The Evolution Of Ideas Into Laws

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) was passed in 1975 under the name of the Education for All Handicapped Children Act (EHA). It was renamed IDEA in 1990 to reflect inclusive language that puts the person first rather than the disability. The law guarantees a free, appropriate public education (FAPE) to all students with disabilities in the least restrictive environment (LRE). This means that schools must place children with disabilities in a classroom with their non-disabled peers to the greatest extent possible. The IDEA also requires school districts to identify and assess children suspected of having a disability and provides federal funding to state and local education agencies to guarantee these services for eligible students.

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)

The IDEA guarantees that all children with an identified disability receive special education and related services to address their individual needs. It ensures that children with disabilities are prepared for employment and independent living, and that the rights of these children and their families are protected under the law. The IDEA also assesses and ensures the efforts of institutions providing services to persons with disabilities.

The IDEA requires that public schools create an Individualized Education Program (IEP) for each student who is found to be eligible under both federal and state eligibility/disability standards. The IEP describes the student's present levels of academic achievement and functional performance, and how the student's disabilities affect or would affect their involvement in the general education curriculum. The IEP also specifies the services to be provided, how often, and any required accommodations and modifications.

The IDEA requires that schools provide each disabled student with an education that is designed to meet their unique needs, provides access to the general curriculum to meet the challenging expectations established for all children, is provided in accordance with the IEP, and results in an educational benefit to the child.

The IDEA is composed of four parts: Part A covers the general provisions of the law; Part B covers assistance for the education of all children with disabilities; Part C covers infants and toddlers with disabilities, including children from birth to age three; and Part D consists of the national support programs administered at the federal level.

The IDEA has six main elements: Individualized Education Program (IEP); Free and Appropriate Public Education (FAPE); Least Restrictive Environment (LRE); Appropriate Evaluation; Parent and Teacher Participation; and Procedural Safeguards.

IDEA's legislative history

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) was originally passed in 1975 as the Education for All Handicapped Children Act (EHA). It was renamed IDEA in 1990 to reflect inclusive language that puts the person first rather than the disability.

The legislative history of IDEA began in 1960 with the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, which was the first time the federal government allocated direct aid to states for public education. A portion of the money included funding for state-run institutions for the Blind, Deaf, and people who were, at the time, called mentally retarded.

The following year, Congress amended the Elementary and Secondary Education Act to create the Bureau for the Education of the Handicapped. A few years later, Congress passed the Education of the Handicapped Act of 1970, or the EHA, which expanded the grant offerings by the federal government for special education programming in state public schools.

In 1975, Congress passed Amendments to the EHA called the Education for All Handicapped Children Act, or the EAHCA. The EAHCA included a bill of rights for students with disabilities that specified the right to access a free and appropriate public education, or FAPE.

In 1980 and 1990, key amendments to the law reflected national concerns for young children with disabilities and their families. The 1986 reauthorization addressed early intervention and mandated that individual states provide services to families of children born with disabilities from the time they are born. The 1990 reauthorization changed the law's name from EHA to IDEA. It also added traumatic brain injury and autism as new disability categories.

In 1997, IDEA received significant amendments. The definition of disabled children expanded to include developmentally delayed children between three and nine years of age. It also required parents to attempt to resolve disputes with schools and Local Educational Agencies (LEAs) through mediation, and provided a process for doing so.

The most recent reauthorization as of 2022 occurred in 2004 under President George W. Bush with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004, or IDEA 2004. Several of the amendments in IDEA 2004 involved learning disabilities, including requirements for states to develop criteria for identifying and assessing students with learning disabilities. Congress reauthorized IDEA in 2004 and most recently amended it in 2015 with the Every Student Succeeds Act.

IDEA's four parts

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is a US law that ensures children with disabilities have access to a free appropriate public education (FAPE) in the

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Answer: The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is a US law that ensures children with disabilities have access to a free appropriate public education (FAPE) and guarantees that the rights of children with disabilities and their parents are protected. The IDEA was first passed in 1975 as the Education for All Handicapped Children Act and was amended in 1990, 1997 and 2004.

The IDEA statute is divided into four parts:

Part A: General Provisions

Part A outlines the purpose of IDEA and provides definitions used throughout the statute.

Part B: Assistance for All Children with Disabilities

Part B includes provisions related to grants that assist states in providing a FAPE in the least restrictive environment for children with disabilities aged three through 21.

Part C: Infants and Toddlers with Disabilities

Part C includes provisions related to grants that assist states in providing early intervention services for infants and toddlers from birth through age two, and their families.

Part D: National Activities to Improve Education of Children with Disabilities

Part D includes provisions related to discretionary grants to support state personnel development, technical assistance and dissemination, technology, and parent-training and information centres.The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is a US law that ensures children with disabilities have access to a free appropriate public education (FAPE) and guarantees that the rights of children with disabilities and their parents are protected. The IDEA was first passed in 1975 as the Education for All Handicapped Children Act and was amended in 1990, 1997 and 2004.

The IDEA statute is divided into four parts:

Part A: General Provisions

Part A outlines the purpose of IDEA and provides definitions used throughout the statute.

Part B: Assistance for All Children with Disabilities

Part B includes provisions related to grants that assist states in providing a FAPE in the least restrictive environment for children with disabilities aged three through 21.

