IDEA Essay

Kristen Steffen

SPED 100 – Dakota State University

 Abstract

The Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA) has drastically changed the way students

with disabilities receive an education in every school in the country. It has had such an impact on

the lives of the children, parents, teachers, and communities. The law demonstrates how we, as

citizens of the United States, should treat people; regardless of their disability or not.
 Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA) first passed back in 1975. It was known as the

“Education for All Handicapped Children Act.” This law has been changed and reauthorized

several times since 1975. The purposes of IDEA are to (1) ensure that all children with

disabilities have available to them a free appropriate public education that emphasizes special

education and related services designed to meet their unique needs and prepare them for further

education, employment, and independent living; (2) to assist States in the implementation of a

statewide, comprehensive, coordinated, multidisciplinary, interagency system of early

intervention services for infants and toddlers with disabilities and their families; (3) to ensure

that educators and parents have the necessary tools to improve educational results for children

with disabilities by supporting system improvement activities; coordinated research and

personnel preparation; coordinated technical assistance, dissemination, and support; and

technology development and media services; (4) to assess, and ensure the effectiveness of,

efforts to educate children with disabilities. (Heward, 2013)

There are six major principles of IDEA: Zero Reject, Nondiscriminatory Evaluation, Free

Appropriate Public Education, Least Restrictive Environment, Procedural Safeguards, and Parent

Participation and Shared Decision Making. Schools must educate all children with disabilities.

No child may be excluded. Schools must use nonbiased, multifactored methods of evaluation to

determine whether a child has a disability. All children with disabilities, regardless of the type or

severity, shall receive a free appropriate public education. IDEA requires schools to educate

students with disabilities with children without disabilities to the maximum extent appropriate.

Schools must follow an extensive set of procedures to safeguard and protect the rights and

interests of children with disabilities and their parents. Schools must collaborate with parents and
students with disabilities in the planning and implementation of special education and related

services. (Heward, 2013)

The components of IDEA have impacted the American education system a great deal. It

has forever changed the way schools function. Before IDEA, many people with disabilities lived

in a mental institution. Their future was not very promising or bright. It was never thought of or

expected to have a person with disabilities finish high school, go on to college, or have a career.

In 1970, for example, U.S. schools educated only one in five children with disabilities, and many

states had laws that excluded certain students from school; including children who were deaf,

blind, emotionally disturbed, or mentally retarded. Many children were denied access to

education and opportunities to learn. Most families were not afforded the opportunity to be

involved in planning or placement decisions regarding their children, and resources were not

available to enable children with significant disabilities to live at home and receive an education

at neighborhood schools in their community. (U.S. Department of Education, 2010)

IDEA components have also impacted the educators’ roles within the American

education system. Teachers cannot simply just go and teach anymore. Educators cannot dismiss

the student who may or may not have a disability, or ship the student(s) off to a mental

institution. There are specific measures that each professional educator must take in the

classroom. Both IDEA 2004 and No Child Left Behind (NCLB) call for improving the outcomes

for all students by using scientifically based instructional practices. Response to Intervention

(RTI) specifically requires documentation of appropriate use of scientifically based interventions

before a student is referred for a traditional special education evaluation. Special education

teachers, with their knowledge of assessment, instruction, and individualized interventions, are

uniquely positioned to impact and assist schools as educators begin to fully implement RTI

procedures. (Cummings, 2008)

Not only has IDEA impacted the American education system and the roles of educators,

but it has more importantly impacted the lives of people with disabilities. It has given each

person, student, and their families hope and promise of an educated future. With IDEA, each

child gets a chance at a “normal” school life. Students get to attend a public school in their

neighborhood without being denied because of their disability. Children get to interact with other

students in the classroom. Students with potential disabilities also get to be a part of an

intervention process. Not only that, but the child also gets a chance at life. After high school, a

whole new world is out there waiting to be seen. After receiving a high school diploma, it is

assumed that most people with disabilities either sit at their parent(s) home all day or end up in a

facility. IDEA helps prepare them to do more with their life. Anyone can do anything if they

want to. It takes a lot of determination and courage to move forward and progress with life. With

the help of IDEA in school, confidence should be gained that anyone with a disability can lead a

similar life to that of a person with no disability.

IDEA has drastically changed the American education system. It has provided hope and a

future for students with disabilities. The components of IDEA have impacted the educators’ roles

within the system and have also positively changed the lives of individuals with disabilities.
 Works Cited

Cummings, K. D., Atkins, T., Allison, R., & Cole, C. (2008). Response to Intervention;
Investigating the New Role of Special Educators. TEACHING Exceptional Children, 40(4), 24-
31. doi:10.1177/004005990804000403

Heward, W. L., & Wood, C. L. (2013). Exceptional children an introduction to special

education. New Jersey: Pearson Merrill Prentice Hall.

U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services, Thirty-
five Years of Progress in Educating Children with Disabilities Through IDEA, Washington,
D.C., 2010.