Court Cases

This was a famous case involving special education laws. The parents of Amy Rowley, a student who was deaf, wanted the Hendrick Hudson School District to provide her with a sign language interpreter for all of her classes. However, the school did not want to provide Amy with an interpreter because she had been doing well without one to begin with. In the case Board of Education of Hendrick Hudson School District v. Rowley (1982), the Supreme Court ruled in favor of the school district. They determined that "Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE)" was meant to aid students with disabilities but not to maximize their potential.

Although the Brown v. Board of Education (1954) case was not specifically geared toward students with disabilities, it did play a role in special education laws. In this case, the Supreme Court ruled the racial segregation of students in schools unconstitutional. The concept of inclusion and equality played a part in creating the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE).