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Training of Professional Personnel Act (P.L. 16-158)
The purpose of this Act was to train administrators and teachers of children with exceptional needs. It specifically worked to increase the types and amount of training these individuals received in learning how to educate these students. Within this act we see that law makers were beginning to recgonize a need for more explicit training. -
The Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA)
This Act was passed by Congress in 1965 and gave states grant assistances for educating children with disabilities. It emphasized equal access to education and established high standards and accountability. It was mandated in the Act that the funds be used for professional development, instructional materials, resources to support educational programs and the promotion of parental involvement. -
Mills v. Board of Education of the District of Columbia
This court case helped to establish the responsibilities of states and localities to educate children with disabilities. These court decisions, which affirmed the right of every child with a disability to be educated, are grounded in the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. All children, regardless of their physical, mental, or emotional disability are entitled to a free and public education. -
Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973
Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 states that students with disabilities must be given reasonable accommodations and should not be discriminated against because of their disabilities. Examples of accommodations are extended time on exams, allowing students to take exams in a distraction-free room, providing tape recordings of lectures and books, and assigning volunteer note takers for lectures. -
Education for All Handicapped Children Act
This Act was also commonly known as PL 94-142. Up until the United States Congress enacted this Act, the majority of students with severe disabilities were kept out of public school and away from their non-disabled peers. This act required that all public schools accepting federal funds to provide equal access to education and mandated that they be placed in the least restrictive educational environment possible. -
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
The Americans with Disabilities Act is a Civil Rights Law that prohibits discrimination based on disability. It ensures the right to individuals with disabilities to nondiscriminatory treatment in all other aspects of their lives. This Act provides protections of civil rights in specific areas such as employment, transportation, public accommodations, state and local government, and telecommunications. -
1997 Revisions to IDEA
The 1997 revisions to IDEA (P.L. 105-17) supported initiatives for transition services from high school to adult living. Because of these mandates, each student’s Individualized Education Program (IEP) must include transition plans or procedures for identifying appropriate employment and other post-school adult living objectives for the student and should begin at age 14. -
No Child Left Behind
No Child Left Behind was an act of Congress to reauthorize the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. NCLB supported standards-based education reform on the premise that setting high standards and establishing measurable goals could improve individual outcomes in education. If students did not meet these goals, an appropriate educational plan was set in place to ensure no child was left behind. -
2004 Amendments to IDEA
The 2004 amendments to IDEA sharpened federal mandates to increase state and local accountability for educating children with disabilities and expanded methods to identify students with special learning disabilities. This law continued federal commitment and support to ensure that special education and early intervention personnel are highly qualified. It helped create a Response to Intervention framework which has been beneficial in the identification of students with learning disabilities. -
Preschool Program for Children with Disabilities (PPCD)
Under the IDEA amendments in 2004 "eligible" children with disabilities, ages 3-21, are entitled to receive a free and appropriate public education (FAPE). With this a public school program for young children, ages 3-5, called Preschool Programs for Children with Disabilities (PPCD) was implemented. Through this program students are offered support in the least restrictive environment and given access to services based on the child's individual needs in preschool.
