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Brown v Board of Education of Topeka
Court case determining that separate is not equal. It challenged segregation in education and paved the way for parents of students with disabilities to argue that their students were not receiving adequate education and being denied equal education opportunities. -
Pre-1960s
Prior to the 1960s, most students with disabilities were segregated and isolated from their peers with some being educated in separate schools. -
Mainstreaming
Students with mild disabilities were beginning to be mainstreamed with students without disabilities. These SWDs were not being instructed with their peers, but had the opportunity to improve their social skills. This fell under the polices of normalization and deinstitutionalization that were being implemented in order to reduce the amount of people being institutionalized. -
1970s-Exclusionary Practices No Longer Upheld in Court
Until the 1970's, exclusionary practices of students with disabilities were held up in court. Until this time, schools were denying children because the appearance of SWD "nauseated them." -
Inclusion Movement Beginning
By the mid-1980s the inclusion movement was beginning and taking shape after progress was still not being made in spite of the Regular Education Initiative (REI). -
IDEA Services extended
Under the Reauthorization of IDEA, services were extended to infants, toddlers, and preschool children aged 3. -
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act
A major act that ensures all children with disabilities have the right to a free, appropriate, and public education. IDEA sets precedence for identification of students with disabilities; a free, appropriate, and public education (FAPE) for all students at no cost to the parents; creation of individualized education plans (IEPs); least restrictive environments (LREs); and the rights of the students and the parents to give consent before evaluation and placement occurs. -
No Child Left Behind
Law passed that required students with mild disabilities to pass the same state assessments as students without disabilities and be instructed using the state standards. NCLB introduced principles of an emphasis on research based results, expanded options for parents, and highly qualified special education teachers, especially when it comes to strategies for instruction. -
Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEIA)
IDEIA amends many previous educational acts covering the rights of students with disabilities. Because of IDEIA, more students begin to get educated with their non-disabled peers, more SWDs are employed, and more have the opportunity to attend college. IDEA (and and its improvement) is the most important law for individuals with disabilities in the school age years. -
Current Day Practices
Today, students with mild disabilities (SLD, EBD, OHI, ASD, MIID, VI, ect.) are educated in general education classrooms most of the day. 4 out of 5 students with disabilities spend 40% or more of their time in education in the general education classroom. Students with multiple or more severe disabilities are often educated in more restricted settings, but still often have the opportunity to be with their peers socially.
