History
Working toward a world where every child thrives
Our company was founded in 1978 by Paul Brookes, just a few years after the passage of IDEA (then called Public Law 94-142, or the Education of All Handicapped Children Act). “A huge incentive for starting Brookes was the passage of PL 94-142.” Paul says. “The very foundation of our company was built on addressing the needs the new law brought to light—it created new mandates and requirements, and our mission was to help professionals meet them.”
Starting with Paul’s vision and a small editorial team with a passion for helping children, Brookes has grown into a company of diverse and dedicated professionals who understand your challenges and share your vision for a world where every child thrives. Though we look back with pride on a legacy of more than four decades, we’re a dynamic and responsive company, committed to staying in touch with new research and developments—and bringing them to the professionals who create meaningful change in the lives of children and families.
Here are some key events, titles, and milestones in Brookes history.
The field of early intervention arrives—and we’re there from the start
In 1986, the new law PL 99-457 establishes Part C and mandates Part B, Section 619 of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). This legislation creates the Infant and Toddlers with Disabilities Program, provides new funding for children with disabilities from birth through age two, and incentivizes states to make services available at age three years.
To help professionals working in the emerging field of early intervention, we publish groundbreaking curricula like the Carolina Curriculum, AEPS®, and the play-based TPBA/I, plus influential early books like Guralnick’s Effectiveness of Early Intervention and Odom & Karnes’s Early Intervention for Infants and Children with Handicaps. We work with forward-thinking experts focused on authentic assessment in natural environments.
Brookes shapes professional development for a generation of clinicians and educators
We establish ourselves as one of the only publishers to meet the learning needs of professionals preparing to work with children and adults with disabilities. Early bestsellers include Sailor et al.’s Methods of Instruction for Severely Handicapped Students, Horner et al.’s Education of Learners with Severe Handicaps, Evans & Meyer’s An Educative Approach to Behavior Problems, Batshaw et al.’s Children with Disabilities, and Ford et al.’s Syracuse Curriculum guide. Some of these books have had tremendous staying power—the Syracuse Curriculum influenced the education of children with disabilities for decades, and Children with Disabilities is now in its seventh edition!
We publish our first books
Brookes Publishing makes our official debut with Bender & Bender’s Disadvantaged Preschool Children: A Source Book for Teachers. We’re one of the first publishers to develop books that prepare teachers and other professionals to work effectively with children with disabilities.
Another key early title— Burgdorf’s The Legal Rights of Handicapped Persons—makes a 1,100-page legal casebook affordable to special educators, empowering them to advocate for the students and families they serve.
Education for All Handicapped Children Act (PL 94-142) signed into law
New law PL-142 requires that every child, regardless of disability, receive a free appropriate public education. Educators across the country have a new goal set before them: reaching, teaching, and including students with disabilities in their classrooms. The founders of Brookes recognize a growing need for resources on teaching all learners, no matter how severe their disability. A new publishing company is born—and Brookes begins a legacy that’s endured for four decades and counting!
