Running Head: THE HISTORY OF SPECIAL EDUCATION

The History of Special Education

Christine Smith
College of Southern Nevada

Abstract
The history of special education is reflected in societys social and economic issues at the time.
Throughout the centuries before the 1700s deviation of just about any kind was rarely tolerated.
Those who were different were subject to abuse, condemnation, destruction, and deprived of the
most basic civil rights and privileges. Because historians recorded little, much of the information
of exceptionality is speculative. World War I forever changed the balance of world power. With
the League of Nations formed to ensure such devastation and destruction would never again
violate humanity. Nations of the New World moved into new phases of economic growth and
social responsibility. The optimism of the 1920s in North America was felt at all levels of
society, resulting in the expansion of special education. Special education was no longer a
distant relative in the educational family. Institutional settings remained important, but the
importance of establishing segregated classes laid the ground work for future adaptations to
special education. World War II changed social perceptions of disabled persons, and their care
and treatment. Medical and technological advances were made improving the lives countless
war veterans. The education field became professionalized, and attention was given to technical
problems of assessment, pedagogy, classroom management, and curriculum. The quality of life
and education of disabled children and adults continued to improve with government funding
and a positive change societys attitude toward exceptional persons. A key goal of society
became the integration and normalization of all exceptional individuals, which meant regarding
them as individuals and treating them fairly.

THE HISTORY OF SPECIAL EDUCATION

Unlike general education that focuses on the collective learning of a group, special
education services are designed to meet the needs of each individuals learning needs. Special
education and the idea of educating students with disabilities emerged centuries ago, and because
of its inconsistent delivery, few received the services they needed. (1, p.21)
Historians did not record much about the deviant and different, therefore much of the
early history of exceptionality is speculative. (2, p.4) Not until about the 1600s was data recorded
to provide us a glimpse into persons with disabilities in general. However, we do know
throughout the centuries prior to the 1700s, deviation of just about any kind social, political,
religious, intellectual, or physical, was rarely tolerated. Those who were different were subject
to abuse, condemnation, destruction, and deprived of the most basic civil rights and privileges. A
societys treatment of those who are weak and dependent is one critical indicator of its social
progress. Social attitudes concerning the education and care of exceptional individuals reflect
the general cultural attitudes concerning the obligations of a society to its individual citizens (2,
p. 3).
The Renaissance period beginning in the fourteenth century saw a new interest in
humanistic principles, individuality, learning, and the arts. Humanism in art led to a more
intense focus on the human body and so to the development of more sophisticated surgery and
medical practices. The fields of anatomy and physiology enjoyed a period of vigorous
development (2, p.26). During this time special education mirrored our progress toward
appreciating the basic humanity of all people.

During the mid-eighteenth century both Britain and Europe, more specifically France,
were going through an intellectual movement known as the Enlightenment, inspiring people
from all spectrums of society to ask themselves stirring social questions. In 1799 a young boy
found in the French countryside was taken to Paris doctor, Jean-Marc-Gaspard Itar, known as the
father of special education. His treatment for the boy used principles & procedures of explicit
instruction that are still used today. In the early 1800s Edouard Seguin, one of Itars students
came to the United States to educate students with disabilities. While in Italy, a woman by the
name of Maria Montessori was working with children with cognitive disabilities. Also during
this time, Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet began to develop deaf education (1, p. 21). By the end of
the eighteenth century special education was accepted as a branch of education with charity, not
education, serving as the underlying motive. (2, p.5) The advances made during the eighteenth
century resulted in a wide range of pedagogical experimentation, the establishment of charitable
foundations and state-administered schools.
During the 1920s two main themes emerged in Progressive education: the developmental
movement of John Dewey, and the scientific movement of Edward Lee Thorndike. Despite both
agreeing on Progressive education, they differed in their approach to it. Deweys approach
involved a more scientific approach with an emphasis on the individual. While Thorndike
focused on the three Rs and supported the use of IQ testing. Following World War I when
thousands of physically disabled veterans required assistance in returning to the workforce, the
public was made aware of the abilities of individuals with disabilities. Although the first federal
legislation for vocational education was enacted in 1917, it wasnt until a year later in 1918 that
Congress enacted the first Vocational Rehabilitation Act to serve veterans of
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World War I, and it also initiated translation services for the blind. Additional federal funding
was provided when Woodrow Wilson signed the Federal Civilian Rehabilitation Act in April
1920. Optimism of the 1920s in North America was felt at all levels of society, resulting in the
expansion of special education
The 1940s saw much development in the medical field; controlling epilepsy with
Dilantin, antibiotics, ending childhood diseases such as whooping cough and diphtheria, and
etiologies of retinopathy of premature babies and rubella were discovered. Along with hearing
aids becoming smaller and more sophisticated, Dr. Richard Hoover developed techniques for the
blind using a long white cane, and encouraged the use of trained guide dogs for the blind, to
assist with mobility. All of these developments for the physically disabled were the catalysts for
developments and legislation to come to include those with mental and learning disabilities. For
example, amendments made to the Vocational Rehabilitation Act in 1943 expanded services to
include rehabilitation counseling for persons with mental disabilities (2, p.373). In the years to
follow there were medical studies of the brain, mother-child blood incompatibility, rubella,
anoxia, endocrine chemistry as a cause of cretinism, and the effects of early nutrition on a childs
development (2, p.37). Throughout the 1940s parents began uniting to form local, state and
national organizations, and the professionals serving disabled persons began to align themselves
with the parents, causing legislators to take the disabled population into consideration. A report
adopted by the White House called the Conference on Children in a Democracy of January 1940
stated; Schools should give increased attention to the educational needs of individual children,
including those who are physically handicapped, mentally retarded or socially handicapped (2,
p.377).

