IDEA for Disabled Individuals

Introduction to Persons Exceptionalities

December 2, 2013
BreAnn Lush
 Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, also known as IDEA, is a federal law that

dictates how state and public schools provide special education and related services to children

with disabilities. Before IDEA individuals with disabilities had slim chances of succeeding in

the schools and in employment. IDEA handles children from birth to eighteen to twenty-one

years of age. This act helps students with disabilities be as individual as students can be with the

problems that students face. Both educators and students have benefited from this act in several

wonderful ways that are noticed by the entire government (Individuals, Wikipedia). IDEA has

six principles that develop what the government wishes to accomplish in the services to children

with disabilities. This act not only impacted students but also educators.

Elementary and Secondary Education Act, also known as ESEA, and IDEA present issues

on how the efforts impact students with visual impairments. ESEA is also known as the No

Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). Individuals with Disabilities Education Act addresses the

provision of quality education for students with disabilities (National, AFB). In 1975 Congress

passed the Education for All Handicapped Children Act (EAHCA), which is one of the most

comprehensive laws in the history of education in the United States. This Act formed together

several pieces of state and federal legislation, making free, appropriate education available to all

eligible students with disabilities. In 1986, EAHCA was extended to include younger children.

This act later became known as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (History,

Wikipedia).

Having IDEA come into the schools meant more work and obligations for educators.

Originally, most educators did not want IDEA to pass because teachers did not want to do the

extra work in understanding and establishing a working process that will work for the specific

child with special needs and disabilities. Other educators were simply excited to be doing
something new with the programs and were ready to help students in a more helpful way. The

Zero Reject principle requires schools to educate students with disabilities. Therefore, though

educators did not want to do this initially, teachers were required to educate all the students.

Throughout the years educators were able to understand why this act was granted and proved an

appropriate education with students with disabilities. Even though some educators were more

understanding as to how to handle the child there were still complications. Due to the title

disability the students were being educated but students were not being treated equally and

students were not pushed to excel in the assignments. Teachers were afraid to push the students

with disabilities too far or that the educators did not want to assign an assignment and then the

student not do the work because of the assignment being too hard. Educators also had to learn

and understand the diversity of cultures and the cultural backgrounds in order to overcome some

of the barriers faced throughout the special education programs.

IDEA helped students with disabilities to have an individual way of handling different

subjects in the classroom settings as well as throughout the school. Children who are different

have often been denied full and fair access to educational opportunities. This act also helped

students outside of the school, in the individuals own homes and other environments around the

student. Educators are required to fill out an Individualized Education Program (IEP) for

students with disabilities. The IEP will help other educators understand how to appropriately

understand the students needs and what the educators need to do in order to follow the Least

Restrictive Environment Act (LRE). LRE is the principle that students with disabilities must be

educated with children without disabilities to the maximum extent appropriate. This helps the

students learn in the same setting as the students peers instead of learning individually and not

having any social interaction in the classroom.

 In the past twenty-five years IDEA has accomplished many different acts. One is that the

majority of children with disabilities are being educated in the individuals neighborhood

schools, in regular classrooms with the students non-disabled peers. Another is that the high

school graduation and employment rates for youths with disabilities have increased dramatically.

Also that post-secondary enrollments among individuals with disabilities receiving IDEA

services have also sharply increases. IDEA has helped several students with different cultural

backgrounds and with disabilities to receive an ideal future for the individuals lives. This act

not only impacted students but also educators

 Work Cited

"History of Education in the United States." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 17 Nov. 2013.
Web. 3 Dec. 2013.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_education_in_the_United_States>.
"Individuals with Disabilities Education Act." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 24 Nov. 2013.
Web. 02 Dec. 2013.
"National Education Program." AFB. Web. 03 Dec. 2013. <http://www.afb.org/section.aspx?
SectionID=58>.