Individuals with Disabilities Education Act Essay

Individuals with Disabilities Education Act - Essay Example The phrase "free and appropriate" would come to be one of the first ideas school administrators and special education teachers would consider when planning and serving those students. The first component declared that all students, no matter what their disability, were entitled to a public education that had to be free of expense and suitable to each student's needs - or "free and appropriate." The second component created safeguards to prevent improper identification of children who were culturally or linguistically different from the student norm. Evaluations had to be administered in the child's native language by a skilled professional. They had to address specific areas (e.g., speech, language, math, behavioral), be made up of more than one procedures, fair to the students, and given by a multidisciplinary team with members representing all components of the students' education ("The Education For All Handicapped Children Act (PL 94-142) 1975"; "Public Law 94-142 (S.6); Nov. 29, 1975 Education for All Handicapped Children Act of 1975"). The third component involves the creation of an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) to meet their individual educational needs. An IEP team must meet annually and examine the plan for possible updates. The principle of Least Restrictive Environment forms the fourth component. It states that disabled children must be educated with non-disabled students to the greatest possible extent education ("The Education For All Handicapped Children Act (PL 94-142) 1975"; "Public Law 94-142 (S.6); Nov. 29, 1975 Education for All Handicapped Children Act of 1975"). The fifth component states that a system of due process and checks and balances will be used for disabled students and their families. Parents must give permission for testing and placement, may examine student records at any time, have an independent evaluation performed by an outside party, have a hearing, make appeals, and expect confidentiality ("The Education For All Handicapped Children Act (PL 94-142) 1975"; "Public Law 94-142 (S.6); Nov. 29, 1975 Education for All Handicapped Children Act of 1975"). The last component declares that parents have a right to be included in all phases of the placement, including assessment, placement, and IED development education ("The Education For All Handicapped Children Act (PL 94-142) 1975"; "Public Law 94-142 (S.6); Nov. 29, 1975 Education for All Handicapped Children Act of 1975"). Over the years, the law was reauthorized several times and experienced many important changes. PL 99-457, in 1986, expanded the scope of IDEA by adding provisions for the education of infants and toddlers (essentially from birth) with special learning needs. Its goals were to improve the development of infants and toddlers with disabilities, and to reduce the potential for developmental delay. It also wanted to reduce the chances of such a child being institutionalized. It sought to help families meet the special needs of those children, and tried to keep them out of special education, when possible. (Apling and Jones, 2002). In 1990, PL 101-476 gave the law its current IDEA moniker and ordered states to extend all the provisions of PL 94-142 to preschool-age children; public funding would facilitate these early intervention services. The expansion was based on the idea that falling cognitively behind