A review and analysis of the history of special education and disability advocacy in the United States

Historical perspectives in the field of special education are often overlooked or minimally surveyed. This article examines distinct eras in the history of special education in the United States: Early Reform (1800 – 1870), Stagnation and Regression (1870-1950), and Contemporary Reform (1950 – present). Themes consistently emerging in each era include (a) the treatment of people with disabilities following societal and cultural trends; (b) changing conceptions of disability as a qualitative or quantitative phenomenon; (c) shifting emphases on nature and nurture; and (d) the new not necessarily being better than the old. Parallels between eras are also discussed.