National Special Education Day
National Special Education Day:
Celebrated annually every December 2nd, the National Special Education Day is dedicated to honoring the federal special education law instituted on December 2, 1972, and the students, teachers, and administration striving to make special education possible for special students.
Year | Date | Day | Where |
2020 | 2nd December | Tuesday | United States |
2021 | 2nd December | Wednesday | United States |
2022 | 2nd December | Thursday | United States |
Twitter Hashtags:
#NationalSpecialEducationDay
#SpecialEducationDay
Related: Other National Days Celebrated on December 2nd:
Why Special Education Day?
Children with disabilities are special and need special care and resources to aid them in their schooling and daily life.
The last century has seen a tremendous rise in children being educated. Children with special needs received very little education or no education at all.
Few places had special schools and they were often very expensive for common households to afford and the quality was not always the same. Thus the IDEA instituted in 1972 was a significant cause for improving education facilities for special children in America.
The Individuals with Disability Education Act (IDEA) enforced that special children also had the right to avail free education just like another child. It was the first federal law passed towards the special education Act by President Gerald Ford on December 2, 1975.
Thus under the IDEA regulation, children between 3 and 21 years of age qualify under the different services provided by it. Not only did it bring equal education for everyone, but it also aided in lowering the stigma of being disabled thus improving the morale of special students and developing empathy and respect for the rest of the crowd.
IDEA also was instrumental for many technological developments for aiding special students in the classroom and their daily activities. This contributed to the improvement of education for other students as well. We can have many special people graduate from college today, thanks to IDEA. What IDEA did 48 years ago reminds us again that children are God’s gift and it is our responsibility to protect them and provide for them!
Thus this National Special Education Day let’s be proud of what IDEA gave to American children and their families. That every child is unique and created in the image of God thus it is only right to imbibe respect and love for them!
How Can We Observe National Special Education Day:
There are many ways to celebrate this special day, here are some ways to celebrate
- Raise awareness to end the stigma around disability
Special children are often stereotyped based on their disability and assumed to be unable to do anything rather than focusing on their strengths. So today make time to talk about it with family and friends so as not to call them with inappropriate labels and end this stereotype.
- Show gratitude to special education teachers and students
Celebrate this day by thanking a teacher or a student in your family or locality who works towards empowering special children and their education. Call them or write them a Thankyou card for their efforts. It is a challenge teaching imparting knowledge to children and it’s even tougher to cater to special children.
- Thank the special education advocates
Another best way to celebrate the day is by thanking the advocates working towards supporting and guiding students and families in need of special education.
- Support an organization that work for special education
A great way to celebrate the National Special Education Day is by showing your support for the organization by involving them in any way possible. You can choose to volunteer for various activities and raise money to support them.
- Share the story of Special Education Day on Social Media
Share inspiring stories about special children and their education with friends and family on social media to celebrate Special Education Day. Use hashtags #NationalSpecialEducationDay and #SpecialEducationDay to post on social media.
Interesting Facts About National Special Education Day:
Here are some interesting facts to enlighten you further:
- The Father of Special Education is considered to have been a French Physician named Jean-Marc Gaspard Itard who was striving to educate special children
- Learning disabilities have been diagnosed with boys more than girls. Research hasn’t proven that gender is associated with LD and it could also be that many girls are not treated for their LDs.
- Special Education students don’t have a waiting list as per the law
- Children with disabilities don’t have to attend a special school unless the child needs more special classroom setting and program
- Many People with learning disabilities went on to become famous for example Walt Disney, Sir Isaac Newton, Abraham Lincoln, Henry Ford, Albert Einstein, and Vincent Van Gogh are a few among the many other famous personalities.
History Of National Special Education Day
The National Special Education Day was first observed in 2005 by the Special Education Committee (SPEDCO) in honor of the 30th Anniversary of IDEA.