Common Name: Pennsylvania Association for Retarded Citizens v. Pennsylvania

Year: 1971-1972

Proceedings:

Common Name: Board of Education of the Hendrick Hudson Central School District v. Rowley

Year: 1982

Proceedings:

• What did it accomplish: It went over the courts interpretation of PL 94-142, which was the Education for All Handicapped Children Act (EHA). It mainly addressed what the court considered to be an "appropriate" education for a student that had a hearing impairment, but was making satisfactory educational progress within her courses. The case ruled that "an appropriate education does not necessarily mean an education that will allow for the maximum possible achievement; rather, students must be given a reasonable opportunity to learn."

• What makes it unique: This case changed the way that the courts handled special education cases by being required to ask questions such as "Has the state complied with the procedures set forth in the act (IDEA)?" and "Is the IEP developed through the Act's procedure reasonably calculated to enable the child to receive educational benefits?" This case also opened the door to show the world how many students weren't receiving a Free and Appropriate Public Education, but it also required them to define what that term meant and how to further determine the needs best suited for students receiving special education in schools.

Implications:

• -How did it benefit students, parents, teachers, etc.: It benefitted students by requiring schools to provide special education programs that conferred with educational benefit and also established that what creates a FAPE had to be determined by IEP teams on a case-by-case basis because everyone's needs are different.

Pillars of Special Education:

Common Name: Daniel R.R v. State Board of Education

Year: 1989

Proceedings:

• What did it accomplish: This case found that a regular education placement is appropriate if a child with a disability can receive a satisfactory education, even if it's not considered to be the best academic setting for the child. They also made sure that non-academic benefits were considered when discussing the placement of a child with a disability.

• What makes it unique: This case favored the inclusion of students with special needs into a general education classroom for all or part of the school day, which is known as Mainstreaming. It also found that schools must place students in a learning environment where they can interact with their non disabled peers to the maximum extent possible, while also requiring that the removal from the general education classroom must be justified and documented.

Implications:

• -How did it benefit students, parents, teachers, etc.: It benefitted them by having the court create a two-part test that they used to determine a Least Restrictive Environment for students. These questions asked "whether education in the regular classroom, with the use of supplemental aids and services, can be achieved satisfactorily for a given child. If it cannot, and the school intends to provide

  special education or to remove the child from regular education" and "whether the school has mainstreamed the child to the maximum extent appropriate."

Pillars of Special Education:

Common Name: Oberti v. Board of Education of the Borough of Clementon

Year: 1992

Proceedings:

• What did it accomplish: This case decided that placement in a general education classroom with supplementary aids and services must be offered to a student with disabilities prior to considering more segregated placements and that people cannot be excluded from a general education classroom solely because of curriculum, services, or other practices that would require modification.

• What makes it unique: This case established clear judicial preferences for educational integration in classrooms. It also determined that if a student can succeed in a general education classroom with needed extra support, that is where they should be placed and that the school must provide the supports needed to ensure the students success.

Implications:

• -How did it benefit students, parents, teachers, etc.: It benefitted everyone by establishing inclusion with supplementary aids and services as the presumption because it's “a fundamental value of the right to public education for children with disabilities.” This case also established that if placement outside the classroom is necessary, the school district must then include the child in as many school programs with children who do not have disabilities “to the maximum extent appropriate.”

Pillars of Special Education:

Common Name: Cedar Rapids Community School District v. Garret F.

Year: 1999

Proceedings:

• What did it accomplish: The U.S. Supreme Court expanded and clarified the concept of related services. They also affirmed that intensive and continuous school health care services necessary for a student to attend school, if not performed by a physician, qualify as related services.

• What makes it unique: This case ruled that the 1990 Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) requires school boards to provide continuous nursing services to disabled students who need them during the school day.

Implications:

• -How did it benefit students, parents, teachers, etc.: It benefitted students by discussing how meaningful access to public schools will be assured for students with disabilities, not the level of education that a school must finance once access is attained. Under the ruling, districts must find such "related services" in order to help guarantee that students like Garret are well integrated into the public school system.

Pillars of Special Education:

Common Name: Education of the Handicapped Act Amendments of 1986

Year: 1986

Proceedings:

• What did it accomplish: It mandated that states must provide services for children between 3-5 and must have the same legal protections as the children with disabilities that were in school.

• What makes it unique: The Education of the Handicapped Act Amendments of 1986 threatened to penalize states if the younger children did not receive the services they needed.

