Starting Points for Research:  A Short Bibliography of Sources Related to the Public Education in the United States for Children with Disabilities 

Elisabeth BOULOT, Université de Marne-la-Vallée
Elisabeth.BOULOT@wanadoo.fr

I came to disability history while doing research on the education of disabled children in the United States. My particular concern was to study how they had gradually been granted access to public education along side non-disabled children whenever possible. I am interested in this subject as part a wider study on children’s rights, and my main field of research is public policy and legal issues on individual liberties. I am glad to be given the opportunity to share with readers the sources I’ve found particularly helpful for this topic.

Recent publications on disability history and public education of disabled children and youth:

2001 Paul K. Longmore and Lauri Umansky. Disability History: from the Margins to the Mainstream (New York: New York University Press).

2003 Paul K. Longmore. Why I Burned My Books and Other Essays on Disability (Philadelphia: Temple University Press)

2005 Penny L. Richards. “Online Museums, Exhibits and Archives of American Disability History” The Public Historian, 27 (Spring 2005): 91-100.

Ed. Note: Richards is one of many articles devoted to disability history in this issue of The Public Historian.

Websites:

http://www.disabilitymuseum.org

http://www.disabilityhistory.org (The Council for Disability Rights)

http://disstud.blogspot.com (Temple University; this blog provides a list of events related to disabled people including children and youth)

http://www.americanhistory.si.edu/disabilityrights (National Museum of American History)

On special education:

City University of New York: National Centre on Educational Restructuring and Inclusion 

The University of Virginia Office of Special Education provides a history of special education, laws, medical journals available on linehttp://curry.edschool.Virginia.EDU/go/specialed/

Peabody Library at Vanderbilt University also provides material for the study of children and youth with disabilities

Disability study program at Toledo University (archives) http://www.dstprg.utoledo.edu/

Gallaudet press publishes American Annals of the Deaf (since 1847).

Gallaudet University , Washington D.C. has archives and its website provides a link to the library catalogue of Maryland University which provides information on books about disability history and a list of periodicals: http://library.gallaudet.edu/

Council for Exceptional Children

National Council on Disability

National Information Centre for Children and Youth with Disabilities: http://nichcy.org

Journals which I have found useful to understand changes in the education of disabled children and youths and specific issues related to their education:

American Annals of the Deaf
Journal of Special Education
Remedial and Special Education
Journal of Learning Disabilities
Journal of Educational  Research
Journal of Special Education
Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education
Disabilities Studies Quarterly
Education and Training in Mental Retardation
Exceptional Children
Special Educator

Medical Journals:

American Journal of Orthopsychiatry
Paediatrics
The American Journal of Public Health
Journal of American Medical Association

US Government Documents:

House of Representatives and Senate reports on the passage of the three major pieces of legislation about the education of children with disabilities

PL 94-142 Education for All Handicapped Children Act, 1975
PL 101-476 Individual with Disabilities Education Act, 1990
PL 108-446 Individuals with Disability Education Improvement Act, 2004

State and Federal Court decisions reflect the evolution from exclusion to inclusion: http://www.findlaw.com

State Archives should provide information about laws excluding disabled children from public school education and on the history of institutions for blind, deaf and mentally retarded children.

I located the websites of many institutions which today still provide an education for disabled children, by doing research on lists of such institutions state by state.

See also:

President Hoover’s White House Conference on Child Health and Protection. Special Education, the Handicapped and the Gifted. Report on Special Classes. New York, 1931

Provides an insight on the way the education and training of “crippled” and other handicapped children

President Kennedy’s Panel on Mental Retardation 1962.

University Centres for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities Education, Research and Service   http://www.cdl.unc.edu/psychology/history.htm