Special Education In ancient Greece and Rome there are isolated examples of caring for and treating disabled individuals, although those instances are thought to be family members taking care of their own family. Typically early societies shunned people who were considered different. During the Middle Ages the church provided care for physically or mentally impaired people. The development of techniques associated with special education of today did not emerge until the Renaissance era. In the mid-1500s Pedro Ponce de Leon succeeded in teaching deaf students in Spain to speak, read, and write. Even though there was success with teaching the deaf, it was not until the late 18th century that attempts were made to educate people with visual impairments. In 1784, Valentin Hauy opened the National Institution of Blind Youth in Paris, with 12 blind children. News of Hauy’s success in teaching these children to read soon spread to other countries. Consequently, schools for the blind were opened in Liverpool, England (1791), London (1799), Vienna (1804), Berlin (1806), Amsterdam and Stockholm (1808), Zürich, Switzerland (1809), Boston (1829), and New York City (1831). (Wiederholt, 1974) According to Smith in 1998, scientific attempts to educate children with intellectual disabilities originated with the efforts of Jean-Marc-Gaspard Itard, a French physician and otologist. In his book The Wild Boy of Aveyron (1807), he told of his five-year effort to educate a boy who had been found running wild in the woods of Aveyron. Itard’s work with the boy became famous for bringing forth possibilities of teaching people with intellectual or emotional disabilities. Some years later his student, Edouard Seguin, developed an educati... ... middle of paper ... ...inback, Susan. (1991). A Rational for Integration and Restructuring: A Synopsis. The Regular Education Initiative: Alternative Perspectives on Concepts, Issues, and Models. John. W. Lloyd, Nirbhay N. Singh, and Alan C. Repp. Sycamore, IL: Sycamore. U.S. Department of Education. PL-94-142 and IDEA overview. Retrieved on September 25, 2011, from ed.gov Wiederholt, J. Lee. (1974). Historical Perspectives on the Education of the Learning Disabled. The Second Review of Special Education, Lester Mann and David. A. Sabatino. Philadelphia: JSE Press. Winzer, Margaret A. (1993). History of Special Education from Isolation to Integration. Washington, DC: Gallaudet University Press. Yell, Mitchell L.; Rogers, David; and Rogers, Elisabeth L. (1998). The Legal History of Special Education: What a Long, Strange Trip It's Been! Remedial and Special Education 19, 219 - 228.
Chapter thirteen has two subject matter that it discusses in some detail, mental illness and developmental disabilities. This review will be exploring the history, philosophy and theories of developmental disabilities. Social workers come in contact with many clients that have developmental disabilities, and the chapter gives a glimpse the history, problems, and theories related to developmental problems. Chapter thirteen explores the issues of dealing with developmental disabilities in the past and what is being done today to help social workers face the issues.
Education." Midwest Quarterly 44, no. 2 (Winter2003 2003): 211. Academic Search Premier, EBSCOhost (accessed April 11, 2014).
During the twentieth century, drastic changes were made to vastly improve the special education system to ensure that all students, regardless of their ability, were given equal rights according to the Constitution of the United States.
There are many individuals who contribute to the education of the student with special needs. Their roles and responsibilities are varied, and each play an important part in the education of the student with disabilities. In the early years of special education, individuals with disabilities were not educated in the traditional classroom. Many of the students were left at home to be taught by their parents, or, sent away to institutions if the families were unable to care for them. In addition, some were education in private schools at the cost of the families. It was not until the 1970’s that special education became acceptable in the public schools. The passing of legislation made it possible for all students to have a right to a free and public education, regardless of their disabilities. The individual with disabilities education act (IDEA) opened the door to education for all students and therefore a change in special education.
Stainback, Susan & William. (1985). Integration of Students with Severe Handicaps into Regular Schools. Virginia: The Council for Exceptional Children.
Skiba, R., Simmons, A., Ritter, S., Kohler, K., Henderson, M., Wu, T. (2006). The context of minority disproportionality: Practitioner perspectives on special education referral. Teacher College Record, 108(7), 1424-1459.
Ormsbee, C. (2001). "Ending Discrimination in Special Education/Achieving Educational Equity (Book Review)." Intervention in School & Clinic; Sep2001, Vol. 37 Issue 1, p48.
"Education for All Handicapped Children Act (1975)." American History. ABC-CLIO, 2014. Web. 21 May 2014
Prior to 1975, educational options for a child living with a mental or physical disability were limited. The family of the handicapped child was most likely forced down an path that lead to the institutionalization of the child and distancing the child from the benefits of receiving a free and public education. It was after federal legislation passed the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (42 U.S.C. § 1983) that monumental changes began to develop that allowed a better understanding of the needs and capabilities of people with various handicapping conditions. Soon after this legislation, Public Law 94-142, also known as the Education for all Handicapped Children’s Act of 1975 (EHA) would further increase the public awareness by providing a free appropriate public education (FAPE) for children suffering from disabilities. Following the EHA legislation reformations concerning the education of disabled individuals would soon become numerous and legislative acts were passed enabling accommodations for disabled individuals in the fields of vocations and technology. In 1990, President Gerald Ford signed legislation replacing P.L. 94-142 with the Individual with Disabilities Education Act of 1990 (IDEA, 20 USC 1400). By definition, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is a law ensuring services to children with disabilities throughout the nation (US Department of Education, 2011).
Two years ago, I embarked on a journey that would teach me more than I had ever imagined. As a recent college graduate, I was thrilled to finally begin my teaching career in a field I have always held close to my heart. My first two years as a special education teacher presented countless challenges, however, it also brought me great fulfillment and deepened my passion for teaching students with special needs. The experiences I have had both before and after this pivotal point in my life have undoubtedly influenced my desire to further my career in the field of special education.
Department of Education (2002, August). IDEA’97: Individuals with disabilities educational act amendments of 1997. Retrieved March 23, 2003 from the World Wide Web: http://www.ed.gov/offices/OSERS/IDEA
Parker, S. (2012, October 8) Special education in the U.S. has a long way to go- Here’s what schools can do about it. Takepart. Retrieved from http://www.takepart.com/article/2012/10/08/special-education-america-has-long-way-go
What is special education? The common belief is that it a program only dedicated to helping students with disabilities, whether physical or mentally. This is not entirely accurate in regards of what special education is. While special education does provide assistance to students with disabilities ns meet their needs in quality education (Küpper 2009)—the program extends to all students facing difficulties keeping up with the pace of learning (Huerta 2009). This brings the next question onto the table: the importance of special education. Before 1970s, majority of students with disabilities were shun into isolation with little to no education in general classes (Bradley 2016). However, with the passage of Education for All Handicapped Children
Heward, W. L. (2013). Exceptional children: An introduction to special education (10th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.
However, this law did not apply to students with individuals with disabilities. Many societies believed that individuals with disabilities were a cursed, work of the devil, and were abandoned or left to die. During the 1800-1900s, special institutions and schools were established to educate children with disabilities. The reasons for starting these schools were to offer humane treatment of individuals with disabilities and to remove them from the general society. The first two schools established were designed to educate individuals who were blind or deaf. Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet established the first residential school the deaf in 1817. Legend goes that Thomas, working as a traveling salesman, looked out and noticed that his younger brothers and sisters were not playing alongside another young girl, Alice Cogswell. When he went out to investigate, he found this young woman was deaf and not knowing sign language, he pointed to his hat and spelled it out in the dirt. She understood him and he became inspired to teach this young