Before the passage of the Education for All Handicapped Children Act in 1975, only one child with disabilities in five attended a public school, according to the U.S. Department of Education. Many states' policies explicitly excluded children with certain types of disabilities from their traditional schools, including children who were blind, deaf, or deemed "emotionally disturbed" or "mentally retarded." It was estimated more than a million American children had no access to a public school education. Instead, many resided in state institutions. Much has changed, including the redesignation of the 1975 law as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act in 1990, when the anti-discrimination Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was also enacted. Building on earlier protections under Section 504 of the U.S. Rehabilitation Act of 1973, laws, policies, and social progress have fundamentally altered the landscape for students with physical disabilities. Today, roughly 14% of children in K-12 public schools in the United States receive special education services for physical or cognitive disabilities. The advent of the ADA in 1990 is sometimes cited as a key moment in securing civil rights for people with disabilities, not least students in public schools. The law gives good intentions a push. Although much progress has been made after 20 years, challenges still remain.