Looking to the Past: Thirty Years of History Worth Remembering

ABSTRACT: The passage of Public Law 94-142 in 1975, the Education for All Handicapped Children Act, was a landmark in American public education. Many young music therapists working in special education today have little idea of what public schools were like before this law was passed-now over 30 years ago. Important changes have occurred in the fields of music therapy and special education over these past three decades as a result of PL 94-142. Music therapists today are finding increasing employment in schools, and they carry greater accountability than ever before in the education of their students. The purpose of this paper is to provide a music therapist's personal reflections on schools prior to PL 94-142, to present some of the historical highlights of special education as a professional who witnessed the educational changes this law set forth and, finally, to describe the place of music in that history. Many young music therapists working in special education today have little idea of what public schools were like 30 years ago. Before PL 94-142, the Education for All Handicapped Children Act, was passed in 1975, public schools educated approximately one in five children with disabilities (Winzer, 1993). Most children with disabilities were denied access to their neighborhood schools and were educated in segregated institutions if they were educated at all. Parents of children with disabilities paid the same taxes their neighbors paid, but they were unable to send their children to the public schools supported by those taxes. Many public school administrators believed their schools' facilities and faculty were inadequate to provide services to students with disabilities, and in most cases, they were correct. More disturbing, though, was the fact that many school officials also doubted the value of education for such students (Stainback, Stainback, & Bunch, 1989). There were state schools for students who were deaf or blind and some state schools for students with developmental disabilities. Children left home to attend and to live in dormitories at these schools, often at the age of only 4 or 5 years old. In larger metropolitan areas, some parents were able to find a private school that would accept their child; however, they often had to pay an expensive tuition fee and drive their child many miles to school each day. It is not difficult to understand, then, why some parents, particularly those of children with severe disabilities, felt the best placement for their child was in a state residential institution, a facility where they believed their child would be cared for and would receive educational training. Unfortunately though, many of these children lived a life of mere existence in such institutions, the most notable example being Willowbrook. Willowbrook was more than just an institution, it was a movement, an expose, an attitude, and some would even venture to say-a philosophy. Most assuredly though, it was a critical turning point in the history of special education. Before I explain the many faces of Willowbrook, though, I would like to share some of my personal reflections on the segregation of students with disabilities in the years leading up to PL 94-142, present some of the historical highlights of special education, and, finally, describe the place of music in this history. Personal Reflections For most of my schooling up to grade 12, schools were segregated not only by disability but also by race. During most of my elementary school years, other aspects of daily life were segregated as well-restaurants, public restrooms, community pools, and even public water fountains. 1 can still clearly see the separate restrooms and water fountains in our neighborhood grocery store. Stenciled on each were the words "colored" or "white." That vivid image remains a source of discomfort and embarrassment. Much of what happened during the civil rights movement paved the way for the inclusion of students with disabilities, particularly Brown v. …