Special Education Day is Dec 2, 2025.

Celebrating achievement and spurring reform.

Special Education Day— December 2, 2025.

It’s a super special day!

WHY? Because it marks the 50th anniversary of President Gerald Ford’s signing our first national special education law. Originally called the EAHCA—Education of All Handicapped Children Act. Now it’s the IDEA—the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. If you want to read his signing statement, here’s the link.

Why Special Education Day matters!

Special Education Day is a remarkable day—for three reasons.

FIRST, a time to celebrate! You will find Special Education Day, the national holiday, in Chase’s Calendar of events. We, SPEDCO, the Special Education Day Committee, launched this holiday in 2005, twenty years ago, to honor progress and celebrate students with disabilities--and their teachers, administrators, parents, schools, and tax payers. NOW, all students with disabilities are served by the IDEA and many have gone on to lead successful and productive lives. As a nation, we’ve come a long way since 1975! It’s party time!

SECOND, a time to dialogue and reflect! On this momentous day, let’s take time to reflect on where we’ve been and where we should go—a new path forward—that works: that is child-centered and learning-focused for all students and that works for our nation. Not surprisingly, there is much to fix in the current 50-year-old system.

THIRD, a time to reform! Special Education Day provides the opportunity for us to dream big and think anew about how to educate all students—including students with disabilities—in our schools to the best of our abilities. What shall we plan for the next 50 years?

One successful reform that was created at Special Education Day celebrations is SpedEx-- the innovative, child-focused, and trust-building dispute resolution model that is free for Massachusetts schools and parents. It’s been going strong for more than 15 years! Please check out SpedEx at https://sites.bc.edu/spedexconsultation/

Enjoy this day of celebration, reflection, and reforming for the future.

We hope you will mark and celebrate Special Education Day in your own way. If you wish to share ideas for your celebration—and to see what others have done in the past—please send an email to info@specialeducationday.com. Here are examples of Special Education Day celebrations from around the country. Since you asked…

If you plan to host a celebration (large or small), write a piece, fly balloons, sponsor a luncheon, share chocolates, or otherwise mark the day, we are happy to provide encouragement and assistance. Please contact us at info@specialeducationday.com.

Together, let’s move special education forward--to improve the teaching and learning for all students--general and special education--in our nation’s public schools.

Happy Special Education Day!

Happy 50th Anniversary of the IDEA!