Local: The History of Special Education in Hawaii

In Hawaii, Special Education programs are an important asset to schools throughout our Islands. Special Education is a specifically designed program created to meet the various unique students with disabilities. These services is provided at a free rate.

Special Education is provided by law under the IDEA which is the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004. It was only until 2004 this act was amended by the United States federal law.Under this act, it guarantees a free public education with special education services for those that are eligible.

Before this act, it was difficult to decipher which students were eligible for Special education privileges. Just because students had a disability didn't necessarily mean they qualified for Special Ed. So, to decide whether students are eligible to be classified under Special Education, they created a eligible criteria. These are some of the categories:

• autism
• deaf-blindness
• deafness
• developmental delay
• emotional disturbance
• hearing impairment
• mental retardation
• multiple disability
• orthopedic impairment
• other health impairment
• specific learning disability
• speech-language impairment
• traumatic brain injury
• visual impairment, including blindness

(http://doe.k12.hi.us/specialeducation/spedisitforyourchild.htm)

Once a student is determined for Special education services, the student, parent, teacher, and school administrator are considered IEP (Individualized Education Program) team members. Together they will decide the placement of the student that will meet their needs.

The DOE (department of education) of Hawaii created Titile 8, Chapter 56 which is the provision of a free appropriate public education for a student with a disability rule. This rule was put into effect on January 6, 1986. Since then, these rules have been successful and useful in Hawaii.

Anoter contributing factor to the development of Special Education was the landmark lawsuit of 1993 that forced the state to make great improvements within the system. An article in the Honolulu Advertiser updates us with that lawsuit in 2005.