EXPLORATION OF HISTORICAL Philosophical & historical events

that have shaped the special

EVENTS OF SPECIAL EDUCATION education system in the U.S. over
the last 400 years
SA SH A WAT ERS EDU 203
 1600-1700
First school for Special Education (Early 1600s): formed in Paris (National Institute for the Deaf); introduction of sign
language for the deaf and specialty training for people with disabilities. Breakthrough aiding those with special needs to be
relevant in education (special education).

Jacob Rodrigues Pereine (1715-1780): Introduced the idea that deaf people could be taught communication. He also
developed an early form of sign language.

Philippe Pinel (1745-1838): French physician that was concerned with humanitarian treatment of those with special
needs; occupational therapy; Itards mentor.

Jean-Marc Gaspard Itard (1774-1838): This French physician is known as one of the first to have made an effort to provide
special education.

Thomas Gallaudet (1787-1851): Taught children with hearing impairments to communicate through a manual signs and
symbols system.
 1800
Samuel Gridley Howe (1801-1876): American physician and educator who gained his fame through teaching individuals with hearing and visual impairments.
Founded the first facility for the blind and inaugurated institutional care for children with mental retardation.
Dorothea Lynde Dix (1802-1887): One of the first Americans to compose better and more humane treatment for the mentally ill.
Louis Braille (1809-1852): A blind French educator who developed a system of reading and writing for people who were also blind. His system was based on a
cell of six embossed dots and is still used today (Standard English Braille).
Edouard Seguin (1812-1880): French physician who developed teaching methods for children with mental retardation. After coming to the U.S, he aiding in
founding an organization , American Association on intellectual and Developmental Disabilities.
Francis Galton (1822-1911): Scientist with the concern of individual differences. Believed that those with superior abilities are born, not made.
Alexander Graham Bell (1847-1922): Advocate of educating children with disabilities in public school systems. He promoted the use of residual hearing while
teaching students with hearing impairments and assisted with the speaking skills of students who were deaf.
Alfred Binet (1857-1911): A French psychologists who came up with the first standardized assessment scale capable for quantifying intelligences. The
purpose of the test was to identify students that might profit from a special education without classifying them based on abilities; organized the concept of
mental age with Theodore Simon.
Lewis Terman (1877-1956): Famous for the lifelong study of gifted individuals . Considered the grandfather of gifted education.
 1900 - PRESENT
Parental advocacy groups were formed in 1933; to push for federal help hoping for fair educational opportunities for children with
disabilities.
President John F. Kennedy created the Presidents Panel on Mental Retardation in 1961; These recommendations included federal aid to
states.
Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Elementary and Secondary Education Act in 1965; which provided funding for primary education and
expands access to public education for children with disabilities.
Pennsylvania Association for Retarded Children v. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in 1971.
Mills vs. Board of Education of the District of Columbia in 1972.
Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) 1974; allows parents access to all personal information used by the school in regards
to their child or children.
Individual Education Plan (IEP), was introduced in school systems worldwide in 1975; Awards every student with a disability, whether it be
a learning disability or physical disability, an equal opportunity to get the same education as other students.
Education of the Handicapped Act Amendments of 1986 (Public Law 99-457 was enacted).
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) came into being in 1990; signed into law by President George H. W. Bush.
No Child Left Behind 2001; law calling for ALL students to become proficient in reading and math by 2014.
National Center for Special Education Research (NCSER) introduced in 2004 as the new center for special education research and is an
easier route for special education teachers and researchers to apply for grant funding.
Americans with Disabilities Act, 2008, expand interpretation of a disability while affording individuals with disabilities greater
protections.
 REFERENCES:
LearningRX retrieved from: http://www.learningrx.com/important-dates-in-the-history-of-special-education-faq.htm
Special Education news- The History of the IEP retrieved from: http://www.specialednews.com/the-history-of-the-
iep.htm
LearningRX brain training blog retrieved from: http://www.learningrxblog.com/special-education-history/
Wright Esq., Pete. The History of Special Education Law. retrieved from:
http://www.wrightslaw.com/law/art/history.spec.ed.law.htm
Martin, Edwin W., Martin, Reed, & Terman, Donna L. The Legislative & Litigation History of Special Education. retrieved
from: http://www.princeton.edu/futureofchildren/publications/docs/06_01_01.pdf
Gargiulo, Richard (2012). Special Education in Contemporary Society (media 4 ed.). SAGE Publications, Inc.