THIS IS KEY BECAUSE A

PUBLIC SCHOOL IS INCLUDED UNDER THIS LAW BY

PROVIDING CIVIL RIGHTS PROTECTIONS TO

INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES AND NOT

DISCRIMINATION ON THE BASIS OF RACE, SEX,

NATIONAL ORIGIN, AND RELIGION. (SMITH,

POLLOWAY, PATTON & DOWDY, 2011).

NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND 1ST JANUARY, 2001

• THE SAID GOAL OF NCLB IS TO "LEVEL THE

PLAYING FIELD" IN EDUCATION. THERE ARE

SEVERAL STANDARDS SUCH AS ADEQUATE

YEARLY PROGRESS, USE OF "SCIENTIFICALLY

BASED RESEARCH", TEACHERS WHO ARE

"HIGHLY QUALIFIED", EVALUATIONS AND

MINIMUM STANDARDS FOR

PARAPROFESSIONALS. SANCTIONS APPLY TO

SOME OF THE ABOVE IF STANDARDS ARE NOT

MET. (SMITH, POLLOWAY, PATTON & DOWDY,

2011).

• TERMINOLOGY HAS CHANGED OVER THE YEARS THROUGH FOR EXAMPLE “MENTALLY

RETARDED” HAS BEEN CHANGED TO “COGNITIVE DISABILITY”. ELIMINATING

IGNORANCE AND ARMING PEOPLE WITH CORRECT INFORMATION IS REALLY

IMPORTANT. PERCEPTION IS EVERYTHING HOWEVER GIVING PEOPLE A MORE DETAILED

AND RELIABLE UNDERSTANDING OF INFORMATION MAKES A SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE.

• STUDENTS ARE IN THE LEAST RESTRICTIVE ENVIRONMENT NOW SO THAT WE ENSURE

STUDENTS ARE NOT UNNECESSARILY REMOVED FROM THE REGULAR CLASSROOM OR

ISOLATED FROM OTHER NON-DISABLED CHILDREN OF THEIR AGE.

• SOCIETY HAS COME A LONG WAY AND IN 1961 PUBLIC SCHOOL BUILDINGS

STARTED TO REQUIRE RAMPS SO THEY COULD BE ACCESSIBLE BY ALL. SPECIAL

EDUCATION WAS NOT A MAJOR CONCERN SOME 30-40 YEARS AGO BECAUSE

DISABILITIES WERE VIEWED AS JUST ANOTHER PROBLEM. NOW DISABLED PERSONS

ARE ACCOMMODATED FOR EVERY WHERE. SOCIETIES HAS COME TO SEE THAT A

DISABILITY IS NOT THAT DIFFERENT FROM GENERAL EDUCATION AND IS COMBINING

AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE.

• THE EVENTS SHOWN IN THE TIMELINE ARE EACH A STEP TOWARD PROVIDING A BETTER

EDUCATION FOR ALL PEOPLE TOGETHER BECAUSE IT DOES NOT MATTER ABOUT A

DISABILITY BECAUSE EVERYONE DESERVES AN EDUCATION.

-HOW HAS TERMINOLOGY HAS

CHANGED?

-WHY ARE STUDENTS NOW

IN THE LEAST RESTRICTIVE

ENVIRONMENT?

-HOW HAS SOCIETY'S VIEW OF

SPECIAL EDUCATION CHANGED?

-WHY ARE THE EVENT OUTLINED

SIGNIFICANT IN SHAPING

SPECIAL EDUCATION?

Questions….

CONCLUSION

• SPECIAL EDUCATION HAS A LENGTH HISTORY HOWEVER EACH STEP IN THE HISTORICAL

TIMELINE HAS SHOWN THAT NO MATTER WHAT WE WILL FIGHT FOR EQUALITY FOR ALL.

EDUCATION HAS COME A LONG WAY OVER THE PAST YEARS DATING BACK TO THE 1800’S.

EDUCATION WILL CHANGE AND WE AS TEACHERS AND STUDENTS WILL CHANGE AS WELL.