Implications:

• How did it benefit students, parents, teachers, etc.: It benefited both children with disabilities and their parents because they were receiving services they needed even before they entered the school system and were able to get a headstart.

Pillars of Special Education:

• Free and Appropriate Public Education: Although these amendments protected children that were not quite school-age, it made the services they needed accessible and required the state to provide the services.

• Due Process Safeguards: These amendments gave parents and their children with disabilities access to services that they needed.

Citations:

VitalSource Bookshelf: Special Education in Contemporary Society

https://sites.ed.gov/idea/IDEA-History#1980s-90s

Common Name: Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)

Year: 1990

Proceedings:

• What did it accomplish: It added traumatic brain injury (TBI) and autism to the list of disabilities, it required that an individual transition plan be made for each student no later than age 16, and finally, it added social work and rehabilitation counseling.

• What makes it unique: It renamed the legislation to Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.

Implications:

• How did it benefit students, parents, teachers, etc.: It broadened services, as well as the types of services, to those that suffered a traumatic brain injury or were diagnosed with autism. It also benefited both parents and students in making sure that each student had a detailed transition plan for after high school.

Pillars of Special Education:

• Individualized Education Program: This law required students to have a personalized plan for them to transition smoothly out of high school.

• Free and Appropriate Public Education: This law also expanded special education services to individuals with TBI and autism.

• Least Restrictive Environment: This law gave students in the special education program access to social workers and rehabilitation counselors to help them succeed.

  Citations:

  VitalSource Bookshelf: Special Education in Contemporary Society

  
  

Common Name: The 1997 Reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act

Year: 1997

Proceedings:

• What did it accomplish: Parents could resolve any disputes with schools or local educational agencies through mediation and were given a process to do so through.

• What makes it unique: States could expand the definition of "developmental delay" up to 9 years old. However, it is questionable if children of this age should be given labels such as "developmentally delayed."

Implications:

• How did it benefit students, parents, teachers, etc.: Both students and parents benefited from these amendments because the parents were able to advocate for the services their child needed and the child would get the services that the parent felt was best fit.

Pillars of Special Education:

• Due Process Safeguards: This reauthorization made sure the parents were given a specific process to follow through with if they felt their child was not getting the appropriate services.

Citations:

VitalSource Bookshelf: Special Education in Contemporary Society

https://sites.ed.gov/idea/IDEA-History#1980s-90s

Common Name: The Rehabilitaion Act

Year: 1973

Proceedings:

• What did it accomplish: The Rehabilitation Act ensures that in the United States, no person with a disability can be excluded, denied benefits, or discriminated against in any program or activity that receives federal financial assistance.

• What makes it unique: It was one of the first U.S. federal civil rights laws offering protection for people with disabilities.

Implications:

• How did it benefit students, parents, teachers, etc.: This benefited students with disabilities by ensuring that regardless of their disability, their school district must identify the child's educational needs and provide any regular or special education to satisfy these needs.

Pillars of Special Education:

• Non-Discrimination: This law prevents discrimination based on disability in any program and/or activity receiving federal financial assistance. (Including education programs and/or activities.)

• Equal-Access: This law ensures that students with disabilities should have equal access to educational opportunities, services, and resources.

• Reasonable accommodations: This law requires schools to provide reasonable accommodations to students with disabilities to ensure that they can fully participate in educational programs.

• Accessibility: This law ensures that all public schools are accessible for students, with and without disabilities.

Common Name: Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act

Year: 2004

Proceedings:

• What did it accomplish: It increased accountability in schools by requiring reading, early intervention, and research-based teaching. It mandated that special education teachers must be highly qualified. This act also required the concept of universal design for learning into schools to ensure that children with disabilities were participating and making progress in the general education curriculum.

• What makes it unique: It aligned Individuals with Disabilities Education Act with the provisions of the No Child Left Behind Act.

Implications:

• How did it benefit students, parents, teachers, etc.: It benefited everyone involved; teachers felt confident that they were giving the best services possible to their students, students were getting a research-based education, and parents felt that their children were getting the education they deserved.

Pillars of Special Education:

Least Restrictive Environment: This required that teachers be highly qualified and that their teaching should reflect research so that their students are receiving the best, most fair education possible.

Free and Appropriate Public Education: This act made sure that the education children with disabilities were receiving was available and tailored to their needs.

