History of Special Education
Erin Hauser
SPE/300
May 4, 2015 Tabatha Astacio Arce

Introduction Special Education has come a long way particularly since the enactment of two federal laws: the EHA (Education for All Handicapped Children Act) and the IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act). The EHA requires public education for all children with disabilities and the IDEA requires special education for those children.
How Terminology Has Changed The term “mental retardation” has such an offensive vibe to it. Many teachers get upset when people use this term. However, it is used because that is what was written into the text of federal law. It says “ …a learning problem that is primarily the result of visual, hearing, mental retardation…” (20 U.S.C. 1401(30)). Some states have changed the terminology in their state statutes to “cognitive disability” or “intellectual disability”. Many people do not like the words “handicap” or “crippled” even, as it implies a negative feel towards the person. Some believe this makes us focus on their disability instead of the person and their gifts and talents. Many people refer to people with these struggles as “exceptional” as others have preferred “challenged” or “differently-abled”. Our society tends to focus on the negative in people or the “different” in people who don’t fit the “normal” criteria such as fashionable, intelligent, middle to upper class, athletic.
Why Students are in the Least Restrictive Environment Students are in the LRE and not unnecessarily removed from a normal classroom environment or isolated from their other “normal” classmates. Getting placed in a LRE is based on several factors such as the child’s ability to focus, type of skills they need to be learning, how much personalized instruction is needed, and other factors that are unique to each student. Federal regulations require that a child not be removed from a regular classroom to receive special instruction unless the needs of that child cannot be met within the regular classroom. These students with special needs are often if not always accompanied with an IEP that is in place with the help of parent input and reviewed annually.
How Has Special Education Changed It wasn’t too uncommon to see the disabled segregated from the non-disabled students over 40 years ago. To be considered to have a learning disability, the student would need to be behind significantly academically, functioning only at a 50% deficit when compared to their measured abilities. Autism was rarely even spoken of back in those days. Having students in the normal classrooms now, offer the disabled students with role models. Their social skills grew significantly once they began joining the non-disabled students. A side benefit was that the non-disabled students comfort level grew as they were around the disabled on a regular basis. 30+ years ago, teachers would neglect their responsibility to teach special education students as they had other helpers (special education teachers) to handle that responsibility. Now, teachers are sharing the responsibility equally with the aides to share in the success of special needs students.
Why the Events are Significant in Changing Special Education
February 1922: CEC Advocacy Group: This was the first advocacy group for children with disabilities.
October 1950: NARC: National Association for Retarded Citizens: They help with litigation and other precedents through judicial process is met.
May 1954: Brown vs. Board of Education: This court case brought attention to special needs students vs. normal students. Many advocacy groups were formed from this case to inform the nation of the special education issues at hand.
September 1973: Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act: This act provides protection against people with special needs and disabilities.
June 1982: Board of Ed. of HHCD v. Rowley: This is the design of a two part test to determine if the requirements are being met according to the student’s IEP’s. This test checked the school’s compliance with IDEA and whether or not the student qualified for special educational benefits.
July 1990: ADA: George Bush put this act into effect to guarantee that people with disabilities have the same rights as all others. This included school and work. This also protected those people from discrimination.
October 1990: IDEA: This law includes 6 facets: FAPE, LRE, IEP, evaluations, parent and student participation and procedural safeguards for all students.
January 2002: NCLB: No Child Left Behind was signed into law by George W. Bush. It required all students to be proficient in math and reading by the end of 2014.
Conclusion
Special education has come a long way since 30+ years ago. Students with disabilities were segregated and no one knew much about the labels that were placed on these individuals. As education about these disabilities was provided to educators and officials, more freedoms were given to these individuals with disabilities. Freedoms such as ability to learn in a regular classroom, be tested in such a way that specialized/customized education plans could be designed for these students. Non-disabled students learned to work with disabled students. Discrimination wasn’t prohibited any longer as well. People with disabilities are looked at more as equals now than they were back in those days.

REFERENCES The Wrightslaw Way to Special Education Law and Advocacy. (2012). Retrieved from http://www.wrightslaw.com/blog/?p=6372 Goldfarb, M. (1990, Spring). Executive director’s report. AHRC Chronicle Logsdon, A. (2014). What is the Least Restrictive Environment? Choosing Placement in the LRE. Retrieved from http://learningdisabilities.about.com/od/publicschoolprograms/a/leastrestrictiv.htm Nitsch, R. (2014). 'Special' education has changed greatly over the years. Retrieved from http://www.htrnews.com/story/news/education/2014/11/18/nitsch-special-education/19241113/ 10 important events concerning Special Education. (2009). Retrieved from http://www.timetoast.com/timelines/10-important-events-concerning-special-education