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Braidwood School
This Scottish school, founded in Edinburgh in the 18th century, is where some of the earliest special education took place at a public school with students with disabilities. Specifically, they were teaching deaf students, although in quite a misguided attempt they were trying to teach deaf students to speak, in what is called the Oralist tradition. -
19th Century Special Education
Outside of private education, students with disabilities were not allowed into public education settings throughout this century. -
First U.S. Special Ed School
Founded in 1817, The American Asylum for the Education and Instruction of the Deaf and Dumb (since renamed the American School for the Deaf), was founded in Hartford, CT by Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet. This school differed from the Oralist tradition in that they did not try to teach deaf students to speak, but instead embraced the emerging system of signs that would come to be known as American Sign Language (ASL). -
Council for Exceptional Children (CEC)
First established at the Teachers College in Columbia University in 1922, this organization has now spread to have locals in all 50 states. This group's purpose is to help provide inclusive and equitable education for all students with disabilities through advocacy and professional development.
By clicking on the following link you can see how to access these resources:
https://exceptionalchildren.org/ -
TOPP Act of 1959
The Training of Professional Personnel Act of 1959 is some of the earliest federal legislation in U.S. special education, this law helped fund expanded teacher training on how to educate students with intellectual disabilities. -
EHA
The Education for All Handicapped Children (EHA) was signed into law by Gerald Ford, this law was later changed to the Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA). This original law, however, marked the first time in the United States that children with disabilities were guaranteed an free and appropriate public education (FAPE) in the Least Restrictive Environment (LRE) possible. -
IDEA Original Reauthorization
1990 is when the EHA became IDEA. At this time traumatic brain injuries and autism were added as disability categories, and also introduced a mandatory individual transition plan (ITP) that prepares students for the student's transition past secondary education. -
IDEA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3XMndYNEGFA This video will give you a brief overview what this landmark piece of legislation has done to the special education field. This includes explanations of Individualized Education Programs (IEPs), Least Restrictive Environment (LRE), and accommodations. -
IDEA Update 2006
This update to the legislation requires that school use research-based interventions in special education, both in interventions designed to improve outcomes for students, as well as during the determination process to decide if students are eligible for special education services. -
IDEA 2017 Changes
At this point, all previous references to "mental retardation" were changed to "intellectual disability" and in the same year the supreme court further clarified the degree of FAPE requirements that the schools need to meet.