December 2nd is special education day

Special education was put into place to offer additional support, programs, environments and specialized placements to ensure that all students’ educational needs are met.  This is provided at no cost to parents of qualifying children with special needs.  In the U.S there has been a governing law put into place called Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).  Students who do qualify for special education often require support that goes beyond what is offered in the regular classroom.  There are thirteen different categories under IDEA; some of which are autism, deafness or blindness, developmental delays, intellectually disabled and hearing impairments. 

Miriam K. Freedman, a Boston special education lawyer, established Special Education Day.  It is a day that commemorates the signing of the special education legislation by Gerald Ford in 1975 then called Education for All Handicapped Children Act.  After the law was enacted one million children who had not been receiving any education were identified and brought into public schools.  The federal special education law (IDEA) will be 30 years old this week.  There is much to celebrate, we have came a long way since then.  But there is still much more to be done.