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Goodrich, B. (2023). Lesson One Guidance Document. [Electronic PDF]. University of Houston Technology in Special Populations Canvas. https://canvas.uh.edu/courses/896/files/714417?module_item_id=321625

YouTube. (2020). Accessing the Artist Within | Sady Paulson & Mark Coppin | TEDxFargo. YouTube. Retrieved June 14, 2023, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XTR88i9rygg.

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The Rehabilitation Act of 1973 demonstrated the demand for children with disabilities to be educated in public schools; however facilities and accommodations were limited and unable to be utilized. The act signified the beginning of society being conscious that accommodations were  needed to assist and support students with disabilities. This is why section 508 of the act required public agencies, such as schools to ensure that their electronic and information technology (EIT) be accessible to people with disabilities (Goodrich, 2023).
The Rehabilitation Act of 1973 benefits individuals like Sady because it was the initial legislative spark that allowed individuals with disabilities access to an education that could benefit them. Even though at this time public schools did not have nor were they required to have proper accommodations to meet the diverse of these individuals and most were institutionalized or educated at a basic level at home. We see the beginning of accessibility through the implementation of 508, which signifies a shift in attitudes and action advocated by people with disabilities and their allies.

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The Education for All Handicapped Children Act (EHCA)

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The Education for All Handicapped Children Act (EHCA)

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The Education for All Handicapped Children Act (EHCA) of 1975 was the first to require public schools to provide a free public appropriate education (FAPE) to every student regardless of their disability. In order to receive federal funding schools were required to follow the following mandates. First, schools had to follow what is termed Child Find, meaning that schools had to provide a comprehensive evaluation to children suspected to need special education services. Second, every child  with a disability had to have an individualized Education Plan, this plan would outline the special education services the child would need to be successful , the child’s strengths, and skills to cultivate. Third,   That the child with the disability had to be educated in the least restrictive environment where he or she could be educated alongside typical peers. Fourth, parents and the children with disabilities themselves if appropriate had to be involved In the special education process. Lastly, the rights of children and their families are protected under procedural safeguards. EHCA permitted assistive technology (AT) to be accessible to children with disabilities by requiring that an AT evaluation be considered and conducted during the IEP process to determine if the child needs AT to guarantee FAPE and if so the child be provided with the AT he or she needs along with the proper training and maintenance by the school (Goodrich, 2023).

EHCA benefits individuals like Sady, because it protects the educational rights of students with disabilities. Prior to this law public schools could deny children with a disability an education due to the severity of their condition. In fact, only 1 in 5 children with a disability were educated. EHCA ensured that any child regardless of their disability had the right to gain an education with the proper accommodations and services. Just like individuals with a disability, public schools were required to adapt to and be creative to meet the need of inclusivity.

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The Technology Related Assistance Act of 1988

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The Technology Related Assistance Act of 1988

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The Technology Related Assistance for Individuals with Disabilities Act of 1988 allowed AT to be accessible to children in public schools because it legalized state provisions for assistive technology and for the first time defined it under federal law as any piece of equipment, device or system used to improve or maintain the ability level of a child with a disability either bought commercially, modified, or customized. The Tech Act also allowed states to request funding by submitting a plan on how AT and related services were going to become accessible to people with disabilities of all ages. This plan included aspects such as sources where people with disabilities could be introduced to various types of AT, training and information for communities on AT, and developing a process system where individuals could qualify to acquire AT for permanent use and receive support for training and maintenance (Goodrich, 2023).

The Technology Related Assistance for Individuals with Disabilities Act of 1988 benefits individuals like Sady because it  gave clear but broad guidelines on the possibilities of AT. This law advanced the progression of AT in the lives of individuals with disabilities because states were now required to make AT accessible for people to explore, request long term devices for their needs, and receive support for the continuous use of AT. For individuals in the disability community, this law could be interpreted as the foundation of the contemporary equipment industry that many of us grew up involved with to acquire needed devices for everyday routines.

