[Music] [Music] before 1975 access to an appropriate education was denied for most students with disabilities hundreds of thousands of individuals with severe disabilities were housed in state institutions and schools only educated approximately 1th of students with disabilities in addition many states had laws that actually prohibited education in regular schools for students with intellectual disabilities emotional disturbance or students who were deaf blind or both children with disabilities in this time seldom became students they were characteristically not welcome to the schools they were in fact affirmatively excluded from the schools under laws that required that that were
adopted in the early 20th century by every state legislature in the union those laws followed shortly after statutes in every state creating isolated distant segregated institutions public institutions to house the disabled as the statutes frequently said for life in 1975 Congress enacted acted the education for all handicapped children ACT public law 94142 this act articulated a compelling National mission to provide a free appropriate public education for all children with disabilities in the least restrictive environment well it brought to children and adults with disabilities all of the glories of a decent equal citizenship it turned out
that people with disabilities including significant intellectual disabilities have like all human beings enormous capabilities with those capabilities supported and freed by the schools their lives have become thoroughly different by the late 70s you could see Smiles on the faces of family members of children with disabilities and you could see in schoolyards all over the country children playing together people with disability were no longer isolated and hidden they were Among Us and with us and participating and contributing many now thought to be uneducable uh 30 40 years ago now attending college and doing very well thank
you the education for all handicapp children act supported States and localities in protecting the rights and meeting the individual needs of students with disabilities it indicated specific Federal mandates to improve how children with disabilities were identified and educated to evaluate the success of these efforts and to provide due process protections for children and families in 1986 amendments to the education of all handicapp children act authorize programs for early intervention with infants and toddlers with disabilities in the 1990s the law was reauthorized as the individual with disabilities Education Act or Ida reaffirming the requirements for free
appropriate public education and strengthening the Law's commitment to Greater inclusion in Community Schools furthering the movement of students with disabilities towards being educated in general education settings the 1990 amendments also provided for ferally sponsored research and supports which included initiatives for transition services from high school to postsecondary education and adult living for students with disabilities without a doubt the transition Services provision in idea is one of its most important components this provision requires all who are working with students with disabilities to take the Long View in the planning process with an eye clearly focused on
quality of life outcomes in 1997 Amendment ments to idea continue to focus on access the definition of access however was broaden to Encompass not just physical access to schools but also access to the general education curriculum leading to higher academic expectations and greater outcomes for students with disabilities the focus must be on instruction that uses individualized approaches for accessing the general education curriculum schools support learning and high achievement for all with increasing opportunities for students with disabilities to be educated to the maximum extent possible alongside their non-disabled classmates in 2004 amendments to idea increase state
and local accountability for educating students with disabilities there is no pressure on schools to work hard on behalf of students who are excluded from the accountability system for this reason it is important that all students including all students with disabilities participate in the state accountability system and for this reason idea now mandates that students with disabilities be included in all state accountability programs in addition the 2004 amendments included Provisions to ensure that special education Personnel are highly qualified to reduce disproportionate representation of minorities in special education and to expand methods for identifying students with specific
learning disabilities and school procedures for disciplining students with disabilities instructional programming and the amount of supports provided are driven by student needs idea has led to improved access accountability and achievement for students with disabilities as of 2008 95% of students with disabilities were being educated in local neighborhood schools and almost 6 million students with disabilities were educated in general education classrooms for at least part of the day achievement due to idea extends Beyond K through 12 education for infants and toddlers the number of children birthed to age five receiving Services Under part C and B
of Ida increased dramatically and families became part of the planning and education process graduation rates for students with disabilities receiving a regular diploma have increased 43% since 1995 96 and since that time there has been a 24 percentage Point decrease in high school dropout rates enrollment rates at both 2 and 4year colleges have almost doubled for students with disabilities since 1993 and more students with disabilities hold jobs after leaving High School than ever before one of the most striking facts is that over the past 20 years there has been marked increases in employment postsecondary education
and Community Living measures across all disability groups likewise significant Headway is being made in improving academic accomplishments and successes in an environment of heightened standards and expectations [Music] so the progress we've made over the past 40 years is truly remarkable improved access accountability and achievement for students with disabilities as classrooms become more inclusive as technology advances as research shows us the evidence-based strategies and interventions and instruction that's necessary for kids to be successful in the classroom States and school districts can truly begin to focus on improving performance and results rather than just compliance with the
law the potential for students with disabilities to pursue College and Career has never been greater and we must celebrate the success in our progress but we also must recognize that there's more work to be done if we're truly to to realize the the promise of idea so for example we know that the IEP must be designed to enable the child to be involved in and and make progress in the general curriculum and that's the same curriculum that applies to non-disabled students we all know that the IEP is in fact the heart of special education it
provides students with a a a pathway with the opportunity to gain the knowledge and the skills that are necessary uh to meet the standards for the grade in which the child's enrolled we know that the IEP must reflect the student's disability and the impact that disability has on his or her involvement and progress in the general curriculum and it must also include the content it must include the annual goals the specially designed instruction the supports and the supplementary AIDS and services that are absolutely necessary for that child to meet the same standards that apply to
all kids it it's really about the opportunity to to graduate from high school and pursue one's dreams it's about inclusion and equity and opportunity that's what I is really about and I can't wait for the next 40 years [Music] [Music]
