IDEA Individuals With Disabilities Education Act Essay

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) was initially passed in 1975. Prior to the passage of the IDEA, many people with disabilities were denied access to public education and many were relegated to institutions. The IDEA guarantees individuals with disabilities a free and appropriate education (FAPE) in a least restrictive environment (LRE). The IDEA is a great piece of legislation that has evolved as it has gone through reauthorization. The many facets of the IDEA help to shape the manner in which teachers facilitate classroom instruction and manage classroom activities.

Special education students are delayed in there learning process. To resolve the gap in learning abilities Individual with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) obliges by law that all public schools to create an Individualized Education Program (IEP) for every child that receives special educational services. IDEA inspires to create an effective relationship amongst the parents and school that boost an educational team with the goals of providing the student with proper services (Mueller, 2009). In Each IEP meeting it involves the IEP team, IEP sections that addresses the student with disabilities educational progress.

Prior to 1975, no federal requirements existed for students with disabilities to attend school, or requirements for schools to attempt to teach students with disabilities (Salvia, Yesseldyke, & Bolt, p. 25, 2013). However, upon the enactment of several federal laws, such as Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and No Child Left Behind (NCLB), students with disabilities received access to free, appropriate public education which in turn required students with disabilities to participate in statewide assessments. According to Public Law 94-142 (now included in IDEA), it requires an individual education program (IEP) for students with disabilities. The IEP contains items such as present levels of

Prior to 1975, no federal requirements existed for students with disabilities to attend school, or requirements for schools to attempt to teach students with disabilities (Salvia, Yesseldyke, & Bolt, p. 25, 2013). However, upon the enactment of several federal laws, such as Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and No Child Left Behind (NCLB), students with disabilities received access to free, appropriate public education which in turn required students with disabilities to participate in statewide assessments. According to Public Law 94-142 (now included in IDEA), it requires an individual education program (IEP) for students with disabilities. The IEP contains items such as present levels of

Code, Chapter 15, Protected Handicapped Students, which implements Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. Schools are required to provide necessary accommodations for qualifying students to have an equal opportunity to participate in the school program. This written plan is developed by an IEP team for students in need of special education. This plan outlines how the school will provide a free and appropriate education in the least restrictive environment and is usually initiated by the teacher or administrator. However, parental involvement is required (Department of Health, 2010).

The motivating principle behind IDEA was to ensure an equal opportunity for all children. In order to affect that idea, we have to find a balance between all children’s needs. In 1975, came the passage of the federal Education of All Handicapped Children Act, now revised as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA, 1990). For handicapped children, the law was long overdue. The designers of IDEA saw themselves as progressive reformers, designing fairer, more responsive schools. The lawmakers were attempting to rectify two historical injustices. First, public schools were not serving many of the country’s eight million handicapped children, with as many as one million children not attending school. Second, a

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 1990 was amended and reauthorized by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act Amendments of 1997 (IDEA ’97) by President Clinton on June 4, 1997 (Drasgow, Bradley, & Shriner, 1999). The next reauthorization of this act was in 2004, still known as IDEA. Zirkel (2011) states that the 2004 amendments strengthened the 1997 amendments by removing “when appropriate,” from context making the language more straightforward by requiring the IEP team to consider using positive intervention. The 2004 reauthorization also emphasized ensuring access for students with disabilities to the general education curriculum to the maximum extent to meet their development goals (Fallon, Zhang, & Kim, 2011).

The section states, “no qualified individual with a disability in the United States shall be excluded from, denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under” any program or activity that either receives federal financial assistance” (Gallaudet University). It gives students who are hard of hearing or deaf full access to school, public activities, and events including after school events. Section 504 also happens to apply to post-secondary institutions, such as colleges. Some students may not be eligible for 504, the article states, “Students not eligible for an IEP may be eligible for protection and support under Section 504. In order to determine a child's eligibility under Section 504, school districts must perform an evaluation. Schools must establish standards and procedures for these evaluations, as well as periodic re-evaluations. To be eligible for a support under Section 504, an individual must be determined to: have a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities; or have a record of such an impairment; or be regarded as having such an impairment” (Gallaudet University). School districts are required to provide free and appropriate public education under Section 504. Children who are also served with IDEA already have been resolved a disability, therefore they are eligible for both protections.

