Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)

In the United States, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) protects the educational rights of students with mental, physical, social, and/or emotional disabilities. Individuals with disabilities, also called special needs, typically have developmental delays in cognitive, physical, and/or scholastic skills that may affect their performance in school. These students may need instruction that is different than that of their peers.

IDEA mandates that all children receive a "free appropriate public education" that meets their needs. This education also must prepare students with disabilities for life after school, whether they attend college, seek employment, or live independently.

What is Special Education?

Special education is the instruction and support provided to students with mental, physical, social, and/or emotional disabilities. These programs were created to meet the special needs of children with disabilities. IDEA mandates that all United States public schools provide special education services with specific guidelines to ensure students with special needs receive an education on par with that of their peers.

For a child to qualify for special education classes, professionals such as physicians, specialists, psychologists, and social workers must evaluate the individual to determine if a child's disability will hinder educational performance.

According to IDEA, a child must have one or more of the following disabilities to qualify for special education services:

• autism spectrum disorder
• blindness or visual impairment
• deaf-blindness
• deafness or hearing impairment
• developmental delay
• emotional disturbance
• intellectual disability
• multiple disabilities (combinations of disabilities or impairments)
• orthopedic impairment
• other health impairment (such as attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder)
• specific learning disability (such as dyslexia)
• speech or language impairment
• traumatic brain injury

History

Prior to 1975, more than four million children with special needs in the United States did not have access to a proper public education. Many public schools denied these children an education altogether, while other schools segregated them from their peers without providing them with support for their special needs.

During the 1950s and 1960s, the government intervened and began to work with organizations to develop services for children with special needs and for their families. The government enacted legislation that began training educators to teach children with disabilities. Some of these included Training of Professional Personnel Act of 1959 (PL 86-158), Teachers of the Deaf Act of 1961 (PL 87-276), Elementary and Secondary Education Act (PL 89-10), and the State Schools Act (PL 89-313). The passage of the Handicapped Children's Early Education Assistance Act of 1968 (PL 90-538) and the Economic Opportunities Amendments of 1972 (PL 92-424) further provided educational opportunities for children with special needs.

Court decisions, including the Pennsylvania Association for Retarded Citizens v. Commonwealth (1971) and Mills v. Board of Education of the District of Columbia (1972), which were based on the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, also created educational opportunities for children with disabilities. These rulings mandated that states and localities take responsibility to educate students with special needs.

In 1975 Congress enacted Public Law 94-142, also called Education for All Handicapped Children Act (EHA). The purpose of this legislation was to ensure that children from age three to twenty-one with disabilities that hindered their ability to learn or caused them to learn in a way different from that of their peers received a free public education in every state and locality. Under the act, the government provided federal funding to help the schools evaluate students with disabilities and develop learning plans for the students. EHA required that these special learning guidelines be comparable to those of the students' peers. In addition, families received support services from schools that allowed parents to better manage the education provided to their children.

In the years that followed, Congress amended EHA several times to include other programs and services. In 1986 an amendment required that services be provided to children from birth. Early intervention and preschool programs enabled infants, toddlers, and preschool children with disabilities additional educational opportunities that helped prepare them for upcoming academic and social challenges.

An amendment in 1990 changed the name of EHA to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). A 1997 amendment added services for those with disabilities over the age of fourteen to help them transition to caring for themselves after they completed their education. Congress continued to amend the act through the next several years to further protect the educational rights of students with special needs. The government reauthorized the act in 2004.

Specifics of IDEA

IDEA is split into four parts: Parts A, B, C, and D. Part A explains the language of the act.

Part B explains the educational guidelines for students with special needs between the ages of three and twenty-one. It mandates that they receive an education comparable to that of their peers, and if feasible, in the same school setting. It also requires schools to conduct evaluations and participate in an Individualized Education Program (IEP). Together teachers and parents create IEPs to define goals and learning objectives for students with disabilities. The IEP also contains goals that help students develop a transition plan for employment and other adult living objectives after completion of school.

Part C focuses on identifying children with special needs from birth to age two, providing families with services, and preparing families for the education of their children. IDEA provides families of young children with disabilities with an Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP), which sets goals for children and prepares both parents and children for upcoming educational opportunities.

Part D provides further information about programs that IDEA is involved with to improve education standards for students with disabilities.

IDEA continues to ensure all children with disabilities in the United States receive a fair and equal education.

Bibliography

"The History of Special Education." Teach.com. Teach.com. Web. 14 Jan. 2015. http://teach.com/the-history-of-special-education

"History: Twenty-Five Years of Progress in Educating Children with Disabilities Through IDEA." U.S. Department of Education. U.S. Department of Education. Web. 14 Jan. 2015. http://www2.ed.gov/policy/speced/leg/idea/history.html

"IDEA (The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act)." National Resource Center on ADHD. Children and Adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder. Web. 14 Jan. 2015. http://www.help4adhd.org/education/rights/idea

"Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)." American Psychological Association. American Psychological Association. Web. 14 Jan. 2015. http://www.apa.org/about/gr/issues/disability/idea.aspx

Lee, Andrew M.I. "How IDEA Protects You and Your Child." Understood.Understood.org USA LLC. Web. 14 Jan. 2015. https://www.understood.org/en/school-learning/your-childs-rights/basics-about-childs-rights/how-idea-protects-you-and-your-child

"What is Special Education?" Teach.com. Teach.com. Web. 14 Jan. 2015. http://teach.com/what-is-special-education