History of Special Education

April D. WellsSPE/514 – Survey of Special

PopulationsDr. Michael SimaoAugust 17, 2015

Presentation Overview Eight major events that have shaped special education todayEach of the following will be explained about each event:

How terminology has changedWhy students are now in the least restrictive environmentHow society’s view of special education has changedWhy the event is significant in shaping special education

IntroductionMany events that have taken place in the past few decades have contributed to the history of special education. Today, students with special needs are able to attend school along with students who do not have disabilities. Unfortunately, this was not always the case. This presentation will introduce parents to the history of special education by discussing the efforts and legislations that helped it become what it is today.

Timeline of Major Events• Brown vs. Board of Education – May 17, 1954

• Bureau of Education for Handicapped – January 1, 1965• PARC vs. Pennsylvania – May 5, 1972

• Mills vs. D.C. Board of Education – July 8, 1972• Education for All Handicapped Children Act – July 8, 1975

• Individuals with Disabilities Act – August 5, 1990• Americans with Disability Act – August 5, 1990

• No Child Left Behind – July 8, 2001

Brown vs. Board of Education - 1954In the Brown vs. Board of

Education case decision, the “United States Supreme Court

ruled that it was unlawful under the Fourteenth

Amendment to discriminate arbitrarily against any group of

people” (Friend & Bursuck, 2015).

(Tomberrigan.com)

Brown vs. Board of Education – 1954 (con’t)Main Factors:Change in Terminology

Segregation: a state or an action of setting something or someone apart from another group of things or people (Kinshasa, 2006).

Student’s Placement in Least Restrictive Environment The decision determined that no student – regardless of their gender, race, or

disability – can be excluded from general education.Change in Society’s View

Redefined the nations ideal of separate being equalSignificance in Shaping Special Education

Was a turning point in ending race relations in schools. Allowed all students to have an equal opportunity at education (Dybwab, 1980)

Bureau of Education for the Handicapped - 1965

The Bureau of Education for the Handicapped (now known as the Office of Special Education Program – OSEP) was created after

Congress added Title VI to the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (Peterson, 2007). The creation of the Bureau in 1965

indicated that advancements in special education were finally being put in perspective, even though there were no mandates set in

place for students with special needs.

(Cm200.k12.sd.us)

Bureau of Education for the Handicapped – 1965 (con’t)

Main Factors:Change in Terminology

Mandated: an authorization or command to act a certain way with a public issue usually given by an electorate to his or her representatives.

Student’s Placement in Least Restrictive Environment PL 94-142 provided a provision that allowed students with special needs to be allowed

the opportunity to interact with students without disabilities (Jeffers, 1993).Change in Society’s View

Education for students with special needs still wasn’t mandated.Significance in Shaping Special Education

Established state funded programs in the U.S. The first Federal program created to support children's with special need’s education

(Jeffers, 1993).

Pennsylvania Association for Retarded Children (PARC) vs. Pennsylvania - 1972

PARC vs. Pennsylvania was the country’s first right-to-education

suit. After the case quickly settled, a consent decree was issued and the state agreed to provide children with mental retardation with free public

education (Friend & Bursuck, 2015).

(Iowaacec.weebly.com)

Pennsylvania Association for Retarded Children (PARC) vs. Pennsylvania – 1972

(con’t)Main Factors: Change in Terminology

Class Action Suit: a lawsuit brought by a group of people but is represented by only one member of the group (Wikipedia, 2015).

Consent Decree: a settlement or an agreement used between two parties to resolve a dispute with a liability or an admission to guilt (Phelps & Lehman, 2005).

Protected Class: a person, or group of people, that cannot be targeted for discrimination (Wikipedia, 2015).

Student’s Placement in Least Restrictive Environment Helped established the foundations and ideals of equal education that eventually led to the least

restrictive environment (LRE) principle and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (Lee, 2005). Change in Society’s View

Most people believed that children with disabilities were unable to fit in or learn with children without disabilities.

Significance in Shaping Special Education “The Court’s decree laid the foundation for the establishment of the right to an education for all children

with disabilities” (Public Interest Law Center of Philadelphia).

