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Community Mental Health Act
On October 31, 1963, President John F. Kennedy signed into law the Community Mental Health Act. This law created a new era surrounding mental health. Most notably, it created mental health centers throughout the country so individuals who were in institutions could be moved back into their communities. For more information, please visit: https://www.thenationalcouncil.org/about/national-mental-health-association/overview/community-mental-health-act/ -
Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act
Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities in programs that receive federal funding. For more information, please visit: https://dredf.org/legal-advocacy/laws/section-504-of-the-rehabilitation-act-of-1973/ -
Education for All Handicapped Children Act
In 1975, Congress enacted the Education for All Handicapped Children Act. This act required all public schools accepting federal funds to provide equal access to education for children with mental or physical disabilities. For more information, please visit: https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/94/s6/summary -
Americans with Disabilities Act of 1992
The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1992 extended civil rights to people with disabilities. These rights are guaranteed regardless of race, color, national origin, gender and religion. For more information, please visit: https://www.eeoc.gov/eeoc/history/35th/1990s/ada.html -
No Child Left Behind Act
No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 was to hold schools and educators responsible for bringing school children to a minimum level of competency. NCLB required schools to present data to prove this competency. However, for children with disabilities who struggle with staying on pace with students without disabilities, this created a lot of unrealistic expectations for the teachers and students. For more information, please visit: https://www2.ed.gov/nclb/landing.jhtml -
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)
In 2004, Congress altered the 1975 Education for All Handicapped Children to what is now Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, or more commonly known as IDEA. This new act strengthen and improved the previous act. For more information, please visit: https://sites.ed.gov/idea/ -
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act
President Obama signed into law the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to jumpstart the United States economy. In this jumpstart, he provided states with funding under IDEA to improve the quality of early intervention services. For more information, please visit: https://www.ntia.doc.gov/page/2011/american-recovery-and-reinvestment-act-2009