Special Education in St. Louis and St. Louis County
Curated by: Kelly Stolle
Curated by: Kelly Stolle
Image description: an aged, (presumably) graphite drawing of the historic Sacred Heart Academy located in St. Charles, Missouri. In the background, the school rests horizontally on the left. The school's chapel looms in the right of the image. In the foreground, stands a stone wall being passed in front of by a horse drawn carriage.
Even before obtaining statehood, Missouri began opening and operating schools in and nearby St. Louis. The first high schools opened in this state were Saint Louis University High located in St. Louis proper) and Sacred Heart Academy (located in St. Charles), both opening in 1818. However, there were many years before school began opening their doors to the general public. The first public schools opened in St. Louis were elementary schools in 1838 and a co-educational high school in 1855.
While the access to education swelled in some ways in the area, some students were undoubtedly left behind. One such group of pupils which were ignored as the city took these strides were disabled students. Many times, students who were disabled were forced to stay at home (if not institutionalized) keeping many of the possible doorways to success closed to them forever. While we are standing at a vantage point today that is far from perfect, we can also look back and pinpoint some moment's in our city's history which certainly made lives better for disabled pupils.
Image description: Rows of old fashioned, wood and iron, desks line a room before a great wooden teaching desk. In the background, an American flag stands next to a window through which light spills into the room.
Below, you will find a timeline detailing some major moments in the fight toward equality in education on the basis of one's (mental and physical) ability level as it relates to St. louis and St. Louis county specifically.
Missouri School for the Blind opened in St. Louis, 4 years before the first public coeducation high school.
St. Louis ARC formed, originally under the name "St. Louis Association for retarded children, by concerned mothers who wanted options outside of having their children institutionalized.
Voters approve the establishment of "Special School District," as well as its tax referendum.
Education for all Handicapped Children Act signed into law by then president Gerald Ford.
The Special Olympics established allowing for students with varying ability levels to come together over the love of sports.
Early Childhood Special Education (preschool) now available via SSD.
NOTE: SSD's website harbors conflicting informaton on this note. Some of their pages note 1991 as the preschool launch while 1976 is also noted
Image description: black text on yellow paper. The title at the top of the page reads "'AW' TEACH." Poem reads as follows:
"You know I cannot read still you say, "just do your best" You know I cannot spell Still you give me test on test You know I cannot write Still you insist I must write reams You say I must multiply, then divide (Not in my wildest dreams!) You know that I'm disorganized Yet you give me contract "things" Six, eight, ten pages, Until my poor head rings. Chemistry, plants and animals Enthrall me by the hour But those complicated workbooks Are beyond my greatest power I'd rather show or tell you Than write a novel on it all But many times I just freeze up When it's my name that you call. My greatest talent, what I do best Is repairing and selling cars But here in this big school it seems It's just not in my stars. Painting, art, all kinds of crafts I could work with by the day But no one seems to know or care That this is my forte! I admire all those big athletes But I can't get in the game You suspect that I'm unhappy But curriculum is the name In school, is it any wonder then That I'm sorry I ever came."
The poem is then noted to be from "Marge Keating, St. Louis ACLD"
The journey toward unlocking the doors of knowledge for disabled children has been long and arduous. While there have been great strides made in this fight, the victories have been too few and far between to have made things truly equal.
Today, there are parameters in place to ensure students have the appropriate support and resources for their ability level as well as pathways into a happy post-high school life regardless of what that might mean for them. Many secondary schools offer opportunities to gain valuable experience via work based learning inside the school as well as outside of it. This allows for students to achieve an independent lifestyle that they otherwise could not obtain at other periods of history.
However, there are still gaps in these systems that students can fall through when educators are not vigilant. The truth is that those is positions of power (in the classroom as well as outside of it) are humans. There is rarely an occasion of overt and intentional malice. When the simple oversights are added together, though, they create something equally violent. Ableism is still ableism whether it is conscious or not.
To avoid these sorts of oversights going forward, educators should remind themselves of the brevity of this timeline. These events have had measurable impacts to be sure, but they came as the result of hard fought battles.
“A History of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.” Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, 30 Nov. 2023, sites.ed.gov/idea/IDEA-History#:~:text=Before%20EHA%2C%20many%20children%20were,or%20had%20an%20intellectual%20disability
“History.” St. Louis Arc, 19 Aug. 2019, www.slarc.org/about-us/history/.
“Part I: Education.” Stlouis, www.stlouis-mo.gov/government/departments/planning/cultural-resources/preservation-plan/Part-I-Education.cfm . Accessed 3 Dec. 2023.