Special Education 1960 Versus Today

Remarks by the First Lady at Spelman College commencement

And I want to thank President Tatum for her leadership and for that very kind and generous introduction. She is such an inspiration to all of the women who are part of the

Spelman family, so let's give her our thanks and round of applause.

I also want to acknowledge a few people who are here in the audience: Senator Isakson, Representative Johnson, and of course Mayor Reed. Thank you all so much for joining us today. Thank you all for your leadership.

And I want to give a special shoutout to one of my people, one of my staff members, Ms. Kristen Jarvis of Spelman class of 2003. Look, ladies, you want to know what Spelman does for you? Kristen is my right-hand woman. She travels with me all across the country and around the world. I don't know what I would do without her. She has been with me from the very beginning, looking after my girls, taking care of my mom. So I want to thank Spelman for giving me Kristen.

And again, let's take a moment to thank all of those beautiful people sitting behind you all today and standing behind you every day, the folks who brought you into this world - the folks who showed you, with their love, that you belong here. They pushed you, they believed in you, and they answered calls those late nights, even when you were just calling for money. So again, let's give a special round of applause for all the families here today.

And of course, most of all, to the Spelman class of 2011, congratulations! We are so, so proud of you. We're proud of the effort you've invested and the risks that you took.We are proud of the relationships you forged, the growth you have shown. We are proud of yourself how, for the last four years, you have plunged into the life of this school and embraced all that she has to offer. To do this, you do not have to write a chapter in your own life. You also part of the Spelman story a story that began 130 years ago about 10 miles of the road from where we are today.

And now you know all the details: how two white women in Northern Sophia Packard and Harriet Giles (laughter) - have come here to Atlanta to establish the Atlanta Baptist Female Seminary. Now we want the world to know this story. They started out in a dank church basement loaned to them by a kindly preacher named Father Quarles. And their first class had just 11 students, many of whom were former slaves.

Special Education Has Changed Over Time

Special education has been assisting students with learning disabilities in the United States education system since the end of World War II. The first push for special education started when a group of parent-organized advocacy groups surfaced. In 1947 one of the first organizations, the American Association on Mental Deficiency, held its first convention. That marked a starting point for special education as we know it today.

Started during the Civil Rights Movement in the early 1950s, the United Cerebral Palsy Association, the Muscular Dystrophy Association, and John F. Kennedy’s Panel on Mental Retardation were among an increased amount of advocacy groups for assisted learning programs. This strong push helped bring special education into schools across the country in the 1960's as school access was established for children with disabilities at state and local levels.

The parent advocacy groups dating back to 1947 laid the ground floor for government legislation being approved by Congress in 1975 that was called the “Education for All Handicapped Children Act” (Public Law 94-142). This act went into effect in October of 1977 and it was the beginning for federal funding of special education in schools nationwide. The act required public schools to offer "free appropriate public education" to students with a wide range of disabilities, including “physical handicaps, mental retardation, speech, vision and language problems, emotional and behavioral problems, and other learning disorders.”

The law from 1977 was extended in 1983 to offer parent training and information centers. Later in 1986 the government started programs targeting youngsters with potential learning disabilities. The Act from 1975 was changed to the “Individuals with Disabilities Education Act” (IDEA) in 1990. Since establishment of IDEA more than 6.5 million children and 200,000+ toddlers and infants are being assisted each year.

Special education in schools often unintentionally overlooks a key aspect of why students suffer from learning disabilities. The reasons for common learning disabilities are weak cognitive skills. Studies show that 80% of students enrolled in special education at some level suffer from underlying weak cognitive skills. Cognitive skills are the mental capabilities that one needs to successfully learn academic subjects.

Special Education in Contemporary Society, An Introduction to Exceptionality

Encyclopedia of Special Education: A-D

Cross categorical special education needs in Finland and Germany

Concise Encyclopedia of Special Education, A Reference for the Education of the Handicapped and Other Exceptional Children and Adults

What mothers say about special education, from the 1960s to the present