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French physician Jean-Marc-Gaspard Itard
Itard worked with a 12 year old boy, Victor, who was deaf and mute. He worked to teach him functional skills. Itard's work with Victor introduced the idea that given instruction, children with special needs can benefit and develop skills they may be lacking. -
Connecticut Asylum for the Education and Instruction of the Deaf and Dumb Persons
Thomas Gallaudet opens a residential facility in Hartford, Connecticut to educate students who are deaf. -
Perkins Institution for the Blind
Samuel Gridley Howe opened this school for students who were visually impaired in Boston, Massachusetts. -
Braille
Louis Braille publishes the first tactile written system for people who are visually impaired. -
Samuel Gridley Howe
Dr. Howe establishes The Massachusetts School for Idiotic and Feeble-Minded Youth, a boarding school for youth with intellectual delays in Boston, Massachusetts. -
American Printing House for the Blind
Established in Louisville, Kentucky -
National Deaf Mute College
Established in Washington, D.C., later renamed Gallaudet College, and then Gallaudet University -
Columbia University
The school begins formal training for teachers of people who are visually impaired; the term "special education" is coined by Alexander Graham Bell -
College-level training
Schools begin instructing teachers of students with intellectual disabilities. -
Alfred Binet and Theodore Simon
The Binet-Simon Scale was published to measure intelligence in children. This became the basis for today's IQ testing. -
Segregated classes
Public schools establish separate classes to teach children with disabilities; the term "emotional disturbance" gains usage. -
Terminology
The terms "mentally retarded" and "gifted" are introduced and found in literature. -
Council for Exceptional Children
The Council for Exceptional Children is founded at Teachers College, Columbia University. -
Leo Kanner
Dr. Kanner, known as the "father of child psychiatry", describes characteristics of children with autism -
Hans Asperger
Dr. Hans Asperger describes children with characteristics that would come to be known as Asperger's syndrome. -
Willowbrook State School
A school for children with intellectual disabilities opens on Staten Island in New York City. Amidst scandal, it was closed in 1987. -
Brown v. Board of Education
The U.S. Supreme Court determined that "separate but equal" has no place in the field of education. This ruling deemed state laws allowing schools to be segregated by race unconstitutional. -
Samuel A. Kirk
Dr. Kirk, a psychologist and educator coined the term "learning disabilities". -
Christmas in Purgatory: A Photographic Essay on Mental Retardation
Burton Blatt and Fred Kaplan publish a book of photographs exposing life in an institution for those with intellectual disabilities. -
Title VI
Title VI was added to the Elementary and Secondary Education Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) to provide funding for best practices in special education. -
Diana v. State Board of Education of California
The court ordered that all students must be tested in their native language. -
PARC v. The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
Children with intellectual disabilities cannot be denied access to a free public education and they benefit from an education tailored to meet their needs. -
Mills v. Board of Education
A class action lawsuit in Washington, D.C. where the court ordered the district to educate all students including those with disabilities. -
Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973
This law broadly defines disabilities and allows students who are not eligible for special educational services receive special accommodations that may not be available to other students. -
P.L. 94-142
These amendments to the 1974 Education for All Handicapped Children Act (EAHCA) were enacted. -
Larry P. v. Riles
This court case determined that assessments must not discriminate based on race. -
Board of Education of the Hendrick Hudson Central School District v. Rowley
This decision defined Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE). -
Irving Independent School District v. Tatro
When necessary health services can be performed by a nonphysician, they are considered a related service and the school is responsible for providing that service if it has educational benefit. -
Honig v. Doe
This court case addressed issues with misbehavior and school suspensions in students with disabilities. -
ADA & IDEA
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is enacted; the EAHCA is amended and renamed the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). -
IDEA
IDEA amendments add transition services, participation by general education teachers and discipline procedures. -
Cedar Rapids Community School District v. Garrett F.
This ruling requires schools to provide nursing services to students with disabilities who need them during the school day. -
NCLB
The No Child Left Behind Act increases accountability for outcomes for all students and requires all teachers to be highly qualified. -
Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act
A reauthorization of the IDEA, this raised standards for quality instruction of students with disabilities, addressed parent involvement and discipline, as well as defining highly qualified teachers. -
Rosa's Law
President Obama signs this law which changes federal language from "mental retardation" to "intellectual disability."
