Historical Setting
In a 1966 amendment to the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, the federal government began providing financial aid to states that provided education for children with disabilities. The program evolved into the Education of the Handicapped Act (EHA) of 1970. After a couple of lawsuits and an updated Act, the government determined that students with disabilities had the right to public education, and parents had the right to participate in the process (Wright, 2010). Amy Rowley, a first-grader with an auditory impairment, and her family filed suit against her school district in the Federal District Court after the New York Commissioner of Education affirmed the school district’s decision to refuse a sign-language interpreter. The District Court ruled in favor of Amy, and the Court of Appeals affirmed their decision; therefore, the school district appealed the decision to the U.S. Supreme Court in 1982.
Case Summary …show more content…
Because of an observed discrepancy between her level of achievement and her potential, her parents believed that she was not receiving her legal right to an appropriate education. However, the school district argued that she was in fact receiving an appropriate education as evidenced through her learning and promotion to the subsequent grade-level.
Court’s Decision
On June 28, 1982, the Supreme Court reversed and remanded the decision, determining that, according to the EHA, the supports and services that Amy was receiving constituted “free appropriate public education” without the provision of a sign-language interpreter. In addition, the Court clarified that if a student with a disability benefits from the instruction, education is appropriate.
In a 1966 amendment to the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, the federal government began providing financial aid to states that provided education for children with disabilities. The program evolved into the Education of the Handicapped Act (EHA) of 1970. After a couple of lawsuits and an updated Act, the government determined that students with disabilities had the right to public education, and parents had the right to participate in the process (Wright, 2010). Amy Rowley, a first-grader with an auditory impairment, and her family filed suit against her school district in the Federal District Court after the New York Commissioner of Education affirmed the school district’s decision to refuse a sign-language interpreter. The District Court ruled in favor of Amy, and the Court of Appeals affirmed their decision; therefore, the school district appealed the decision to the U.S. Supreme Court in 1982.
Case Summary …show more content…
Because of an observed discrepancy between her level of achievement and her potential, her parents believed that she was not receiving her legal right to an appropriate education. However, the school district argued that she was in fact receiving an appropriate education as evidenced through her learning and promotion to the subsequent grade-level.
Court’s Decision
On June 28, 1982, the Supreme Court reversed and remanded the decision, determining that, according to the EHA, the supports and services that Amy was receiving constituted “free appropriate public education” without the provision of a sign-language interpreter. In addition, the Court clarified that if a student with a disability benefits from the instruction, education is appropriate.