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The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is the civil rights law prohibiting discrimination against people with disabilities in areas such as employment, access to public services, public accommodations, and transportation. States were now legally required to provide AT devices to accommodate people with disabilities in these areas of society, which included schools. Now children with disabilities could have the opportunity to have a public education because schools had to be reasonably accommodated for them in terms of the physical environment and the educational curriculum under federal law  (Goodrich, 2023).

ADA benefits individuals like Sady, who are part of the disability community because it grants and protects their civil rights for them to be full members of society. It guarantees a standard of accessibility in America. For example, if ADA would not have been established, individuals like Sady would not even have the possibility to tell their stories because of the barriers that exist in our society designed by and for able-bodied individuals. In simple words, Sady would not have been considered for the Ted Talk or for the partnership with Apple due to the lack of accessibility. ADA gave key to the world even though the world has a long way to go to become truly accessible.

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The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) of 1990

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The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) of 1990

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The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) of 1990 was the re-authorization of EHCA, it stipulated the same required mandates under FAPE and LRE, but used people-first language when referring to students with disabilities. IDEA made AT accessible to children with disabilities in public schools by restating AT and related services as an essential component for the inclusion and accessibility experienced by children with disabilities in the general education classroom. IDEA stated that AT and related services must be provided to children who need them and gave public schools access to funding for the implementation of this procedure, but funding was limited (Goodrich, 2023).

IDEA 1990 benefits individuals like Sady because it not only continued to preserve the educational right of individuals with disabilities to a typical education without negating their needs, and providing them with tools to level the field of success. It also showed a more inclusive shift in societal attitudes through the incorporation of people first language. Society was beginning to see the person not just the disability within.

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The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) of 1997 expanded on the original 1990 act. The 1997 reauthorization made AT accessible to children with disabilities in public schools by deepening the requirements of the LRE. Now public schools had to not only allow the physical integration of children with disabilities in general education classrooms, they also had to allow children access to the general education curriculum hence, AT devices and related services are means of making that curriculum accessible. In addition, the act now included the category of developmentally delayed, meaning that younger children needing special education services be served without the need for a specific condition, expanding the need for AT and related services to support a growing and diverse demographic of students. Lastly, additional grants were authorized for AT and related services (Goodrich, 2023).

IDEA 1997 benefits individuals like Sady, because through the expansion of LRE those with disabilities had the opportunity to break down a stereotype that is still held by some people today. People with disabilities can not learn as everyone else. Now that they had access to a general education curriculum people with disabilities could prove themselves with their needed accommodations and demonstrate their diverse capability to learn and excel as everyone else.

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The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) of 2004 was another reauthorization of the 1990 and 1997 acts. While this latest redrafting was significant because it mandated schools to now that children with disabilities be assessed on education achievement using the same measures as typically developing peers to the greatest extent possible. It impacted the access of AT devices for children with disabilities in public schools in two major ways. First, it more clearly defined AT devices and related services, by stating the exclusion of surgically implanted devices. Secondly, it legally defined Universal Design for Learning, which is the process of making aspects of society, such as environments, technology, and materials diverse and barrier free to the greatest extent possible so that they become user friendly to people of all ability levels (Goodrich, 2023).
             IDEA 2004 benefits individuals like Sadbecause it again made education an outlet for   individuals to claim their status as equals. They were now held to equal success standards as their able bodied peers to the greatest extent possible. For those who belong to the disability community this means that their efforts could not be diminished or heightened because of their disability. The act also benefits people with disabilities through the implementation of Universal Design for learning. This allowed diversity in environments, equipment, and materials to become more of a norm so everyone in society could benefit. For instance, in the Ted Talk the speakers spoke about how Sady benefited from an online course due to accessibility and also anonymity in terms of her disability. But if we think about it an online class is a source of Universal design for learning because students can benefit from having material taught and accessed in different ways, it allows greater flexibility for the schedule of students, and it allows for students to have a greater degree of  personal accommodations in terms of physical communication and commuting aspects. 