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Exclusion in Education
The history of schooling for students with disabilities in the U.S is marked by exclusion, until the passage of the Education for All Children Act in the 1970's. -
Students Who Are Blind
Samuel Gridley Howe creates first school for students who are blind. -
Segregation of Students with Disabilities
The late 1800's marked a time when the segregation of students with disabilities vs. those without disabilities began. As well as the creation of special schools for those with disabilities. -
Nationwide Public School System
States began creating a nationwide public school system, largely excluding students with disabilities. -
Council for Exceptional Children
Elizabeth Farrell and various educators across the U.S and Canada for the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) which remains a prominent professional organization for special educators. This is parallel to a time when educators begin to see value in education and community involvement for students with disabilities. -
Brown versus Board of Education
The Supreme Court decided unanimously that the segregation of public schools violated the 14th amendment and was therefore unconstitutional. -
Maynard Reynold's Pyramid
Maynard Reynolds introduces a pyramid shaped structure for special education inclusion that suggests the largest amount of students in special education (the base of the pyramid) as able to be included in the general education classroom and as you move up the pyramid, the special education needs become more severe and the likelihood of requiring isolated special education classes increases. -
Lloyd Dunn
Lloyd Dunn’s “Special Education for the Mildly Retarded—Is Much of It Justifiable?” is published which questions not only the morality but the efficacy of separating children in to separate special education classes. The publication also proposes ways to utilize special education teachers and other trained special education professionals in the general education classroom. -
Mills vs. Board of Education
Parents with disabilities claim that excluding their disabled children from general education classroom was a violation of 14th amendment; prompted government to pass first draft of IDEA in 1975 -
Education for all Handicapped Children Act
Education for all Handicapped Children Act enacted. Required all public schools accepting federal funds to provide equal access to education and one free meal a day for children with physical and mental disabilities. -
Rehabilitation Act
First revision; becomes civil rights law, intended to protect those with disabilities from discrimination based on their level and type of disability -
IDEA
Education for all Handicapped Children Act- First revision, renamed Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) -
Rehabilitation Act (II)
Second revision; prohibits federal government from “procuring electronic and information technology goods and services that are not fully accessible to those with disabilities” this influenced the internet primarily, as a means to make it accessible to those with disabilities -
No Child Left Behind Act
Significantly increased the federal role in holding schools responsible for the academic progress of all students. And it put a special focus on ensuring that states and schools boost the performance of certain groups of students, such as English-language learners, students in special education, and poor and minority children, whose achievement, on average, trails their peers. -
Education for all Handicapped Children Act
Third revision; renamed Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEIA) Also required school districts to provide students with disabilities with IEPs In addition to requiring students be educated in the least restrictive environment Designed to align it more closely with No Child Left Behind Act -
Every Student Succeeds Act
Replaces No Child Left Behind Act, creating accountability plans for states with low performing schools and students, including those with disabilities. Also intended to aid general ed teachers in being more effective in teaching all students, particularly those with disabilities. -
Today
The debate over the efficacy of inclusion continues. Advocates of inclusion argue that in order for inclusion to be effective and beneficial, the supports must be in place: Instructional support, assistive devices and/or technology, a variety of instructional strategies used in the general education classroom and communication between general education teachers, the special education teachers, families, students, therapists, counselors, specialists, etc.