“The Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA) is a federal law that requires schools to serve the educational needs of eligible students with disabilities” (Lee, 2014). IDEA was first put into place to protect the rights of children with disabilities and serves students from when they are infants through high school graduation or when they turn the age of 21. Because of IDEA, all children, including those with disabilities, are entitled to a free and appropriate public education (FAPE). IDEA also requires all students to get their education in the least restrictive environment. This means that all students, even those with disabilities, must be taught in general education classrooms as long as the special education department determines that is the best placement for them given their disability. This ensures the best possible education for all students.

The provisions of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act will help me know how to properly incorporate students with disabilities into my general education classroom in multiple ways. In 2013, “more than 60 percent of students ages 6 through 21 served under IDEA were educated inside the regular class 80% or more of the day;” therefore it is essential that I understand how to positively and effectively include students with disabilities in my classroom (US Department of Education, 2015). IDEA helps me to understand how and why all children need to be included in the classroom. It helps me understand that all children are entitled to a free appropriate public education and that instruction should be delivered in the best way possible

The Education for All Handicapped Children Act of 1975 required all schools receiving federal funding to provide handicapped students with equal access to a public education and at least one free meal per school day. This act was designed to protect state and local personnel’s rights, when attempting to meet the individual needs of infants, toddlers, children, and youth with disabilities and their families. It became known as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) in 1990. It allows parents of children with mental and/or physical disabilities to have a say so in their child(ren)’s education process.

In the world today there are millions of students ages 6-21 that have some type of disability. These disabilities consist of specific learning disability, speech or language impairment, emotional disturbance, orthopedic impairments, intellectual disabilities, multiple disabilities, visual impairments, traumatic brain injury, deaf-blindness, developmental delay, hearing impairments, autism, and other health impairments. These students received special education services under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Under the IDEA there are many regulations such as the Individual Education Program (IEP). In this paper we will discuss the history if an IEP, the definition of an IEP, who constructs an IEP, the components of an IEP,

The history of what is now known as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement act (IDEIA) began as the “Education for All Handicapped Children Act” in 1975 which required all public schools that accepts federal funds to provide equal access to education for children that have physical and developmental disabilities. Congress reauthorized the act in 1990 expanded certain programs, renamed it the individuals with disabilities education act. Into thousand for the Congress amended the law and further clarified its intended purpose that states provide a free appropriate public education for all students aged 3-21 including children with disabilities IDEA defined as a child with a disability as any child who has mental retardation hearing impairments speech or language impairments, visual impairments, serious emotional disturbance, orthopedic impairments, autism, traumatic brain injury, other health impairments, or specific learning disabilities, and who by reason there of needs special education and related services. President Bush reauthorized the act in 2004 and with the changes to the act called it the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEIA). The goals of act were to provide a free appropriate public education to children with special needs to progress in their environment. It was also a way for parents to have a voice in the process and to

IDEA Part C covers children through the age of two, Part B covers children from the age of three to twenty-one. Children with disabilities are guaranteed special education services, and a fair and impartial education regardless of what or severity of their disability, from the time they are born to the time they graduate high school. The families of the children with disabilities cannot be asked to pay for special education services due to the Free Appropriate Public Education act. Another aspect of IDEA is students with disabilities must be placed in a least restrictive environment with kids in their grade, with a paraprofessional aid, and with proper services. IDEA covers thirteen categories of disabilities they are specific learning disabilities, speech or language impairment, intellectual (mental retardation) disabilities, emotional disturbance, hearing impairment, physical impairments, other heath impairment, visual impairment, autism, deaf/blindness, traumatic brain injury, and developmental delays. The purpose of IDEA 2004 is to make sure that all children with disabilities have the option of a free education with the help of a paraprofessional aid and other services which meets their needs, and gets them ready for future education.

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is a four-part piece of American legislation that ensures students with disabilities will receive a Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) that meets their individual needs. From 1975 to 1990, IDEA was known as the Education for All Handicapped Children Act (EHA). In 1990, the United States Congress reauthorized EHA and changed the title to IDEA (Public Law No. 94-142). This law had a dramatic, yet positive impact on millions of children with disabilities in every state and local community across the country. Overall, the goal of IDEA is to provide disabled students with the same educational opportunities as those without disabilities. Although the laws governing special education students have changed over the past thirty-six years, very little has changed in school districts’ special education departments. Why is this? What factors must be present at the district level for successful change to occur? Perhaps the answer has to do with how district leadership handles change. Unfortunately, many school district leaders are not equipped to lead change. With no special training and faced with making difficult decisions, leaders struggle to implement a sustainable plan that benefits individual students’ needs. To step back and see the big picture takes expert leadership.