Stuff You Missed in History Class SYMHC Classics: P.A.R.C. and Mills
Jan 10, 2026
Discover the history of public education for children with disabilities in the U.S. until the mid-1970s. Explore how 19th and 20th-century laws excluded many from schooling and forced them into inadequate institutions. Learn about pivotal lawsuits like PARC v. Pennsylvania and Mills v. Board of Education, which challenged discriminatory practices. Uncover the federal actions that led to the groundbreaking Education for All Handicapped Children Act in 1975 and the ongoing challenges in achieving equitable education.
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Segregation Extended To Disability
- Before 1975 many U.S. states excluded children with disabilities from public schooling or segregated them into inappropriate classes.
- Brown v. Board spurred similar challenges to segregation by ability as advocates saw parallel psychological harms.
Personal Surprise Sparks The Episode
- Tracy B. Wilson recounts family ties to special education and still being surprised that public education wasn't guaranteed until 1975.
- A listener's email prompted the hosts to explore how disability exclusion persisted into the 20th century.
Legal Loopholes Allowed Exclusion
- Compulsory attendance laws often carved out exceptions for children labeled "uneducable," letting schools exclude many disabled children.
- Excluded children were frequently institutionalized with minimal care and almost no education.