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Technology is important, but art may be more important in helping level the playing field for students with disabilities. Making art a priority for students like Sady can help with fine motor and problem-solving skills as well as finding something that students excel in outside of your traditional subjects in school (Cruse, 2019).

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"Rehabilitation Act - Declares that it is the purpose of this Act to provide a statutory basis for the Rehabilitation Service Administration, to establish within the Department of Health, Education and Welfare an Office for the Handicapped, and to authorize specified programs" (Congressional Research Service, 1973).

This law protects individuals like Sady from facing discrimination based on their disability and has allowed for even more progress to be made. The Rehabilitation Act of 1973 allowed for the Section 508 amendment made in 1998 to pass and require "federal agencies to make their electronic and information technology (EIT) accessible to people with disabilities" (United States government, 2021).

Students like Sady benefit from these laws and amendments because they legally require academic institutions to ensure individuals with disabilities are learning just as much as those without and are given the same technological opportunities.

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Education for All Handicapped Children Act of 1975

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Education for All Handicapped Children Act of 1975

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Public Law 94-142 gave school-aged children with disabilities the right to a "free appropriate public education" also known as FAPE.

This law helps children like Sady receive a free and public education while still having all special educational needs met and helps local programs "met the educational needs of handicapped children in order to assure equal protection of the laws" (Congressional Research Service, 1975). EHA set the stage for many more laws to come to the aid of school-aged children with disabilities and make sure their educational needs are fully met. Without this basic right required by public schools from the Federal Government, there would be no way of knowing if individuals with disabilities were given the same learning opportunities as those without disabilities.

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Technology Related Assistance for Individuals with Disabilities Act of 1988

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Technology Related Assistance for Individuals with Disabilities Act of 1988

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The Tech Act of 1988 first recognized the importance and life-changing role technology plays in the lives of individuals like Sady. This law is important to individuals with disabilities because it helps them live their lives to the fullest and requires state programs to help individuals afford the program whether that be through alternative financing, loan programs, or device re-use programs (National Institute on Disability & Research and Training Center on Independent Living, 2021).

The Tech Act of 1988 is the reason Sady was able to graduate top in her class from Full Sail University with a degree in Digital Cinema. This act has helped many others like Sady with disabilities use technology to help them live life to the fullest. This act, similar to the Education for All Handicapped Children Act, was the first of its kind and has set the stage for the technology that is available today and has furthered the lives of those with disabilities significantly.

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Cruse, C. (2019, February 4). The Benefits of Art for Students with Special Needs. Schoolyard Blog | Teacher Resources | School Specialty. https://blog.schoolspecialty.com/benefits-art-students-special-needs/

H.R.7217 - 94th Congress (1975-1976): Education for All Handicapped Children Act. (1975, July 29). https://www.congress.gov/bill/94th-congress/house-bill/7217

H.R.8070 - 93rd Congress (1973-1974): An Act to replace the Vocational Rehabilitation Act, to extend and revise the authorization of grants to States for vocational rehabilitation services, with special emphasis on services to those with the most severe handicaps, to expand special Federal responsibilities and research and training programs with respect to handicapped individuals, to establish special responsibilities in the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare for coordination of all programs with respect to handicapped individuals within the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, and for other purposes. (1973, September 26). https://www.congress.gov/bill/93rd-congress/house-bill/8070

KVRR Local News. (2019, February 15). Fargo Woman Challenges People to Look Beyond Disabilities, Creates Commercial for Apple. KVRR Local News. https://www.kvrr.com/2019/02/14/fargo-woman-challenges-people-to-look-beyond-disabilities-creates-commercial-for-apple/

National Institute on Disability, & Research and Training Center on Independent Living. (2021). Assistive Technology Act Fact Sheet. Assistive Technology Act Fact Sheet; National Institute on Disability and Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research. https://rtcil.org/sites/rtcil/files/documents/ATA%20Fact%20Sheet%202.15.2021--Fixed.pdf

Ross, N. (2022, October 6). Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (1975) | The Embryo Project Encyclopedia. Embryo.asu.edu. https://embryo.asu.edu/pages/individuals-disabilities-education-act-1975

U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights Division. (2022). Introduction to the Americans with Disabilities Act. ADA.gov; United States government. https://www.ada.gov/topics/intro-to-ada/

United States government. (2021, September 11). Section508.gov. Www.section508.Gov. https://www.section508.gov/manage/laws-and-policies/

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"ADA is a federal civil rights law that prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities in everyday activities" (U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights Division, 2022).

The Americans with Disabilities Act helps individuals like Sady have the same opportunities as everyone else. This act has allowed these individuals to meet their basic needs on their own by being able to go on job interviews, go to the store, get a haircut, and their ability to engage in state and local government programs.

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Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 1990

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Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 1990

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The Education for All Handicapped Children Act of 1975 was amended in 1990 and renamed the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) of 1990. In the 1990 amendments, several changes were made, with the most significant one being the inclusion of autism and traumatic brain injury as a part of IDEA (Ross, 2022).

This amendment specifically helped Sady because she has cerebral palsy, a neurological disorder caused by a traumatic brain injury. Had EHA not been recognized back in 1975, IDEA would not exist and those with autism and traumatic brain injuries wouldn't benefit from the technological advances made to help those with physical and mental disabilities.

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Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 1997

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Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 1997

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Amendments were made again in 1997 to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 1997 under President William Clinton. This new amendment allowed schools to discipline students with disabilities and granted them the ability to expel a student for up to 45 days if drugs or weapons were involved. On the flip side, this new change also made sure that individuals with disabilities expelled or suspended still received the educational services they needed to succeed (Ross, 2021).

This act further protects students like Sady from being discriminated against because of their disabilities and losing their right to a free and appropriate public education. These students benefit from this amendment to IDEA because it gives all students the right to free and appropriate educational services whether or not they are physically learning in a classroom or on campus.

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Individuals with Disabilities Act of 2004

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Individuals with Disabilities Act of 2004

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The most recent amendment change to IDEA occurred in 2004 under President George W. Bush. The biggest addition to IDEA was the inclusion of learning disabilities and helping students identify and work through their learning difficulties. The National Center for Special Education Research was established in 2004 and is a resource used to help examine and improve IDEA and special education programs (Ross, 2021).

This amendment helps students whose disability isn't visible and allows them access to the necessary resources for them to succeed. There are so many individuals with learning disabilities and so many undiagnosed learning disabilities in school-aged children. The implementation of the National Center for Special Education Research also helps the rights of individuals with disabilities to change and improve along with the rest of the world.

Sady would have never been able to work for Apple as a Distinguished Educator had the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 never been approved or the families of students with disabilities never filed against non-compliant schools.