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The Connecticut Asylum for the Instruction of the Deaf and Dumb Persons opens
The first chool for the deaf in the United States. Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet and Laurent Clerc are the school's co-founders. It was later renamed the American School for the Deaf. -
The New England Asylum for the Blind was founded
Later called the Perkins School for the Blind. The philosophy of the school was to give students both the ability to think and the skills to support themselves. The school's goal was to produce independent, productive, well-educated members of society. -
Massachusetts School for Idiotic and Feeble-Minded Children established
Massachusetts School for Idiotic and Feeble-Minded Children, South Boston. -
Gallaudet University is founded
Edward Miner Gallaudet,Thomas Gallaudet's son, helps start the National Deaf Mute College (later called Gallaudet University), the first college specifically for deaf students. It was founded by an Act of Congress, and its charter was signed by President Abraham Lincoln. -
The Binet-Simon Scale
Alfred Binet and Theodore Simon developed a test to measure intelligence. The test and related research were presented to the International Congress of Psychology in Rome. Their paper was titled New Methods for Diagnosing Idiocy, Imbecility, and Moron Status. -
Wechsler–Bellevue Intelligence Scale
Introduced the concept of the "deviation IQ," which calculates IQ scores based on how far a student's scores differ (or deviate) from the average (mean) score of others who are the same age, The Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC) was adapted from this measure and developed in 1949. There have since been several revisions. -
The Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965
Congress adds Title VI to the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 and created the Bureau of Education for the Handicapped. It didn't mandate education for students with disabilities, but signaled a change. Today the bureau is called the Office of Special Educations Programs (OSEP). -
Section 504 of the 1973 Rehabilitation Act
Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act created and extended civil rights to people with disabilities. Section 504 has provided opportunities for children and adults with disabilities in education, employment and various other settings. It allows for reasonable accommodations such as special study area and assistance as necessary for each student. -
The Education For All Handicapped Children Act - (EAHCA or EHA, or Public Law (PL) 94-142)
Mandated a free appropriate public education for all children with disabilities, ensured due process rights, and mandated IEPs and LRE. In 1990, amended and called The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). -
The (ADA) Americans with Disabilities Act is enacted
The ADA is a wide-ranging civil rights law that prohibits, under certain circumstances, discrimination based on disability. It affords similar protections against discrimination to Americans with disabilities. Disability is defined by the ADA as "a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits a major life activity." -
The No Child Left behind Act (NCLB) of 2001
The No Child Left behind Act (NCLB) of 2001 was signed into law on January 8, 2002 - Calls for all students to become proficient in reading and math by 2014. -
The American Association on Mental Retardation (AAMR) became the American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (AAIDD)
The name change reflected the movement toward use of the term intellectual disability instead of mental retardation.