Citations:

VitalSource Bookshelf: Special Education in Contemporary Society

https://sites.ed.gov/idea/IDEA-History#2000s-10s

Common Name: Americans with Disabilities Act

Year: 1990

Proceedings:

• What did it accomplish: The Americans with Disabilities Act is a law that prevents unfair treatment of individuals because of their disability. This law applies to both public and private sectors of society and ensures that employers treat their workers with disabilities fairly and makes accommodations that will assist them. This law also ensures that all public places are accommodating for every individual with or without a disability.

Implications:

• How did it benefit students, parents, teachers, etc.: The American with Disabilities Act benefits students and teachers by ensuring equal access to education, and fair treatment in the workplace.

Pillars of Special Education:

• Non-Discrimination: This law ensures that students with disabilities are treated equally and cannot be denied access to programs and/or activities because of their disability.

• Reasonable Accommodations: This law ensures that schools provide reasonable accommodations to students with disabilities. This allows students with disabilities an equal opportunity to participate in educational programs.

• Accessibility: This law ensures that all public schools and academic programs are accessible to all students, with and without a disability.

Common Name: No Child Left Behind Act

Year: 2001

Proceedings:

-What did it accomplish: This act held schools and states accountable for the progress students were making. It also required that special education professionals should be highly trained and certified to work in their field.

-What makes it unique: This act was controversial in some ways because if the students were not achieving the things they were expected to, the schools were in turn punished.

Implications:

• How did it benefit students, parents, teachers, etc.: This benefited the students and parents especially because they were confident that their children were getting the education they needed. It also made sure that the teachers were helping the students make a reasonable amount of progress each year.

Pillars of Special Education:

• Free and Appropriate Public Education: This act mandated that children in the special education were getting an appropriate education that they could benefit from.

• Least Restrictive Environment: Because of this act, students were guaranteed an equal education catered to their needs. Their education was mandated the same way another special education classroom would be, making it fair to all students in special education.

  Citations:

  VitalSource Bookshelf: Special Education in Contemporary Society

Common Name: Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments

Year: 2008

Proceedings:

• What did it accomplish: The Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments broadened the definition of the word "disability" as it is considered in the law. This was a way to include more people and ensure that more individuals with disabilities were protected from discrimination under the Americans with Disabilities Act and other federal laws.

• What makes it unique: The Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments shifted the focus from debating whether an individual's condition was considered a disability, to whether or not the organization or business was discriminating against these individuals.

Implications:

• How did it benefit students, parents, teachers, etc.: This law allowed a broader spectrum of disabilities for individuals to fit under. This means that students and teachers who weren't included before can now be protected from discrimination, and benefit from helpful accommodations.

Pillars of Special Education:

• Non-Discrimination: This law broadened the definition of "disability" to ensure that individuals with a wide range of physical or mental impairments are protected from discrimination.

• Reasonable Accommodations: This law maintains the requirement for federally funded organizations to provide reasonable accommodations for individuals with disabilities.

• Inclusive Practices: This law creates inclusive learning environments that can accommodate to a student's range of needs. The idea that students with various impairments should be included in educational programs and/or activities, is ensured and supported by this law.

Citations:

VitalSource Bookshelf: Special Education in Contemporary Society

ADA Amendments Act of 2008 - Wikipedia

Common Name: Education for All Handicapped Children Act (EAHCA)

Year: 1975

Proceedings:

-What did it accomplish: The Education for All Handicapped Children Act required that public schools who were federally funded to offer equal education and a daily meal for students who have disabilities. It also required evaluation and individualized education plans with parental input, as well as established procedures for parental disputes. This law also emphasized placing students into the least restrictive environment possible.

-What makes it unique: This law introduced the concept of Individualized Education Plans (IEPs) which were meant to tailor to a student's specific needs in the educational setting, as well as providing a daily meal for students who have disabilities.

Implications:

• How did it benefit students, parents, teachers, etc.: This law benefits students by ensuring equal access to education in public schools, and by promoting non-restrictive learning environments. Students were also now guaranteed one free meal a day, dismissing the financial burden on families. Parents benefit from this law by now being included in the process of planning a child's education. As well as having a simplified process to dispute solutions between parents and schools.

Pillars of Special Education:

• Equal Access to Education: This law requires that public schools receiving federal funds must provide equal access to education for children with disabilities. This includes the right to be educated in the least restrictive environment possible.

• Individualized Education Plans (IEPs): This law introduced the requirement for schools to develop and implement individualized education plans for each student with a disability.

• Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE): This law ensured that students with disabilities were entitled to a free appropriate public education, removing any financial barriers from families.

• Dispute Resolution: This law created administrative procedures for parents to dispute decisions about their child's education, providing a more structured and straightforward way to resolve any discrepancy.