By the 1950s special classes to educate exceptional children was almost universally
accepted. Most developments in special education seemed to be in the field of mental
retardation. Students who scored 85 and below on an IQ test (1 standard deviation below the
mean) were defined at mentally retarded. However, in 1972 it was redefined to a 2 standard
deviation below the mean. This change resulted in 80 percent of the mentally retarded
population being eliminated. By 1947, 500,000 American and Canadian children in 7,000 city
school systems were receiving special education (2, p.373). In 1920 only three states had
directors of special education, and by 1946 twenty-five states had directors of special education
(2, p.373). From 1948-1953 the number of children in special classes increased 47 percent, and
the number of school districts providing special education services increased 83 percent and the
number of teachers in special programs grew by 48 percent (2, p.374).
The 1960s was a time of societal self examination focusing on social disadvantages of
disabled persons and racial segregation. During the late 1950s into the early 1960s educators,
professionals, and parents began to seriously question societys stereotypes about exceptional
persons and students. Also, during this time the federal government, specifically the Kennedy
era, began to move slowly into a supportive role funding special education, vocational education
and rehabilitation. In 1963 President Kennedy formed the Division of Handicapped Children
and Youth which encouraged the development of education for the disabled, and was a source of
funding for education of children with exceptional needs at the state and local levels. He also
commissioned the Panel on Mental Retardation to travel abroad to Russia, the Netherlands, and
Scandinavia to study programs for the mentally retarded. Their report stated the need for each
state to establish protective services for mentally retarded individuals. Educators began

adopting the Progressive education ideas of John Dewey introduced over 20 years ago, using a
curriculum that emphasized manual training, nature study, and a greater emphasis on social
participation and contributions with some occupational education.
With the government firmly involved with special education, in 1973 Congress passed
the Rehabilitation Act, Section 504, guaranteeing basic civil rights to all persons with disabilities
and requiring the provision of accommodations. Continuing to assist disabled and handicapped
children, in 1975 the Education for All Handicapped Children Act was passed, which guarantees
a free and appropriate public education in the least restrictive environment, and requires each
student to have an Individualized Education Plan (IEP), and an Individualized Family Service
Plan (IFSP) for infants & toddlers. The primary tool used universally used by teachers and
agencies today is the Individualized Education Plan (IEP) which ensures an appropriate
education in the least restrictive environment. Clearly we have come a long way in the way we
view exceptionality and persons with disabilities. Margaret A. Winzer, author of The History of
Education, summed up four hundred years of special education best from isolation to
integration.

References

1.

Smith, D. D., Tyler, N. C. (2010) Introduction to special education making a difference

(7th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education Inc.

2. Winzer, M. A. (1993) The history of special education. Washington, DC: Gallaudet

University Press.