On July 12, 1972, Massachusetts Governor Francis Sargent signed the Bartley-Daly Act into law, flanked by co-sponsors and members of the Massachusetts Coalition for Special Education who had worked tirelessly throughout an extended policy-making process.

This Act, more commonly known as Chapter 766, was the first comprehensive special education reform law in the country. It was, and is, intended to ensure that every child between the ages of 3 and 21 who has special needs would receive a free public education appropriate to the needs of each individual child. The law replaced categorical disability labels with the designation ‘children with special needs’ and clarified that the local school is responsible for providing special education. It required local schools to screen children, beginning at age 3, in their communities to identify any concerns and provide appropriate evaluations for students with a disability or developmental delay. It required local schools to inform parents about, and involve them in, the process of developing an Individualized Educational Plan for their child.

Massachusetts began implementing Chapter 766 during the 1974-75 school year. The federal government would follow suit that same year with the passage of Public Law 94-142, known today as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), which established these same rights for children with special needs throughout the nation.

Martha Ziegler, then President of the Massachusetts Coalition for Special Education, announced that, “Consumers, parents and advocates would continue to function after the passage of the Massachusetts legislation to assist in every way necessary in the implementation of the bill.” What was to follow was the creation of a strong parent training and advocacy organization known as the Federation for Children with Special Needs, incorporated in 1974 as a coalition of 10 parent groups representing children with a variety of disabilities.

Parent advocates like Martha Ziegler established the Federation as ‘a forum to serve parents’. In a 1974 interview, Martha stated, “There were strong interest groups that were concerned about their own needs and feared giving up their turf. There was a need for a solid organization that would give parents credibility.” According to Bander, in her History of Special Education (1982), parents of children with disabilities, particularly in Massachusetts, gained national prominence and visibility because of their vocal membership, parent training programs, and statewide conferences to support parents in their efforts to learn about special education laws and programs to support their children’s education.

Today, parents are not only expected to participate in their child’s educational programs and healthcare, but also invited to participate in policy-level discussions about these services. In order to be effective, parents need to know their rights under the law and how to exercise those rights in the face of various stakeholder priorities and the concerns of local, state and federal governments. The individual needs of a child with special needs remain preeminent and it is the parents who must speak on their children’s behalf.

Using a parent helping parent approach, the Federation has helped empower parents to speak out on behalf of their children. When a parent calls for assistance, the listening ear on the other end of the phone is someone who understands, because he or she has been there.

For the past 30 years, the Federation has distinguished itself for its focus on parents as advocates, leaders and voices of those who would otherwise go unheard. For all of these reasons, we should be very proud! And personally, I am proud to be associated with the Federation as we embark on the next 30 years and hope that when it is again time to look back, we will still stand with pride on our record of accomplishment.

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