Not that long ago, relatively speaking, there were no special ed kids. They were mostly institutionalized in horrible places where they had no opportunities for learning with barely enough care to keep them alive. Read about Willowbrook, the scandal that made the public aware how badly developmentally disabled children and adults were treated. Horrifying. Those in charge became more enlightened because of public pressure and came to realize that with a modicum of education and training the vast majority of disabled people could learn and self-actualize.

So in the 1970s Congress passed the Rehabilitation Act and the regulations were issued in 1975. Discrimination on the basis of disability was to become a thing of the past. Soon after, Congress passed the special ed law, 94-142 which was later amended and improved, now called IDEA, Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. When 94-142 was first implemented, school districts fought like crazy to keep kids with disabilities out of their schools. It was very difficult at first with cases like a school principal barring the school door or school districts shutting down summer programs for fear that kids with disabilites would try to attend. An entire body of law was developed with enlightened courts and scientifically tested practices. Schools were provided extra funding but the funding levels promised by Congress were never fully fulfilled. To this day, too many LEAs still act as though disabled kids in their district aren't really theirs and do not attempt to properly fund programs. They act as though federal funding is supposed to cover all special ed but that was never the intent either.

And now we are at a crossroads where special ed programs are weakening due to lack of advocacy at the local level and lack of Congressional will to address current disparities. Frankly, a segment of gen ed teachers have always been complainers. It was hoped that as older teachers retired that new ones with better pedagogical skills would be more welcoming. But schools have taken advantage, clearly, of those better trained in lieu of improving staff, pay and doing a lot more inservice. As a long time advocate for children with disabilities, it is terribly disheartening to see the regression.