Definition
Public Law 94-142, also known as the Education for All Handicapped Children Act (EAHCA) of 1975, is the landmark federal legislation pertaining to the education of children with disabilities. The law guaranteed a “free, appropriate public education” to all children and young adults aged 3–21. PL 94-142 was an amendment to the Education of the Handicapped Act (EHA) of 1970 and served as Part B of the EHA. Congress has since replaced PL 94-142 with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act, but the tenets of the EAHCA – namely to improve the educational opportunities of students with disabilities – remain intact.
Historical Background
Although considered groundbreaking, PL 94-142 was not the first piece of federal legislation pertaining to the education of students with disabilities. Many pieces of federal legislation beginning in the 1950s had touched on educational issues of students with disabilities,...
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References and Readings
Brown v. Board of Education, 347 U.S. 483 (1954).
Education for All Handicapped Children Act of 1975, Pub. L. No. 94-142. 89 Stat. 773.
Education of the Handicapped Act Amendments of 1986, Pub. L. No. 99-457, 100 Stat. 1145.
Education of the Handicapped Act of 1970, Pub. L. No. 91-230, 84 Stat. 175.
Elementary and Secondary Education Act Amendments of 1966, Pub. L. No. 89-750, §161, 80 Stat. 328.
Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, Pub. L. No. 89-10, 79 Stat. 27.
Federal Education Policy and the States, 1945–2009. Retrieved from http://www.archives.nysed.gov/edpolicy/research/res_essay_ford_pl94_142.shtml
Handicapped Children’s Protection Act of 1986, Pub. L. No. 99-372, 100 Stat. 796.
Harrison v. Michigan, 350 F. Suppl. 846 (E.D. Mich. S.D. 1972).
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act Amendments of 1997, Pub. L. No. 105-17, 111 Stat. 37.
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 1990, Pub. L. No. 101-476, 104. Stat. 1142.
Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004, 20 U.S.C. §§ 1400 et seq., Pub. L. No. 108-446, 118 Stat. 2803.
Katsiyannis, A., Yell, M. L., & Bradley, R. (2001). Reflections on the 25th Anniversary of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. Remedial and Special Education, 22(6), 324–334.
Library of Congress. Bill Summary & Status, Education for All Handicapped Children Act. Retrieved from http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d094:SN00006:@@@D&summ2=m&#locshare/print
No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, 20 U.S.C. §§ 6301 et seq.
Pennsylvania Association for Retarded Citizens (PARC) v. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, 343 F. Suppl. 279 (E.D. Pa. 1972).
PL 94-142: policy, evolution, and landscape shift (2007). Retrieved May 2, 2011, from http://www.thefreelibrary.com/PL+94-142%3a+policy%2c+evolution%2c+and+landscape+shift.-a0173465140
San Antonio v. Rodriquez, 411 U.S. 1 (1973).
The Infants and Toddlers with Disabilities Act of 1986, 20 U.S.C. §§1471-1485.
US Office of Special Education Programs. (2000). Twenty-Five Years of Progress in Educating Children with Disabilities Through IDEA. Retrieved May 2, 2011, from http://www2.ed.gov/policy/speced/leg/idea/history.html
Yell, M. L., Shriner, J. G., & Katsiyannis, A. (2006). Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004 and IDEA regulations of 2006: Implications for educators, administrators, and teacher trainers. Focus on Exceptional Children, 39(1), 1–24.
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Dunn, D. (2013). Public Law 94-142. In: Volkmar, F.R. (eds) Encyclopedia of Autism Spectrum Disorders. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-1698-3_393
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