A Rising Tide of Disabilities
Special Education

A Rising Tide of Disabilities

November 29, 2000 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print
Email Facebook LinkedIn Twitter Copy URL

See Also

Return to main story,

IDEA Opens Doors, Fans Controversy

Over the past 25 years, the number of students with disabilities has increased, and new categories of disability have been created.

Categories 1976- 77 1987- 88 1997- 98
Autism1 0 0 42,487
Deaf-blindness1 0 1,426 1,454
Developmental delay1 0 0 1,935
Hearing impairments 55,116 56,742 69,537
Mental retardation 818,718 596,928 602,111
Multiple disabilities1 0 78,588 106,758
Orthopedic impairments 70,566 46,837 67,422
Other health impairments2 115,867 46,013 190,935
(Serious) emotional disturbance3 245,343 372,048 454,363
Specific learning disabilities 782,095 1,937,827 2,748,497
Speech or language impairments 1,170,531 951,512 1,065,074
Visual impairments 26,215 22,769, 26,015
Traumatic brain injury 0 0 11,895
Total, all disabilities1 3,284,019 4,110,690 5,388,483
1These categories were created in amendments to the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act after 1975. 2“Other health impairments” includes attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. 3“Serious emotional disturbance” was renamed “emotional disturbance” in 1997.

A version of this article appeared in the November 29, 2000 edition of Education Week as A Rising Tide of Disabilities

Events

Wed., August 07, 2024, 2:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. ET
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Student Well-Being Webinar Attend to the Whole Child: Non-Academic Factors within MTSS
Learn strategies for proactively identifying and addressing non-academic barriers to student success within an MTSS framework.
Content provided by Renaissance
Register
Thu., August 08, 2024, 2:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. ET
School & District Management Webinar Getting Students Back to School and Re-engaged: What Districts Can Do 
Dive into districtwide strategies that are moving the needle on the persistent problem of chronic absenteeism and sluggish student engagement.
Register
Mon., August 19, 2024, 2:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. ET
Student Well-Being Webinar How to Improve the Mental Wellbeing of Teachers and Their Students: Results of the Third Annual Merrimack Teacher Survey
The results of the third annual Merrimack American Teacher Survey are in! Join this webinar and get an inside look into teacher and student well-being.
Register
See More Events

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs
Create Your Own Job Search

Read Next

Special Education Special Ed. Policies Can Change Fast. Districts Can Help Families Navigate Them
States have raised the maximum age of eligibility for special education services. But policies often change quickly.
Caitlynn Peetz
•
4 min read
Special education teacher Chris Simley, left, places a coffee order at a table staffed by student Jon Hahn, volunteer Phil Tegeler, student Brianna Dewater and student Mykala Robinson at Common Grounds coffee shop at Lincoln High in Lincoln, Neb., on Oct. 26, 2018. Down a hallway lined with Lincoln High School's signature red lockers, through the doors of Room 123, teachers can find a little early-morning salvation: a caffeine oasis open for business each Friday morning.
Special education teacher Chris Simley, left, places a coffee order at a table staffed by student Jon Hahn, volunteer Phil Tegeler, student Brianna Dewater, and student Mykala Robinson at Common Grounds coffee shop at Lincoln High in Lincoln, Neb., on Oct. 26, 2018. Policies regarding the maximum age at which students are eligible for special education services have changed quickly in recent years, providing a potential lifeline for families but a challenge for districts in keeping families abreast of the changes.
Gwyneth Roberts/Lincoln Journal Star via AP
Special Education Can AI Help With Special Ed.? There's Promise—and Reason to Be Cautious
Some special education professionals are experimenting with the technology.
Lauraine Langreo
•
3 min read
Photo collage of woman using tablet computer and AI icon.
iStock / Getty Images Plus
Special Education Many Students Can Get Special Ed. Until Age 22. What Districts Should Do
School districts' responsibilities under federal special education law aren't always clear-cut.
Mark Lieberman
•
4 min read
Instructor working with adult special needs student.
iStock
Special Education How a Mindset Shift Can Help Solve Special Education Misidentification
Many educators face the problem of misidentification of special education students. Here are strategies educators are using to fix it.
Isaiah Hayes
•
3 min read
Timothy Allison, a collaborative special education teacher in Birmingham, Ala., works with a student at Sun Valley Elementary School on Sept. 8, 2022.
Timothy Allison, a collaborative special education teacher in Birmingham, Ala., works with a student at Sun Valley Elementary School on Sept. 8, 2022.
Jay Reeves/AP
Load More ▼