Mills vs. D.C. Board of Education - 1972

Much like the PARC case, Mills vs. D.C. Board of Education was a class action lawsuit that represented students with disabilities that were currently out-of-

school. The case featured seven children with various disabilities (mental

retardation, physical impairments, behavior problems, epilepsy, and hyperactivity) that

represented over 18,000 students that were denied public education in

Washington, D.C. (Gargiulo, 2015). (timerime.com)

Mills vs. D.C. Board of Education – 1972 (con’t)

Main Factors: Change in Terminology

Due Process Clause: a U.S. Constitution clause that represents a system of rights that are based on ethical laws (Gargiulo, 2015).

Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA): an act that provided federal funds for the improvement of education of children with disabilities (Gargiulo, 2015).

Student’s Placement in Least Restrictive Environment Special services were given only if they were needed, but children with disabilities were

mainstreamed. Change in Society’s View

School districts denied education to students with disabilities due to a lack of funding. Significance in Shaping Special Education

The case determined that schools could not deny education to children with disabilities due to funding issues (Gargiulo, 2015).

Education for All Handicapped Children Act (EAHCA) - 1975

Enacted by the United States Congress in 1975, the Education for

All Handicapped Children Act required all public schools that were issued federal funds to

provide children with disabilities with equal access to education and one free meal a day (Jeffers, 1993).

(thinglink.com)

Education for All Handicapped Children Act (EAHCA) – 1975 (con’t)

Main Factors: Change in Terminology

Individualized Education Program (IEP): written documents that manages the administration of special education services to services to students with special needs who needs them (Beattie, Jordan & Algozzine, 2006).

Student’s Placement in Least Restrictive Environment Children with disabilities were placed in the least restrictive educational environment

possible through mandates. Change in Society’s View

Society asked questions regarding what were the immediate impact on disabled children across the country and exactly what factors led to the EAHCA (Jeffers, 1993).

Significance in Shaping Special Education Before the EAHCA, children with special needs were denied education, but it was later

mandated that all school districts were required to educate students equally.

Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) - 1990

The Individuals with Disabilities Act was originally passed as the

Education for All Handicapped Children Act (EHCA). It describes disability categories that make

students eligible to receive special education and it specifies the related services and supplementary services and aids students may be entitled to

(Friend & Bursuck, 2015).(lifespantherapies.com)

Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) – 1990 (con’t)

Main Factors: Change in Terminology

Autism: defined as a developmental disability that affects social interactions and verbal/nonverbal communication of children.

Cognitive Disorders: a category of mental health disorders that affects memory, learning, problem solving, and perception.

Traumatic Brain Injury: an acquired brain injury that is caused by external physical forces that results in psychosocial impairment or partial functional disability that affects the educational performance of children (Knoblauch & Sorenson, 1998).

Student’s Placement in Least Restrictive Environment Students with disabilities have a right to be included in academic and extracurricular activities in general

education classrooms (Leal, Smith, Shank & Turnbull, 2002). Change in Society’s View

Schools across the country did not treat students with disabilities equally because they believed that their abilities could not be measured academically (Turnbull, 2005).

Significance in Shaping Special Education Allowed transition services for students with disabilities. General education instructors were now required to be

members of the IEP team and parents were given the right to file suit if their child’s needs were not met.

Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) - 1990

The Americans with Disabilities Act is a major civil rights law that prohibits any discrimination that

is based on an individual’s disability in both public and

private sectors. It recognizes and protects the civil rights of

individuals with disabilities (Switzer, 2003). (utsd.edu)

Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) – 1990 (con’t)

Main Factors: Change in Terminology

Reasonable Accommodation: making schools and facilities used by individuals with disabilities usable. Undue Hardship: an action that can require an expense or difficulty when considering factors such as

financial resources, size of employer’s and the structure or nature of an operation. Student’s Placement in Least Restrictive Environment

Provide the special education that the student needs. Provide students with disabilities with equal education as students without disabilities. Be as close as possible to the student’s home. Create accommodations for disabled students (Switzer, 2003).

Change in Society’s View There was an initial unacceptance from society when making modifications in society.

Significance in Shaping Special Education The nation’s first comprehensive civil rights law that protects individuals with disabilities by addressing

the needs of students and other individuals with disabilities, and prohibiting discrimination in schools, public services/accommodations, telecommunications, and employment (Wrightslaw, 2004).

