IDEA40:Yesterday, Today &

Tomorrow

Agenda─Yesterday – 1975 – Education of the Handicapped Act (EHA) ─Today – 2015 – Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)─Tomorrow – 2015 and beyond•Celebrating 40 Years!•Future

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Yesterday

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Yesterday“In memory of Elizabeth Farrell, pioneer

teacher of backward children in New York City.

She devoted her life to the development of

the ungraded classes and left to all children

in need of special help the assurance that they

may find it in the public schools.”

Inscription on plaque at the Council for

Exceptional Children Headquarters

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YesterdayLandmark Court Decisions

─Pennsylvania Association for Retarded Citizens v. Commonwealth (1971)─Mills v. Board of Education of the District of Columbia (1972)─Court decisions affirmed the right of every child with a disability to be educated, are grounded in the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution

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Yesterday

─Passage of 94:142 – 1975 Education of the Handicapped Act (EHA)─Signed by President Gerald Ford, November 29, 1975─Civil Rights Law of Our Time

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“During the early part of the 1970’s, forces came together to create the

perfect storm. Groups that did not talk to each other or didn’t have much in

common all of a sudden had a common interest for a national set of policies

and national funding for special education.”

Fred Weintraub,

Former CEC Assistant Executive Director

for Governmental Relations

Yesterday

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“Well, I think in the first moments, when we realized that the President had in fact signed it, we were in a suspended state of both shock and relief. In the next moments, I distinctly recall thinking to myself, ‘This is the most important thing I will do in my life.’…I still believe it was ‘the most important thing.’ And then a few moments later I thought, ‘Life does not get any better than this. They will never get rid of our children now.’”

Joe Ballard,

Former CEC Assistant Executive Director for PolicyHulett,K.E. (2009) Legal Aspects of Special Education. Upper Saddle River, N.J. (Reprinted with permission)

Yesterday

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“As parents of a son who was in the first cohort to have rights under IDEA (PL 94-142), and as professionals, we have been grateful that CEC was in the vanguard of advocacy for that law and for its improvement and implementation.”

“I shudder to think what would have befallen our son and our family without the law; and without leadership from so many CEC members at the federal and state/local levels. Our futures would have been dark. As it was, our lives were much brighter.”

Rud and Ann Turnbull,

Co-Founders, Co-Directors, and Distinguished Professors

Beach Center on Disability, University of Kansas

Rud, Ann, and Jay Turnbull

Yesterday

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“Starting in about 1972, working with Fred Weintraub of CEC, Lisa Walker of Sen. Harrison

Williams‘ staff, and Jack Duncan, counsel to Rep. John Brademas for his subcommittee, we

began planning what became P.L. 94-142. Many other people contributed to that bill's

ultimate form and passage, but the core group continued intact over about three years.

The key concept was what we called FAPE.”

Ed Martin,

First Assistant Secretary for Special Education and

Rehabilitative Services, U.S. Department of Education, 1979

Yesterday

Today

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YesterdayFour Purposes of P.L. 94-142

─Assure free appropriate public education (FAPE)…special education and related services designed to meet their unique needs─Assure rights of children with disabilities and their parents…are protected─Assist states and localities to provide for the education of all children with disabilities─Assess and assure the effectiveness of efforts to educate all children with disabilities

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TodayAs we celebrate the 40th Anniversary of P.L. 94-142, significant progress has been made in:

•Ensuring civil rights•Providing equal access to the education of children with disabilities

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TodayNational Impact of IDEA to Date

•More young children with disabilities receive high – quality early interventions that prevents or reduces the future need for services.

•More children with disabilities are not only attending neighborhood schools but also are receiving access to the general education curriculum and learning a wide variety of academic skills.

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TodayNational Impact of IDEA to Date

•More youths with disabilities graduate from high school.

•More youths with disabilities are enrolled in postsecondary programs.

•More young adults with disabilities are employed.

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–The celebration of the 40th Anniversary of IDEA is really about the children and youth, their families and the professionals who work on their behalf.

Let’s Celebrate!

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CEC’s Yes I Can! Award Winners

Dawson

DylanJames

Dylan Kristina

Chelsea

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CEC Clarissa Hug Teacher of the Year Award Winners

Gayle Solis ZavalaCyndi Chappel

Tomorrow

Tomorrow

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–With our collective courage, commitment, and compassion, we will see the day when all children with disabilities grow up to be:•successful adults• fully integrated into the community•strong contributors to our national economy

–Working together, we will keep this promise

Tomorrow

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–As we look to the future and the IDEA 50th Anniversary, what will the speakers of that celebration be saying?–CEC’s nationally prominent scholars gave us a glimpse in the EC journal – Changing Conceptions of Special Education•What constituents equity for students?

Tomorrow

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•How do we ensure a clear vision for special education in a new continuum of general education placements and services?•How do we address the fact that students from historically underserved groups continue to be disproportionality identified as requiring special education?

Tomorrow

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•How do we address the political dilemmas of formative assessments? •How do we ensure the fidelity and availability of early intervention services to very young children and their families?•How do we instruct a new model of special education teacher quality and preparation?

Tomorrow

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–As advocates we have the incredible opportunity and immense responsibility to share our experiences and expertise to put disability law into practice. –Alongside of every special educator stands CEC, representing the voice and vision of special education and advocacy to raise the expectation for individuals with disabilities.

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Take Action: CEC’s Legislative Action Center

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Margaret Mead“A small group of thoughtful people could change the world. Indeed, it's the only thing that ever has.”

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Deb ZieglerDirector

Policy & Advocacy and Professional Standards debz@cec.sped.org

Rose Haller-KaplanProgram Assistant

Policy & Advocacy and Professional Standardsrosehk@cec.sped.org