Week 3 SPED

Timeline of Historical Milestones in the Disability Rights Movement (language used then is not the same as now)

1815-1817

  • Formal Deaf Education Begins in the US

    • Thomas H Gallaudet founded the Connecticut Asylum for the Education and Instruction of Deaf and Dumb Persons in Hartford, Connecticut. The first permanent school for the deaf in America.

1829

  • Braille Invents the raised-point alphabet

    • Louis Braille invents Braille. His method didn’t become well-known in the U.S. until more than 30 years after it was first taught at St. Louis School for the blind in 1860

1907

  • Franklin D Roosevelt, a person with a disability, becomes president.

    • 32nd president and re-elected for an unprecedented 4 terms. After he becomes president, he supports the founding of the National Foundation for Infantile paralysis.

1934-1940

  • National Federation of the Blind Founded

    • Jacobus tenBroek (23 yrs), blind from age 14, joins with Dr. Newel Perry and others to form California Council for the Blind.

1934

  • Social Security Act signed into Law.

    • FDR signs this act to establish a program of permanent assistance for adults with disabilities.

1939

  • Nazi program kills thousands of people with disabilities.

    • WW2 Hitler orders “mercy killing” of the sick and disabled. Between 75,000 and 250,000 people with intellectual or physical disabilities are killed from 1939 to 1941.

1950

  • Beginning of National Barrier-Free standards

    • Disabled veterans and people with disabilities begin the barrier-free movement. The combined efforts of the Veterans Administration, the President’s Committee on Employment of the Handicapped, and the National Easter Seas Society, among others, result in development of national standards for barrier-free buildings

1946

  • National Mental Health Foundation founded

    • Founded by American conscientious objectors from WW2 who served as attendants at state mental institutions.

1947

  • National “Employ the Physically Handicapped Week,” Washington, D.C.

    • Presidential committee launches publicity campaigns, coordinated by state and local committees to emphasize the competence of people with disabilities.

1950

  • ARC champions abilities of people with intellectual disabilities

    • Parents of children with intellectual disabilities founded the Association for retarded citizens.

1954

  • Brown v Board of Education

    • School segregation was abolished, and public schools were permitted to educate children with significant intellectual disabilities

1962

  • Ed Roberts fights for university admission, starting the independent living movement.

    • He has polio and enrolls at the University of California, Berkeley. His advocacy and Judy Heumann inspire this movement and help establish the first Center for Independent Living (CIL)

1963

  • Community Mental Health Act signed into law.

    • Oct 31: President JFK signs into law, which alters the delivery of mental health services and inspires a new era of optimism in mental healthcare

1964

  • Civil rights bill bypasses persons with disabilities.    

    • Did not make any provision for people with disabilities

1965

  • Medicaid assistance for people with disabilities and those with low income

    • Title XIX of Social Security creates Medicaid that pays for medical costs for certain individuals with disabilities and families with low incomes

1968

  • The Architectural Barriers Act of 1968

    • mandates the removal of what is the most significant obstacle to employment for people with disabilities- the physical design of the buildings

1970

  • Educator and Disability activist Judy Heumann denied a teaching license and sued the NYC Board of Education.

    • Said that her wheelchair was a fire hazard. Later served in the Clinton Administration as Assistant Secretary of the Office of Special Ed and Rehabilitation Services at US department of Education

1971

  • Pennsylvania Association for Retarded Children et al. v. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

    • demands access to education for all handicapped children, resulting in the 1972 PARC consent decree. The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania states that education should be provided for all children regardless of any physical or mental handicap

1973

  • Disabled in Action, PA founded

    • Becomes one of the first disabled led advocacy organizations in Philadelphia.

1974

  • Inaugural Convention of People First

    • Held in Portland. Founded by people with intellectual and developmental disabilities who support each other in learning to speak for themselves.

1975

  • Developmental Disabilities Assistance and Bill of Rights Act enacted

    • amended in 1993 to recognize disability as a natural part of human experience

  • The education for handicapped children act

    • later reauthorized as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Guarantees a free, appropriate public education for all children with disabilities

  • United Nations declaration on the rights of disabled persons

    • resolution in 3447th made by assembly and forms a framework that may be drawn on for [purposes of international and domestic law. Consists of a preamble and 13 proclamations.

  • Social model of disability replaces medical model

1976

  • Deaf actress cast in Sesame Street

    • Linda Bove

1977

  • Halderman v. Pennhurst State School & Hospital

    • leads to 1987 closure of pennhurst

  • Disability demonstrators occupy federal office of health, education and welfare, san franscico, california

1978

  • National council on disability established

  • We Will Ride disability activists protest the inaccessibility of Denver, CO. Americans with Disabilities for accessible transportation is founded

1982

  • United Nations encourages global equality and participation for disabled

  • speaking for ourselves, pennsyulvania is founded

  • national organization on disability

1988

  • Deaf president now protest Gallaudet University Washington D.C.

1990

  • Pennsylvania Early Intervention Services System Act-212

  • Capitol Crawl protest

  • American with Disabilities Act is signed into law

    • George H.W. Bush

  • IDEA

1991

  • Federal Government makes autism a special ed category

1993

  • national home of your own alliance founded

1995

  • national federation of the blind establishes dial-up synthetic-speech talking newspaper

1996

  • federal Telecommunications Act enacted

1998

  • Assistive Technology Act signed into law

1999

  • olmstead v L.C and E.W.

2001

  • The Commonwealth of Virginia formally expresses regret for Eugenics

2004

  • First diability pride parade, Chicago

2007

  • road to freedom tour

2008

  • West Virginia requires disability history to be taught in schools

2009

  • Rosa’s law enacted

2012

  • Philadelphia disability pride celebration

2017

  • ADAPT activists fight to save afforable care act/medicaid