Running head: COMPONENTS OF THE INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES 1

EDUCATION IMPROVEMENT ACT (IDEA)

Components of The Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEA) and its

Impact on the American Education System, Educators’ Roles, and the Lives of Individuals with

Disabilities

Taylor Rames

SPED 100

November 27, 2017

COMPONENETS OF THE INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES EDUCATION 2
IMPROVEMENT ACT (IDEA)

Abstract

This paper identifies the history that led up to the first Congress approved act relating to

individuals with disabilities and special education. It goes into further detail explaining the

implementation of the All Handicapped Children Act in 1975 and the changes leading up to the

most recent amendment of this act in 2004 which changed its name to the Individuals with

Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEA). The six major principles of IDEA include Zero

Reject, Nondiscriminatory Evaluation, Free Appropriate Public Education, Least Restrictive

Environment, Procedural Safeguards, and Parent Participation and Shared Decision Making.

These components are explained using William L. Heward’s textbook, Exceptional Children: An

Introduction to Special Education (2013). Each principle is then broken down to include how it

has impacted the main components of schools.

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IMPROVEMENT ACT (IDEA)

Components of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEA) and its

Impact on the American Education System, Educators’ Roles, and the Lives of Individuals with

Disabilities

Special education has been influenced by many pieces of legislation, including the

Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEA). Aside from IDEA, several

other events contributed to the incorporation of children with disabilities into schools. In itself,

IDEA has been adjusted to better fit the needs of children with disabilities and special education.

IDEA is broken down into six major components that help integrate students with special needs.

These principles include Zero Reject, Nondiscriminatory Evaluation, Free Appropriate Public

Education, Least Restrictive Environment, Procedural Safeguards, and Parent Participation and

Shared Decision Making. Each of these principles have impacted the American education

system, educators’ roles, and the lives of individuals with disabilities.

Brown versus The Board of Education of Topeka and the 14th Amendment of the

Constitution were two movements that paved the way for parents of children with special needs

to question their child’s rights for equality. William Heward, author of Exceptional Children: An

Introduction to Special Education (2013) describes The Brown versus the Board of Education of

Topeka case as a “challenge to the practice of segregating students according to race” (Heward,

2013, 15). Ruling of the Brown case determined that, on all terms, education must be made equal

to all children. Before this case, most parents of children with disabilities relied on the arguments

of the 14th Amendment which states that “no state shall deny any person within its jurisdiction

the equal protection of the law and that no state shall deprive any person of life, liberty, or

property without due process of law” (Heward, 2013, 15). These two civil rights movements
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worked together to spark intense questioning among parents of children with special needs

regarding the principles of equal access to education.

Focusing on children with disabilities and special education, a class action suit between

Pennsylvania Association for Retarded Children (PARC) and the Commonwealth of

Pennsylvania examined the state’s treatment of children with special needs in the education

system. Author William Heward describes this case as a “challenge to a state law that denied

public school education to children considered ‘unable to profit from public school attendance’”

(Heward, 2013, 15). The court ruled that not only are all children with disabilities entitled to a

“free appropriate education, but also stipulated that placements in general education classrooms

and regular public schools were preferable to segregated settings” (Heward, 2013, 15). These

three events paved the way for an official act regarding children with disabilities and special

education to be passed by Congress.

The All Handicapped Children Act was passed by Congress in 1975 and was the first

official step in altering special education as it is known today. This act has been amended a total

of five times, including being renamed in 1990 to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act

This also included the addition of two other categories, Autism and Traumatic Brain Injury. The

most recent amendment in 2004 rebranded IDEA into the Individuals with Disabilities Education

Improvement Act (IDEIA). No matter the changes, this act has always been focused on

“society’s concern about treating people with disabilities as full citizens with the same rights and

privileges all other citizens enjoy” (Heward, 2013, 16). Not only has IDEA’s focus been the

same, but the six major components that make up IDEA have remained relatively unchanged

since 1975.
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The first principle, Zero Reject, entails that “schools must educate all children with

disabilities” (Heward, 2013, 16). Zero Reject also requires that students ages three to twenty-one

years of age have access to a free public education. Identifying children confirmed or suspected

of having disabilities from birth to age 21 is one way this principle has impacted the education

system. IDEA names this requirement the “child find system” and puts this responsibility of

locating, identifying, and evaluating these children on each state’s education agency. Educators

of all types are impacted by this principle because accepting all students with disabilities requires

more in-depth training. Alice Hammel and Ryan Hourigan explain in their article The

