3. Special Education
Watson vs City of Cambridge
◦ 1893
Beattie vs The Board of Education
◦ 1919
Brown vs The Board of Education
◦ 1954
4. Special Education Cont…
Title V added to Elementary and
Secondary Act
◦ 1965
504 Section of the Rehabilitation Act
◦ 1973
FERPA enacted
◦ 1975
8. Conclusion
Deficit thinking
◦ caused shame and defeat to children who
suffered from disabilities.
◦ Prevented students from receiving the
help they needed for several decades
How is it better?
9. References
Beekman, L. (2011, September). History of Special Education. Retrieved June 26,
2016, from
http://osse.dc.gov/sites/default/files/dc/sites/osse/publication/attachments/Hi
story Of Special Education.pdf
Daigle, B. (2011, May 11). History of Special Education. Retrieved June 25, 2016,
from
https://vimeo.com/24040778
Department of Education. (2015, June 26). Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act
(FERPA). Retrieved June 27, 2016, from
http://www2.ed.gov/policy/gen/guid/fpco/ferpa/index.html
Gargiulo, R. (2015). Special education in contemporary society (5th ed.). Thousand
Oaks,
CA: SAGE. Retrieved from The University of Phoenix eBook Collection
database
Klein, A. (n.d.). No Child Left Behind Overview: Definitions, Requirements, Criticisms,
and More. Retrieved June 28, 2016, from
http://www.edweek.org/ew/section/multimedia/no-child-left-behind-
overview-definition-summary.html
Special education. (n.d.). Retrieved June 28, 2016, from
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special_education
US Dept of Education. (n.d.). IDEA - Building The Legacy of IDEA 2004. Retrieved
June
28, 2016, from http://idea.ed.gov/explore/view/p/,root,statute,I,B,612,a,5,
Editor's Notes
Special education is defined as “the practice of educating students with special educational needs in a way that addresses their individual differences and needs” (Wiki 2016). This has not always been available and was enacted through court rulings and laws (Daigle 2011).
In the years of 1893 and 1919, two students were expelled from school because of his/her disabilities. The parents decided to take the schools to court and the school’s decision was upheld both times (Beekman 2011). The student was defined as a distraction. In the year of 1954 during the Brown vs The Board of Education case, Chief Justice Warren from the US Supreme Court “ruled that separate was not equal in education” (Daigle 2011). This opened the door for all students and created a pathway for students with exceptionalities to be guaranteed an education.
In 1965, congress added Title V to the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965. Although this created a Bureau of Education for the handicapped, students who suffered from disabilities were not given the right to a fair and equal education (Beekman 2011). Schools still had the right to deny them of an education. In 1975, FERPA (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act) was enacted. This act gave parents the right to access their child’s educational information (Department of Education 2015).
In 1975, the Education for All Handicapped Children Act was enacted. This law required all school districts to educate all students regardless to their disability (Daigle 2011). This law along with the 504 Section of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and FERPA paved the way for equal education of students of all abilities. The final revisions that provided rules that schools were to follow were enacted at the beginning of the 1977-1978 school year (US Dept of Education)
. In 1990, EAHCA was revised and renamed to IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act). This law required school districts to evaluate students’ outcomes. It also required schools to provide assistance to help students transition from high school into their post secondary life. IDEA was amended in 1997. This amendment required regular teachers to become a part of the IEP team and it required students with disabilities to be included in standardized testing (US Dept of Education). In 2004, NCLB (No Child Left Behind) was enacted. This law requires students with disabilities to be proficient in reading and math by 2014 (Klein).
Society’s views of students with exceptionalities changed as laws and acts were changed and enacted. In today’s society, we are encouraged to look for similarities instead of differences and the definition of disability and handicap has been updated and changed. Students can no longer be denied a fair and equal education and there are special funding programs for those with learning disabilities. Parents have access to their children’s educational information and they are allowed and encouraged to participate in decision making processes when determining which programs will be better for their child. Instead of students being identified by their disabilities, they are identified as students first and they are rarely identified as handicap due to a disability.
Changes and laws throughout history has provided what is now known as the Least Restricted Environment. Least Restricted Environment give students with exceptionalities the opportunity to be educated with non-disabled peers. Students can no longer be placed in special classes or separate schooling based upon their disabilities (Gargiulo 2015).
It is through the laws and acts that students with exceptionalities were given a right to an equal education. If education is designed to produce socially responsible adults, we should be sure to offer the best education to children who suffer from disabilities. Today, children of all abilities are able to take care of themselves and are given jobs throughout society today.
