Progression of Special Education in the U.S through the Years

Special Education in America

Just a few decades ago, children with special needs faced many difficulties in learning. There were no specific courses for special learning. These problems significantly affected their lives as well as the way they went about their regular activities.

But that is no longer the case as the present state of special education in NYC, and the US in general, is an indication of how good the future is for special children.

The Rise of Special Education Awareness

Although Braille and hearing aids helped children with visual and auditory challenges, there was no legal program in place to standardize special education. In 1961, the President’s Panel on Intellectual Disability was established which gave its recommendations on the state of special education and the ways to improve it. As a result, President Kennedy, in 1963 introduced legislations to fund special healthcare and to train special education teachers, which was the start of mainstream special education in NYC.

Historic Acts Pertaining to Special Education

The Bureau of Education for the Handicapped was established in 1965, which was later renamed to Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP). Although its early efforts did not include special programs for public schools, that was soon about to change.

In 1972, the Supreme Court took a big decision – It stated that students with disabilities have equal education rights as regular children. This served as a catalyst for the passing of the “Education for All Individual with Special Needs Act” in 1975, which made it mandatory for regular schools to provide education to children with special needs.

In 1990, establishment of “Americans with Disabilities Act” and “Individuals with Disabilities Education Act” prohibited discrimination based on disabilities and made it compulsory for public schools to pay individual attention to special children.

With the American government playing a crucial role in improving special education in the US, the conditions of special children in the US have greatly improved, and will continue to do so in the foreseeable future.