Breakthrough. Federal Special Education Legislation 1965-1981

Edwin Martin, a pivotal force behind the development of federal policy in special education, takes us behind the scenes of policy making in Washington, D. C., including the complex array of factors and forces that led to the passage for one of the most important pieces of federal educational legislation in the last 50 years, now known as Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Using candor, humor, wisdom and compassion, he offers an invaluable historical record and reveals how legislation should be created (in contrast to today's logjam in Washington). Although much of the narrative refers to people and events of the 1960s and 1970s, the book is a powerful and inspirational reminder to policymakers, advocates, and practitioners in the present why special education is a necessary and noble profession.