Special Education Law Was Signed by Ford, Despite Reservations

Measure had ‘unrealistic’ goals, he feared.

When President Gerald R. Ford signed a special education bill in 1975 that would have a huge impact on students and schools, his ambivalence was evident.

Though he supported its mission to open classroom doors for children with disabilities, the fiscally conservative Republican expressed worries that the Education for All Handicapped Children Act would strain the resources of the federal government and raise false expectations of support—predictions that many special education observers say have become a reality.

As dignitaries, family members, and friends said goodbye last week to the nation’s 38th president, who died Dec. 26 at age 93, others were trying to make sure that his words regarding special education were remembered and heeded by those trying to improve the landmark law, now known as the Individuals with Disabilities...