Disability Legislation in the United States and Its Impact on Education As a School Psychologist, Ms. Crandall works closely with students who have disabilities that adversely affect their learning. She also collaborates frequently with teachers and related servers who educate students with disabilities. Disability legislation is the driving force behind why and how these students are educated. Not only is it imperative for those working closely with these students to know the law, it is also important for every teacher in the school to have a thorough understanding of the laws that affect this population of students.
Remarkably, general education teachers have limited knowledge of the provisions covered by educational laws in regards to
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(2016) recommend that general education teachers be aware of two key special education laws in the United States and develop experience in their classrooms implementing these laws. The first is the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004, and the second is Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. Further, they call upon universities to offer three-credit courses in educational law as part of their curriculum. In addition, they call upon states to offer venues to provide teachers with information about special education laws. This could be accomplished through professional development or online tutorials that would be required for teacher re-certification in their …show more content…
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled this practice unconstitutional in the landmark court case Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka (1954). However, conflict and contention continued while a barrage of civil rights laws were enacted, beginning with the Civil Rights Act of 1957 and ending most notably with the Civil Rights Act of 1964. This landmark civil rights law prohibited discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex or national origin for all public accommodations including voting, employment, and schools. It wasn’t until the enactment of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, however, that the same access to all areas of public life and freedom from discrimination on the basis of disability was