The year 2015 marks the 60th anniversary of special education in New Jersey and the 40th anniversary that special education is guaranteed to children in the United States through the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).
The person who spearheaded special education in New Jersey was the late Sen. Alfred Beadleston. As such, New Jersey was in the forefront of offering programs in public schools for children with mental, physical, emotional and learning needs.
New Jersey’s pioneering effort in 1955 laid the cornerstone for the enactment of IDEA in 1975.
Sixty years ago, only full-time, self-contained classes were offered to children in need. Today, there is a wide menu of educational programs available from the least restrictive to most restrictive. The gamut runs from inclusion, in-class support, one to four resource center classes, in-district parttime or full-time self-contained classes, to out-of-district part-time or full-time classes.
It is hard to believe 60 years have gone by since Sen. Beadleston’s vision to ensure that children with special needs get an education. However, it is easy to realize how far special education has come since then. Students with disabilities are doing things today never thought possible in 1955. New Jersey’s diamond anniversary of special education is only the beginning. Here’s to the next 60 years.
Michael Petti
school psychologist
Woodbridge