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Brown v. Board of Education
Brown v. Board of Education was a Supreme Court case that overturned the Plessy v. Ferguson decision, which stated that facilities could be segregated as long as they were equal. It established that separate facilities are inherently unequal and therefore it was unconstitutional for schools to segregate black and white children. After this case, parents of children with disabilities started to bring lawsuits against schools for excluding and segregating children with disabilities. -
The Elementary and Secondary Education Act
The Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) focused on equal access to education and establishing high standards and accountability in order to close the achievement gaps between students. It provided funds for professional development, instructional materials, resources to support educational programs, and parental involvement promotion. It also required federally funded education programs to include all students with disabilities in the student achievement system. -
PARC v. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
The Pennsylvania Association for Retarded Children (PARC) sued the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania for allowing public schools to deny access to free education for children who had not reached a mental age of five by first grade. The court ruled that free public education had to be given to all children and that the education given to children with disabilities had to equal to that of non-disabled children. -
Mills v. Board of Education of the District of Columbia
This lawsuit claimed that children were being denied placement in a public educational program because of their disabilities. The court ruled that no child could be denied free public education because of a disability, regardless of financial costs. -
The Rehabilitation Act
The Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Section 504, was one of the first disability civil rights law to be enacted in the United States. It prohibited discrimination against people with disabilities in programs that receive federal financial assistance, therefore providing equal access for students with disabilities to higher education institutions that received federal financial assistance. -
Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act
The Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) is a federal law that protects the privacy of student education records. It protects the privacy rights of parents and children by limiting access to these records without parental consent and allows parents or eligible students to request to correct records that are inaccurate or misleading. -
Education for All Handicapped Children Act
The Education for All Handicapped Children Act of 1975 was a law passed by congress that required all public schools to provide equal access to education for students with disabilities in the least restrictive environment and provide them with one free meal a day. It also required the schools to provide procedures in order for the parents of children with disabilities to dispute decisions made about their children’s education. -
Board of Education v. Rowley
Board of Education of the Hendrick Hudson Central School District v. Rowley was a supreme court case based on a school refusing to provide a sign language interpreter for a deaf student. The Court ruled in favor of the school, by interpreting the EHA that public schools did not have to help students with disabilities achieve their full potential as learners, but instead that the instruction and services were sufficient enough that the students benefited educationally. -
Americans with Disabilities Act
Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 is a civil rights law that provides people with disabilities the same rights and opportunities as nondisabled people. It prohibits discrimination based on disability in employment, transportation, public accommodations, communications and access to state and local government’ programs and services. -
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act
Education for All Handicapped Children Act (EHA) was changed to Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) which states that all children with disabilities are entitled to a free appropriate public education (FAPE) to meet their unique needs and prepare them for further education, employment and independent living. -
No Child Left Behind Act
No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 required schools to develop routine assessments of students’ academic skills with each state to develop its own standards. It promoted stronger accountability and high achieving standards for all students, including those with disabilities.
