The Individuals With Disabilities Education Act

Special Educational Needs and Disability Act 2015 - The SEN Code of Practice expresses that children have SEN if they have a learning difficulty that requests special educational provision to be made for them and that it is unlawful for educational providers to discriminate against a pupil with SEN or a disability.

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is a federal mandate that regulates how educational agencies supply children with disabilities early intervention services, special education classes, and additional assistance that is equitable to a general education student who does not have a disability. The services under the IDEA law are offered to children from birth to age 21. Students who qualify for services under the IDEA Act

In 1975, congress enacted the Education for All Handicapped Children Act (Kritzer, 2012, p. 53), which was later renamed the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act is a federal law that mandates special education for children with disabilities. IDEA requires public schools to provide students with disabilities a Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) in the least restrictive environment (LRE). LRE requires school districts to educate students with disabilities in the regular classroom with appropriate supports to the maximum extent possible. The adoption and implementation of IDEA was a huge step towards educating all children with disabilities in the United States.

Federal laws governing special education students require that they receive a free and appropriate public education (FAPE) in the least restrictive environment (LRE). The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) protects the rights of students with disabilities and allows parents to develop an appropriate education for their child. Under this act, schools also receive funding for special educational services. The state of Texas has its additional set of guidelines that schools must follow. These rules are established in the Texas Education Code (TEC) and the Texas Administrative Code (TAC) (Texas Education Agency, n.d.). TEC provides details about the process of creating an Individualized Education Program (IEP), student criteria

The IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act) act is a law that ensures that students who are hard of hearing or deaf receive a suitable education. This law was first established by the congress in 1975 as the Education of All Handicapped Children Act

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act Amendments of 1997 (IDEA), is a federal special education law and was signed into law in June 1997. The IDEA pledges that each child with a disability as well as students who need special education services has the right to a free proper public education, with the least restrictive environment. Below are the six components that are included in the IDEA. They include;

Federal laws such as The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act has greatly impacted the education and life of people with special needs in the United States. Rosalind Charlesworth (2013) reports that the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act is the revised version of the Education of All Handicapped children act of 1975. The U.S Department of Education (2007) states that the Education of All Handicapped children act of 1975 was established by the U.S congress to “support states and localities in protecting the rights of, meeting the individual needs of, and improving the results of infants, toddlers, children, and youth with disabilities and their families”. However, Charlesworth (2013) goes on to say that children from the ages

…“Children with disabilities should be educated in the most open and normal environment possible (the least restrictive environment); when needed, evaluations, diagnose, and treatments should be done without stigmatization and discrimination.”… (Pg. 176)

I believe that the Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA) is one of the most important pieces of legislation enacted by the federal government. IDEA has six principal components. First, under IDEA, students with disabilities cannot be excluded from receiving a public education. Additionally, schools must provide students with fair and unbiased assessments in all areas of suspected disability. This evaluation should use nondiscriminatory assessments to gather and measure data. IDEA mandates that schools must provide students with a free and individualized educational program (IEP) in the least restrictive environment (LRE). To the greatest extend possible; students with disabilities must be educated with their nondisabled peers. Furthermore,

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is a federal law that guarantees educational services to eligible students with disabilities. It establishes “people first” language for referring to people with disabilities. IDEA requires states to educate students with disabilities for transition to employment, and to provide transition services. IDEA also provides the students with a free and appropriate education If a student with a disability is expelled from school, IDEA says that he or she must still receive educational services. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act mandates that all students with disabilities take state and district testing. This law also requires a general education teacher to be a member of the Individualized Educational Plan (IEP) team.

Just like any other minority, the disabled have been discriminated throughout history. Disabilities can be composed of physical or mental handicaps and discrimination has always occurred for both. It has historically been difficult for the disabled to not only find employment, but also to keep acceptable employment. These individuals also have had trouble being treated properly on the job. Transportation has also been an issue because many of the disabled cannot move or get around as easily as others. There is a history of isolating or separating the handicap from society by not having proper access available or by not allowing them to participate in all government programs. People with hearing problems also have not been able to

The American with Disabilities Act was signed into law on July 26, 1990, by President George H.W. Bush. (Mayerson, 1992). According to Hallahan, Kauffman, & Pullen (2015, P, 14) “the ADA provides protection of the civil rights in the specific areas of employment, transportation, public, accommodation, State and local government, and telecommunication. According to Mayerson (1992, P1) “the ADA did not began at the signing ceremony at the White House, but it began in the communities, when parents with children with disabilities began to fight against the exclusion and segregation of the children". The foundation of the ADA, is the disability rights movement. The disability movement fought for the rights of the people with disability. According to Mayerson (1992, P, 1) "The disability rights movement, has made the injustices faced by the people with disabilities visible to the American public and politicians." Without the contribution of the disabilities rights movement there would not have been an ADA. Like the civil rights movement before the people with disabilities sat in federal buildings, marched through the streets to protest the injustice. Also, they sought justice in the courts (Mayerson, 1992). According to Mayerson (1992, P 2) " From a legal perspective, a profound and historic shift in the disability public policy occurred in the 1973 with the passage of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act". Section 504 is the U.S federal law that protect the people with

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is a United States federal law that consents of four categories outlining how public agencies and individual states ensures that students with various disabilities are provided a Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) in the Least Restrictive Environment (LRE) that is conditioned to their specific needs regardless of their ability. This act mandates tailored services, educational modifications, and the main objective for these children throughout the nation is to supply them with the same possibility of getting an education as those who do not have a disability until the age of 21.

As humans, it is our duty to make the world a better, and safer place for all the creatures that live on earth. We may not always do but we try most of the times. Whenever there is a problem or the need to change something that is not convenient, the governments of our countries come up with laws and regulations to solve these problems. Ever since the beginning of times a few children were born with disabilities, it was very hard for them to survive due to lack of resources and accommodations; in some countries they were even killed at birth. Over time the governments realized that there was a problem for children and adults and disabilities that needed to be solved. The American government came up with the ADA also known as the American with Disabilities Act, a civil rights law that prohibits discrimination against disability, it was signed in July of 1990 and effective in January of 1992. It was a great change for disabled people, they were more protected against discrimination, they had more rights, and most public facilities, commercial buildings and schools began installing infrastructures that would make that would make accessibility for disabled more efficient. Since then life is much easier for disabled individuals.

On December 3, 2004, President Bush signed the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004. This Act is also known as Public Law 108-446. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is the law that secures special education services for children with disabilities from the time they are born until they graduate from high school. The law was re-authorized by Congress in 2004. This re-authorization has driven a series of changes in the way special education services are executed. These changes are continuing today and they affect special education and related services across the United States.