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This law was sparked by civil rights movements and allowed for students with disabilities to have access to beneficial programs for education (The Rehabilitation Act of 1973, 29 USC § 701 [1973]). It became the baseline for all future laws regarding students with disabilities, including the use of technology in education. Specifically, Section 508 of this Act requires electronic information technology in public agencies (like schools) to be accessible to people with disabilities (General Services Administration, 2024). Section 504 requires schools to provide all necessary accommodations for students to have equal access to education as their peers in general education (1973).

As mentioned, this law was the first in line of many laws to further provide and enhance education for someone like Sady, who has cerebral palsy. More importantly, this law provided a civil right for individuals with disabilities, like Sady, to have access to programs beneficial specifically for them to lead successful, equitable lives. It became the groundwork for future legislation regarding people with differing abilities.

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The Education of All Handicapped Children Act (EAHCA) of 1975

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The Education of All Handicapped Children Act (EAHCA) of 1975

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This law introduced mandatory requirements for students with disabilities to have a right to a free and appropriate public education, an individualized education program, education provided in the least restrictive environment, appropriate evaluation for disability if suspected, parental and student participation in decisions regarding the student's education, and procedural safeguards (The Education of All Handicapped Children Act of 1975, 20 USC § 1401 [1975]). Here we see the beginning structures of accessible education taking place. Boundaries of what constitutes as equal access to beneficial programs are defined, giving way to what we now know today as special education.

A structured, defined approach to how we serve our students with disabilities, particularly within education, is what this act brings to light. We're beginning to notice that even with lawmakers and those in charge, people are understanding and learning what it means to support our students with disabilities as the laws progress. Students like Sady were provided LRE, FAPE, an IEP and more with this law in place. In essence, this law provides the very definition and opportunity of special education for students with disabilities.

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The Technology Related Assistance for Individuals with Disabilities Act of 1988 (Tech Act)

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The Technology Related Assistance for Individuals with Disabilities Act of 1988 (Tech Act)

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Here we see a shift towards an intentional inclusion of technology in services related to special education and people with disabilities. Assistive technology and services were defined and mandated with this act (Technolgy Related Assistance for Individuals with Disabilities Act of 1988, 29 USC § 2201 [1988]). The effect was largely financial, with federal funding for AT programs and services rolling out. This funding was used to provide training programs or make material surrounding AT services and implementation of services accessible through libraries (1988). This act later became reauthorized under The Assistive Technology Act of 1998 (PL 105-394), which worked in accordance with the IDEA (1990) to provided AT supports and devices for students that qualified (Library of Congress, 2025).

Not only did people become more aware of the importance of technology in special education, but there was also a much required increase in people with knowledge of the varying AT devices and services, how they were used, and implementation with public schools. We now had specific staff members in schools or public agencies for assistive technology. The lifelong learning of humans is palpable in this stage of growth, as technological supports and devices were introduced as pertinent to the development of individuals within our society, like Sady. Through access to the AT devices and supports she was provided as a child, as this law mandates, Sady began developing skills that she would later master in video editing.

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The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA)

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The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA)

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Another civil rights turning point for people with disabilities is the enactment of the ADA. Similar to the Rehabilitation Act, this law focuses on ending discrimination against people with disabilities by enforcing regulations on public agencies to make accessible spaces for all persons. Essentially, schools and other public places could no longer deny a student or person entry due to their physical capabilities (The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, 42 USC § 12101 [1990]). Schools had to be made accessible for all students, as well as transportation services and telecommunication facilities or methods. In combination with the Rehabilitation Act, students with intellectual or physical disabilities were no longer denied access to the most appropriate and beneficial education for them (1990). In order to make this work, schools and agencies began to utilize more assistive technology devices and supports for sustained access to all persons.

When examining the lifestyle of someone with physically differing abilities, like Sady with her CP, this act is monumental in providing equal access and opportunity for her education, career, and general lifestyle success. Where previously a child might've had additional difficulties in accessing and attending their local public school, they now had an irrefutable right to do so with the rest of their peers. In addition to this, the priority and necessity of technology in education solidifies through the inclusion of all students, including those like Sady that rely on AT to communicate and function in their lives.

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Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 1990 / 1997 / 2004 (IDEA)

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Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 1990 / 1997 / 2004 (IDEA)

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Fifteen years later, the EAHCA gets reauthorized as IDEA. One main shift seen here was a change in language regarding people and students with disabilities towards person first language (i.e. a disabled person --> a person with a disability). Additionally, this act required students with disabilities to be taught with their peers in general education settings as much as possible. FAPE, LRE, an IEP, appropriate evaluations, procedural safeguards, and parent/student involvement in the student's education remained within the act (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 1990, 20 USC § 1401, [1990]). Regarding technology in special education, IDEA (1990) required AT devices and services to be provided by schools. This resulted in some additional funding provided by the federal government. In 1997, the act was amended to further define the LRE such that students with disabilities had access to the general education curriculum, and not just the classroom. The term "developmental delay" was also expanded to 3-9 years of age without a specific disability or condition attached to it. Mediation, an alternative to due process hearings, was also required for schools to have. Finally, additional grants for assistive technology were given for schools (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 1997, 20 USC § 1401, [1997]). Seven years later, in 2004, IDEA was yet again amended to make curriculum and assessment within special education as on par to general education as possible. This meant that when appropriate, the same assessment standards for general education must be used for students in special education (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 2004, 20 USC § 1401, [2004]). In addition to same assessments, IDEA (2004) introduced the concept of the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) as an instrumental piece in special education. With UDL, curriculum is designed preemptively to suit the diverse needs of learners, rather than attempting to change curriculum when met with differing needs.

The amendments made to the IDEA (1990) over the span of nearly 15 years are exemplar in solidifying equitable education for students with disabilities, as were the acts of the previous 15 years instrumental in making it that far. We can see a pattern of attaining equal rights in education over these these 35 years, and the specific goal to have special and general education overlap as much as possible is seen in IDEA (2004). The right to education is ever-evolving and we'll always have room to grow, particularly as technology grows and becomes more relevant to our everyday lives. With assurances and requirements towards implementing and providing AT devices and supports for students with disabilities, we see end results like that of Sady, an individual immersed in her career and passion. She's achieving her utmost potential through accessibility that has been refined and legally mandated, implemented, and supported over the years.

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Disability Rights Texas & The Arc of Texas. n.d. [image of IDEA logo]. Retrieved from: https://disabilityrightstx.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/IDEA-Manual-A-Guide-for-Texas-Parents-and-Students-on-Special-Education-Rights-1.pdf

General Services Administration. (2024, July). Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act, as amended. Retrieved from: https://www.section508.gov/manage/laws-and-policies/section-508-law/

Legal Information Institute. n.d. Retrieved from: https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/20/1401 , https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/29/701 , & https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/42/12101

Library of Congress, n.d. Retrieved from: https://www.congress.gov/bill/100th-congress/senate-bill/2561

Partners for Youth with Disabilities. n.d. [image of civil rights protests in 1970's]. Retrieved from: https://pyd.org/announcement/rehabilitation-act-of-1973/

Smithsonian. n.d. [image of ADA pin]. Retrieved from: https://www.si.edu/exhibitions/americans-disabilities-act-1990-2015%3Aevent-exhib-5582

Study.com. n.d. [image of a tree with different accessibility symbols at the bottom]. Retrieved from: https://study.com/academy/lesson/video/assistive-technology-act-of-1998.html

Wrightslaw.com. n.d. [image of President Gerald Ford signing a bill]. https://www.wrightslaw.com/law/art/history.spec.ed.law.htm