In 1954, Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, the United States Supreme Court found that “separate but equal is inherently unequal in the context of public education.” (Brown, 1954). Although the case dealt with racial segregation, it served as the legal foundation for the rights of children with disabilities. In 1975, congress enacted the Education for All Handicapped Children Act (EHA), which was later renamed the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act is a federal law that authorizes special education for children with disabilities. IDEA requires public schools to provide students with disabilities a Free Appropriate Public …show more content…
Therefore, understanding disability in a socio-cultural context is critically important. Cultural beliefs about disabilities and the systems of special education affect the experience of children with disabilities and their parents. It is important that parents get involved and advocate for their children. The relationship that parents have with the school can make a tremendous difference in their child 's education. In the United States, the advocacy efforts of parents has been a main factor in bringing about a system of free and appropriate public education, including education in inclusive settings, for children with disabilities (Kritzer, 2014, p. 3375). All parents, have the right to actively participate in the educational process of their children. Schools must inform parents of their rights. Parental consent must first be obtained to perform any evaluations to determine whether a child has a disability or not. Parents have the right to participate as a member of the IEP team. They are instrumental in determining the child 's special needs, the location of instruction, and the special education services that the school will provide. When a parent is not involved, there may be a misinterpretation of why. Some may feel that it is because the parent is not concerned or really does not care. However, some parents …show more content…
Significant progress has been made towards meeting the unique needs of students with disabilities through developing and implementing effective programs and services for special education. U.S. law mandates that students be placed in the least restrictive environment (LRE). LRE can be in a general education classroom with support from a special education teacher, a segregated special education classroom at a public school facility or a combination of both a general education classroom and separate classroom (Kritzer, 2014, p. 3371). Before IDEA, many children were denied access to education and opportunities to learn. Today, the majority of children with disabilities are being educated in their neighborhood