The Individual with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is an important tool for providing Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) to students with disabilities. IDEA provides special education to eligible students with disabilities in the least restrictive learning environment. IDEA requires written documents in relation to identification, evaluation and placement of a child. To receive benefits of IDEA, parents should understand their child’s impairment, its effect on his/her education. Parents should communicate with teachers to obtain written documents regarding their child’s academic concerns.
These services are provided to children between 3-21 years of age. To avail the benefits of IDEA, a child must meet the eligibility criteria in one of thirteen qualifying disabilities. To qualify for IDEA a child must have a disability that creates hindrance in his or her education. Thus eligibility for IDEA depends upon the severity of the impairment of a child.
Different categories of disabilities that are included in IDEA are autism, deaf/blind, specific learning disabilities, hearing impaired, deafness, mental retardation, orthopedic impairment, speech or language impairment, visual impairment, traumatic impairment and other health problems.
Eligibility of a child for IDEA is made on a comprehensive evaluation. This evaluation is done by a multidisciplinary team that includes teachers, psychologist, parents and other staff members. It is very important to obtain consent of the parent(s) or legal guardian before an evaluation. Members of the team make use of different resources to make a decision regarding the eligibility of a child. Evaluation is done free of cost. Reevaluation is done after every 3 years once the IEP is in place. If a child is ever suspended or expelled, he or she if covered under IDEA and will receive a continuity of special education services.
Children who are eligible for IDEA are tailored with free appropriate public education (FAPE) which is specially designed on the basis of the student's individualized education plan (IEP) according to their disability. IDEA receives its funds from states and local education agencies to serve students with disabilities who are found eligible after the evaluation process.
