A Brief History
In January of 1800, a young boy wandered out of the woods near Saint-Sernin-sur-Rance, France. The villagers took him in, but the boy had obviously spent most of his life alone in the wilderness. He had no speech skills and was, predictably, completely unable to communicate with or make sense of the civilization he had found himself in. Eventually, the care and keeping of the boy was turned over to a young physician named Jean-Marc Gaspard Itard, who called the child Victor (Wikipedia, "Victor of Aveyron"). For the next five years, Itard diligently worked with Victor, trying to teach him to speak. He was only able to teach the boy basic social and self-help skills, and therefore considered the project a failure. Little did Itard know that this groundbreaking work would lead to his legacy as "The Father of Special Education." (Gargiulo 16-17)
In the mid-nineteenth century, Edouard Seguin, a student of Itard, also pushed forward the field of Special Education. In 1839, Seguin opened the first school for children with special needs. He pioneered the idea that the children in his care were neither diseased or abnormal, but simply dealing with mental and developmental delays. His methods of therapy and education, centered around sensory training, gained worldwide approval and are still considered valid today. (britannica.com)
Up until the 1950's, children with disabilities were commonly and openly excluded from educational settings. In that mindset, an education was a privilege, and several instances exist of school boards and educators refusing to teach a disabled child for fear of distracting the other pupils or consuming too much of the teacher's time.
In 1954, the first bit of legislation to stop such cruelty was passed in the case Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas.
In the mid-nineteenth century, Edouard Seguin, a student of Itard, also pushed forward the field of Special Education. In 1839, Seguin opened the first school for children with special needs. He pioneered the idea that the children in his care were neither diseased or abnormal, but simply dealing with mental and developmental delays. His methods of therapy and education, centered around sensory training, gained worldwide approval and are still considered valid today. (britannica.com)
Up until the 1950's, children with disabilities were commonly and openly excluded from educational settings. In that mindset, an education was a privilege, and several instances exist of school boards and educators refusing to teach a disabled child for fear of distracting the other pupils or consuming too much of the teacher's time.
In 1954, the first bit of legislation to stop such cruelty was passed in the case Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas.