The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)

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On December 3, 2004, President Bush signed the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004. This Act is also known as Public Law 108-446. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is the law that secures special education services for children with disabilities from the time they are born until they graduate from high school. The law was re-authorized by Congress in 2004. This re-authorization has driven a series of changes in the way special education services are executed. These changes are continuing today and they affect special education and related services across the United States.

There are several different purposes of IDEA. The first is to ensure that all children with disabilities have a free appropriate public education (FAPE). That FAPE should have an emphasis on special education (as well as related services). Their education should be designed to meet their unique needs and should also prepare them for further education, employment and independent living. Another purpose is to ensure that the rights of children with disabilities and pa...

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