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American School of the Deaf
The American School for the Deaf was founded in Hartford, Connecticut. This was the first school for disabled children anywhere in the Western Hemisphere. It is situated on a 54-acre campus, the ASD has graduated approximately 6000 graduates. -
Perkins Institution for the Blind
The Perkin Institution was founded in Boston, Massachusetts. This institution was the first of its kind for people with mental disabilities. Participants were required to live and learn there, just like a boarding school. The school is named in honor of Thomas Handasyd Perkins, one of the organization's incorporators and a Boston shipping merchant who began losing his sight at the time of establishment. -
Civil Rights Act of 1866
By declaring that all persons born here in the US are citizens this act provides that it was illegal to discriminate against individuals on the basis of color, race or whether they were a slave. This would help in future litigation and provide a remedy for those affected in the education system.
https://teachingamericanhistory.org/library/document/the-civil-rights-act-of-1866/ -
Beattie v. Board of Education
The Wisconsin Supreme Court upholds a ruling that a student could be excluded from a school-based on a disability. Special needs students were expelled from school due to facial abnormalities and drooling. The students' mental capacities were fine, but teachers and fellow students were nauseated by this student's physical conditions. -
Council for Exceptional Children
The Council for Exceptional Children is the first advocacy group for children with disabilities. The CEC is one of the largest special education advocacy groups. The main objective of this group is to ensure that children with special needs receive FAPE. -
Classification for Autism
The classification of Autism was introduced by Dr. Leo Lanner of John Hopkins University. Leo Kanner was an Austrian-American psychiatrist, physician, and social activist best known for his work related to autism. Kanner published his paper Autistic Disturbances of Affective Contact, describing 11 children who were highly intelligent but displayed "a powerful desire for aloneness" and "an obsessive insistence on persistent sameness."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VaZUig03gT0 (1:14) -
The Arc
The Arc was formed by 23 individual advocacy groups that had the same belief so they came together as one. During the passing of IDEA, the ARC consisted of over 200,000 members. ARC helped with litigation and making sure that all parts of the judicial process were met. -
Elementary and Secondary Education Act
The Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) was passed by the 89th United States Congress and signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson on April 11, 1965. Part of Johnson's "War on Poverty", the act has been the most far-reaching federal legislation affecting education ever passed by the United States Congress. -
In the Mills v. Board of Education of the District of Colombia
The U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia students classified as “Exceptional”. This includes those with mental and learning disabilities and behavioral issues. This ruling made it unlawful for the D.C. Board of Education to deny these individuals access to publicly funded educational opportunities. -
Education for All Handicapped Children Act
This act made sure that all students with disabilities are educated in public schools. EAHCA included providing free educations, special education for children 3-21, supplemental services, due process, zero reject, and least restrictive environment. Making it easier to access education for children with disabilities.