No Child Left Behind Act - 2001The No Child Left Behind Act was

enacted by former President George Bush to make schools accountable

for making sure all students succeeded. It mandated all students to participate in standardized testing

with any need accommodations in order to assess their learning in

reading, science, and mathematics (Gargiulo, 2015).

(weleavenochildleftbehind.wordpress.com/page/2/)

No Child Left Behind Act – 2001 (con’t)

Main Factors: Change in Terminology

Standards-based Education Reform: a system of assessment, instruction, academic reporting, and grading that is based on whether or not a student demonstrates their understanding of the skills and knowledge they are expected to learn at school (Abbott, 2014).

Student’s Placement in Least Restrictive Environment Provided parent guides for their students, fact sheets, toolkits for instructors, and publications.

Change in Society’s View Controversial views towards No Child Left Behind Act because some teachers believe that they

should not be evaluated based on their student’s scores. Significance in Shaping Special Education

Ensures that all students receives a high-quality education and to close any achievement gaps that exists between students who have learning disabilities and students who does not.

The field of special education has come a long way to provide equal education,

early intervention, free public services for disabled students and their parents or

guardians, and mandates that are set in place to ensure that students with

disabilities succeed both in and out of their learning environments.

Summary

References• Abbott, S. (2014). The glossary of education reform. Hidden Curriculum. Retrieved from

http://edglossary.org/hidden-curriculum .• Beattie, J., Jordan, L., & Algozzine, B. (2006). Making inclusion work: Effective

practices for all teachers. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.• Dybwab, G. (1980). Avoiding the misconceptions of mainstreaming, the least

restrictive environment, and normalization. Exceptional Children, 47, 85-90.• Friend, M., & Bursuck, W. (2015). Including students with special needs: A practical guide for

classroom teachers (7th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.• Gargiulo, R. (2015). Special education in contemporary society (5th ed.). Thousand Oaks,

CA: Sage.• Jeffers, J.T. (1993). An analysis of selected federal court decisions regarding special

education administration: Public policy and principles. The University of Alabamaat Birmingham. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/304046057?accounted=458 .

References (con’t)• Kinshasa, K.M. (2006). An appraisal of brown v. board of education, Topeka, KS and the

Montgomery bus boycott. Western Journal of Black Studies, 30(4), 16-23. Retrieved

from http://search.proquest.com/docview/200338638?accounted=458 .

• Knoblauch, B. & Sorenson, B. (1998). IDEA’s definition of disabilities. Retrieved from Education

Resources Information Center Database.

• Leal, D., Smith S., Shank, M., Turnbull, A., & Turnbull, R. (2002). Exceptional lives: Special

education in today’s schools (3rd ed.). Upper Saddle River: Pearson Education.

• Lee, S.W. (2005). Least restrictive environment. Encyclopedia of School Psychology. Sage

Publications.• Peterson, J. (2007). History of special education: Historical events. Fort Schools. Retrieved

from http://admin.fortschools.org/PupilServices/StaffInfo/A%20timeline%20Of%20special%20education%20history.htm.

References (con’t)• Phelps, S., & Lehman, J. (2005). Consent decree. West’s Encyclopedia of American Low (2nd

ed.) Detroit: Gale, 103-104.• Public Interest Law Center of Philadelphia (2015). Pennsylvania Association for Retarded

Citizens (PARC) v. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Retrieved from http://www.pilcop.org/Pennsylvania-association-for-retarded-citizens-parc-

commonwealth-of-Pennsylvania/#sthash.zWDFghBy.dpbs.• Switzer, J.V. (2003). Disabled rights: American disability policy and the fight for equality.

Washington, D.C.: Georgetown University Press.• Turnbull, H.R. (2005). Individuals with disabilities education act reauthorization: Accountability

and personal responsibility. Remedial and Special Education, 2 6(6), 320-326.

Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.appollolibrary.com/docview/236325852?accou ntid=458

References (con’t)• Wikipedia. (2015). Protected class. Retrieved from http://en.Wikipedia.org/wiki/Protected_Class • Wrightslaw. (2004). Palaestra, 20, 55. Retrieved from

http://search.proquest.com/docview/213173656?accounted=458Picture References:• Cm200.k12.sd.us• Iowacec.weebly.com• Lifespantherapies.com• Thinglink.com• Timerime.com• Tomberrigan.com• Utsa.edu• Weleavenochildbehind.wordpress.com/page/2/