The History of Special Education

in the United States

Today, children with disabilities routinely attend the same public
schools as children without disabilities. But this was not always the
case.
Prior to legislation requiring public education for children with cognitive or emotional
disabilities, deafness, blindness or the need for speech therapy, among others, parents had
few options other than to educate their children at home or pay for expensive private
education.
The story of Special Education begins in the early part of the 20th Century. Parents formed
advocacy groups to help bring the educational needs of children with disabilities to the public
eye. These groups gained momentum mid-century. In 1961, President John F. Kennedy
created the Presidents Panel on Mental Retardation. The panels recommendations included
federal aid to states. In 1965, Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Elementary and Secondary
Education Act, which provided funding for primary education, and is seen by advocacy groups
as expanding access to public education for children with disabilities.
Despite these two important events, by the 1970s, only a relatively small number of children
with disabilities were being educated in public schools. Both enacted in 1975, two federal laws
would change this: The Education for All Handicapped Children Act (EHA) and the Individuals
with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). The EHA establishes a right to public education for all
children regardless of disability, while the IDEA requires schools provide individualized
or special education for children with qualifying disabilities. Under the IDEA, states who
accept public funds for education must provide special education to qualifying children with
disabilities.
The IDEA sets forth specific guidelines regarding Free Appropriate Public Education. Among
these is the idea that education must be tailored to meet the needs of the individual child with
a disability. This education must be of benefit to the child and should prepare the child for
further education (i.e., college) or to live and work independently. The IDEA also requires that
education occur in the least restrictive environment and requires schools to take a childs
disability into account when enforcing discipline.
Although not all children with disabilities are covered by the IDEA and EHA, these two acts
have been instrumental in ensuring a free public education to millions of children with
disabilities each year since passage. Prior to these acts, parents of children with disabilities
had few choices as to the education of their children. Today, these children receive their
education along side children who do not have disabilities.