Since 1917, education has been compulsory for American children, but even by the 1970s, the educational needs and rights of children with disabilities were addressed only sparsely, at the local level.

• 从1917年开始，美国的小孩要进行义务教育，甚至在1970年，以当地的水平，教育成了残疾孩子的一项需要和权利，但是处理得却很少。