FTCE Exceptional Student Education (ESE) K-12 2025 – 400 Free Practice Questions to Pass the Exam

The correct answer is the case of Pennsylvania Association for Retarded Citizens v. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, 1972. This landmark ruling established the right to adequate treatment and care for individuals with intellectual disabilities who were institutionalized. The ruling emphasized that individuals with intellectual disabilities have the right to a minimum standard of treatment and services in institutional settings, which reflected the broader movement towards recognizing and respecting the rights and dignity of people with disabilities.

Wyatt v. Stickney, while significant in its own right, primarily focused on the conditions of mental hospitals and the rights of individuals with mental illness, rather than those with intellectual disabilities specifically. Mills v. Board of Education addressed the right to education for children with disabilities, emphasizing the need for public schools to provide educational opportunities to all students, rather than treatment in institutionalized settings. Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 established rights against discrimination for individuals with disabilities but did not specifically address the issue of treatment in institutional settings.