D&I Timeline

Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) is signed into law by President Gerald Ford

The Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) sometimes referred to as the “Buckley Amendment” is signed into federal legislation. FERPA protects the privacy of student educational records. More>>

President Gerald Ford signs into law the Education for all Handicapped Children Act

The Education for all Handicapped Children Act required all public schools accepting federal funds to provide equal access to education and one free meal a day for children with physical and mental disabilities. More>>

Congress passes the Pregnancy Discrimination Act of 1978

The Pregnancy Discrimination Act of 1978 was an amendment to Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 which prohibits discrimination on the basis of pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions. More>>

Supreme Court Case Plyler vs. Doe

The Supreme Court case Plyler vs. Doe struck down both a state statute denying funding for education to undocumented immigrant children in the United States and a municipal school district’s attempt to charge an annual $1,000 tuition fee for each student to compensate for lost state funding. More>>

The Workforce 2000 study is published by the Hudson Institute

This study predicted that 85 percent of all new job entrants by the year 2000 would be minorities and women and warned of skilled labor shortages and the need to come up with ways of managing a diverse workforce rather than one made up primarily of white males. More>>

Americans with Disabilities Act

The Americans with Disabilities Act was intended to reduce discrimination, promote employment of individuals with disabilities, and ensure access to education. It affords similar protections against discrimination to Americans with disabilities as the Civil Rights Act of 1964 while also requiring covered employers to provide reasonable accommodations to people with disabilities. More>>

President George H.W. Bush signs into law the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) ensures students with a disability are provided with Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) that is tailored to their individual needs. IDEA was previously the Education for All Handicapped Children Act (EHA) from 1975 to 1990. More>>

Los Angeles Riots

A series of civil rest and disturbances that occurred in Los Angeles during April and May 1992.  The riots began after a jury acquitted four LAPD officers of charged with excessive force in the arrest and the beating of Rodney King. More>>

President Bill Clinton signs into law the Family and Medical Leave Act

The Family and Medical Leave Act allows eligible employees to take up to 12 work weeks of unpaid leave during any 12-month period to care for a new child, care for a seriously ill family member, or recover from a serious illness. More>>

The Telecommunications Act is signed into law by President Bill Clinton

The passage of the Telecommunications Act was the first significant overhaul of United States telecommunications law in more than sixty years and mandated that computers, telephones, and closed captioning be made more accessible to the disability community. More>>