Part C: Infants and Toddlers with Disabilities

Part C includes provisions related to grants that assist states in providing early intervention services for infants and toddlers from birth through age two, and their families.

Part D: National Activities to Improve Education of Children with Disabilities

Part D includes provisions related to discretionary grants to support state personnel development, technical assistance and dissemination, technology, and parent-training and information centres.

IDEA's six main elements

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), previously known as the Education for All Handicapped Children Act (EHA), was signed into law by President Gerald Ford on November 29, 1975. The law was reauthorized and renamed to IDEA in 1990, with additional amendments passed in 1997 and 2004 to ensure equal access to education.

• Individualized Education Program (IEP): This requires public schools to create an Individualized Education Program for each student with a disability. The IEP describes the student's current academic performance, how their disability affects their education, and specifies the services, accommodations, and modifications needed to address their unique needs.
• Free and Appropriate Public Education (FAPE): IDEA guarantees a FAPE for students with disabilities, which includes special education and related services provided at no cost to the student's family. FAPE ensures that students receive an education that meets their unique needs, provides access to the general curriculum, and prepares them for further education, employment, and independent living.
• Least Restrictive Environment (LRE): This element requires that students with disabilities be educated with non-disabled students to the maximum extent appropriate. It ensures that students are placed in an environment that allows them to interact with non-impaired students and succeed academically, only resorting to separate schooling when the nature or severity of the disability makes it necessary.
• Appropriate Evaluation: IDEA mandates an evaluation process to determine eligibility for special education and related services. The goal is to minimize misidentifications, use a variety of assessment tools, and ensure that evaluations are not racially or culturally discriminatory.
• Parent and Teacher Participation: IDEA emphasizes the importance of family-professional partnerships. Parents are considered equal members of the IEP team and are actively involved in the educational process, including goal-setting and placement decisions. Teachers and parents work together to determine the best approaches for the student and keep families informed throughout.
• Procedural Safeguards: IDEA includes a set of protections to ensure that the rights of children with disabilities and their families are upheld. It grants parents access to their child's educational records, the right to participate in IEP meetings, prior written notice of any changes, understandable language, and informed consent. It also outlines dispute resolution guidelines if parents disagree with school decisions.

These six main elements of IDEA work together to ensure that children with disabilities have access to a free and appropriate education that meets their individual needs and protects their rights.

IDEA's impact

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) was passed in 1975 as the Education for All Handicapped Children Act (EHA). It was renamed IDEA in 1990 to reflect inclusive language that puts the person first, rather than their disability. The law guarantees a free, appropriate public education (FAPE) to all students with disabilities in the least restrictive environment (LRE).

Before the EHA was enacted in 1975, many children with disabilities were denied access to education and opportunities to learn. In 1970, only one in five children with disabilities were educated in U.S. schools, and many states had laws excluding certain students, such as those who were deaf, blind, or had an intellectual disability. There were no formal legal safeguards in place for children with disabilities to receive a free public education, and many were institutionalized.

Since the passage of the EHA/IDEA, significant progress has been made toward meeting national goals for developing and implementing effective programs and services for early intervention, special education, and related services. The U.S. has progressed from excluding nearly 1.8 million children with disabilities from public schools to providing more than 8 million children with disabilities with special education and related services designed to meet their individual needs in the 2022-23 school year. In 2022-23, more than 66% of children with disabilities were in general education classrooms 80% or more of their school day. Early intervention services were also provided to more than 441,000 infants and toddlers with disabilities and their families in the same school year.

In addition to increasing access to education for children with disabilities, IDEA has had several other impacts:

• Educating more children in their neighborhood schools, rather than in separate schools and institutions.
• Contributing to improvements in the rate of high school graduation, post-secondary school enrollment, and post-school employment for youth with disabilities.
• Allowing children with disabilities to be educated in the same classrooms as their non-disabled peers, with more than 66% of children with disabilities in general education classrooms for 80% or more of their school day in the 2022-23 school year.
• Providing financial incentives to states to improve their special education services, with the opportunity to receive additional funding if they improve.
• Requiring that public schools create an Individualized Education Program (IEP) for each student who is eligible under federal and state eligibility/disability standards. The IEP describes the student's present levels of academic achievement and functional performance and specifies the services to be provided, how often, and any accommodations and modifications.
• Requiring that schools provide each disabled student with an education that is designed to meet their unique needs, provides access to the general curriculum, is in accordance with the IEP, and results in educational benefit to the child.
• Ensuring that children with disabilities are prepared for employment and independent living.
• Protecting the rights of children with disabilities and their families under the law.
• Assessing and ensuring the efforts of institutions providing services to persons with disabilities.
• Providing assistance to states, localities, federal agencies, and educational service agencies in providing for the education of children with disabilities.
• Authorizing formula grants to states to support special education and related services and early intervention services.
• Authorizing discretionary grants to state educational agencies, institutions of higher education, and other nonprofit organizations to support research, technical assistance, technology development, personnel preparation, and parent-training and -information centers.

Overall, the IDEA has had a significant impact on improving access to education and services for children with disabilities in the United States, as well as ensuring that they receive an education that meets their unique needs and prepares them for further education, employment, and independent living.

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