The formal teaching of disabled children is a relatively recent phenomenon. It started about a century ago for primary school, fifty years ago for pre- and secondary school, and ten to twenty years ago for higher education. This overview aims at understanding this history, in particular the pressures from parents and associations that helped to expand this initiative, as well as the shifting concerns in the area (presently autism). The approach seeks to replace these issues in a concrete historical framework. This will help us to grasp the confrontation of concepts implicated in the debate between separated, integrated and inclusive education.