Activity 1: Laws in Special Education

Name: Stephen Markey Date: Friday, June 18, 2021

Directions: Fill out the grid with information on three major laws: Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEA),
Section 504, and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
IDEA (2004) Section 504 (1973) ADA (1990)
Purpose IDEA ensures that all students with Section 504 forbids organizations The ADA is a civil rights law that
disabilities have available to them a and employers from excluding or prohibits discrimination against
free appropriate public education to denying individuals with disabilities individuals with disabilities in all
meet their unique needs and prepare an equal opportunity to receive areas of public life, including jobs,
them for further education, program benefits and services. It schools, transportation, and all public
employment, and independent living. defines the rights of individuals with and private places that are open to the
disabilities to participate in, and have general public.
access to, program benefits and
services.
Ages 3 through 21 years of age A student must be “qualified”, which All ages are covered
covered roughly equates to between 3 and 22
years of age, depending on the
program and the state and federal law
Disabilities 1. Specific learning disability Section 504 protects qualified The ADA protects qualified
covered (SLD): conditions which affect a individuals with disabilities. Under individuals with disabilities. An
child’s ability to read, write, this law, individuals with disabilities individual with a disability is a
listen, speak, reason, or do math. are defined as persons with a physical person who has a physical or mental
2. Other health impairment covers or mental impairment which impairment that substantially limits
conditions that limit a child’s substantially limits one or more major life activities; has a record of
strength, energy, or alertness. major life activities. People who have such an impairment; or is regarded as
3. Autism spectrum disorder a history of, or who are regarded as having such an impairment.
(ASD) covers a wide range of having a physical or mental
symptoms, but it mainly affects a impairment that substantially limits
child’s social and communication. one or more major life activities, are
also covered. Major life activities
4. Emotional disturbance: Various
 mental health issues can fall under include caring for one's self, walking,
the “emotional disturbance” seeing, hearing, speaking, breathing,
category. They may working, performing manual tasks,
include anxiety disorder, and learning. Some examples of
schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, impairments which may substantially
obsessive-compulsive disorder, limit major life activities, even with
and depression . (Some of these the help of medication or
may also be covered under “other aids/devices, are: AIDS, alcoholism,
health impairment.”) blindness or visual impairment,
5. Speech or language impairment cancer, deafness or hearing
covers difficulties with speech or impairment, diabetes, drug addiction,
language . A common example is heart disease, and mental illness.
stuttering. Other examples are
trouble pronouncing words or
making sounds with the voice. It
also covers language problems
that make it hard for kids to
understand words or express
themselves.
6. Visual impairment, including
blindness
7. Deafness
8. Hearing impairment
9. Deaf blindness
10. Orthopedic impairment is when
kids lack function or ability in
their bodies.
11. Intellectual disability
12. Traumatic brain injury
13. Multiple disabilities