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Brown vs. Board of Education
Although Brown vs. Board of Education aimed to end legal segregation in public schools based on race, the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling paved the road to equal public education opportunities for all U.S. citizens (Royster). The Brown vs. Board case lead to the 1964 Civil Rights Act, 1965 Voting Rights Act, and paved the way for further cases such as Mills v. Board. All of which would ultimately lead to "the inclusion of children with disabilities in the public schools" (Wood, 2006). -
Elementary and Secondary Education Act
The 1965 Elementary and Secondary Education Act "became the statutory basis upon which early special education legislation was drafted" ("The legislative history,"). The ESEA did not make it law to educate students with disabilities (Peterson, 2007). However, it did give grants to state schools and institutions that "devoted to the education of children with disabilities" and it would also lead to various amendments important to special education ("The legislative history,"). -
Rehabilitation Act Ammendments Section 504
The 1973 amendments to the Rehabilitation Act is often thought of as the most significant legislation that was passed in regards to citizens with disabilities (Woods, 2006). These new amendments extended equal civil rights to include people with disabilities, which included the right to an education as stated in Section 504 (Woods, 2006). However, most educators didn't realize that these amendments applied to public schools (Peterson, 2007). -
Education for All Handicapped Children Act
With the help of court cases, such as Brown vs. Board, the enactment of the Education for All Handicapped Children Act made sure that students with disabilities are educated in all public school districts (Peterson, 2007). EAHCA included providing free appropriate education, special education to children ages 3 to 21, supplemental services, due process, zero reject, and least restrictive environment (Woods, 2006). EAHCA would experience amendments and change it's name to IDEA (Peterson, 2007). -
EAHCA Amendments
EAHCA's amendments include an early intervention program to include infants and toddlers (birth to three program), authorized grants, clarified parental rights, and allowed interagency agreements to allow for transitioning students (Woods, 2006). The amendments aren't fully implemented until September of 1994, but the amount of children in this part of the EAHCA has grown significantly since (Woods, 2006). -
Americans with Disabilities Act
"The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990 was a landmark in disability rights legislation" because it extended the rights beyond that of Section 504 (Woods, 2006). This act extends the rights of people with disabilities into society by ensuring equal rights regarding accessibility, accommodations, employment, and transportation, which requires schools to ensure accessibility and accommodations "to those with mobility, health, or visual impairments (Woods, 2006). -
IDEA Reauthorization
In 1990 EAHCA was renamed Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA) and in 1997 it was reauthorized and included amendments to require students with disabilities take the same assessments on the district and state wide levels and changes to IEP requirements (Peterson, 2007). IDEA states that low expectations "plague" special education and the 1997 amendments aimed to provide the tools needed to "ensure that all students with disabilities receive a high quality education" (Vohs & Landau, 1999). -
No Child Left Behind Act
The No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), which was an ESEA reauthorization, focused mainly on key areas including science, mathematics, and language arts (Woods, 2006). This includes the requirement to have all students to be proficient in reading and math by 2014 (Peterson, 2007). States are required to submit annual yearly progress documentation and there are repercussions to those schools that are not showing annual yearly progress on a regular basis (Woods, 2006).