Fundamentals of Special Education Policy: Implications for Music Teachers and Music Teacher

Education (2011) that efforts to incorporate methods classes and professional development

opportunities enable teachers to become prepared to teach children with disabilities. Students

with special needs are majorly impacted from this principle because each child is now able to

receive public education without the fear of being turned away.

The next principle of IDEA is the right to a Nondiscriminatory Evaluation. This principle

requires that when schools are determining if a child has a disability, or when educators are

designing specialized instruction based on the child’s disabilities, they must use multifactored

and unbiased evaluation techniques. Education systems are required to implement specific

procedures to ensure no discrimination occurs during evaluation including administering tests in

the child’s native language and not discriminating based on race, culture, or language. Educators

must administer multiple tests and balance scores to determine identification and placement for

the child. Based on this principle, children are now placed more effectively with no

discrimination.
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Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) is another principle that children with special

needs are required to receive. An individualized education program (IEP) “must be developed

and implemented to meet the needs of each student with a disability” (Heward, 2013, 17). The

needs of the student may include, but are not limited to, specially equipped busses, nurses to

administer medication, and pathology and audiology services. Educators are put on IEP teams to

determine what services are required by each student with a disability. This principle under

IDEA requires the education system to provide services and technology to assist these students at

no cost to the parents, but rather public expense. Receiving assistive services and technology

allows a student with special needs to have the resources available to attain an appropriate

education that they can thrive in.

The Least Restrictive Environment (LRE) principle through IDEA “requires schools to

educate students with disabilities with children without disabilities to the maximum extent

appropriate” (Heward, 2013, 17). The LRE starts with the general education classroom and

becomes more one-on-one including other environments such as resource rooms, special

classrooms, and, in extreme cases, special schools. Educators are required to use a continuum of

placement options to determine what is most appropriate for the students’ needs. The education

system faces much controversy over this principle due to the fact that placing these students in

general education classes can impact each student in the classroom. Hammel states that “this

practice is especially controversial when applied to students with emotional and behavioral

disorders who have the potential to become aggressive and/or noncompliant” (Hammel, 2011, 3)

Educators are ultimately responsible for determining this placement as well as adapting their

own classrooms to accommodate all students with or without disabilities. This principle allows
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students with disabilities to perform what they are capable of in a way that is challenging yet

appropriate for their needs.

Another principle through IDEA is Procedural Safeguards, and it states that “a school

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

children with disabilities and their parents” (Heward, 2013, 19). In turn, that requires that the

schools and educators maintain confidentiality of records that pertain to students with special

needs. They are also required to make those records available to parents to view at their request.

If a parent disagrees with a decision made by the school or its educators, they can request a due

process hearing or mediation from a third party. If the jury rules in favor of the parent, the

education system is required to reimburse attorney fees of the parents. Although a potentially

uncomfortable situation for education systems and educators, students ultimately benefit from

this principle by having their rights and interests protected.

The last principle of IDEA is Parent Participation and Shared Decision Making. This

principle establishes that “schools must collaborate with parents and students with disabilities in

the planning and implementation of special education and related services” (Heward, 2013, 20).

Educators and educational systems must work together with parents and students to ensure

appropriate decisions are being made for all parties. This principle ensures that the wishes and

input of students with disabilities are being met by agreeing on goals, needs, and placement

decisions. Establishing decisions that are mutually agreed upon by each party allows for

cohesiveness in the instruction and connectivity in the education of a student with disabilities.

The 14th Amendment, Brown versus the Board of Education of Topeka, and Pennsylvania

Association for Retarded Children (PARC) versus Commonwealth of Pennsylvania are three of

the biggest contributing factors that have influenced special education and the treatment that
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IMPROVEMENT ACT (IDEA)

children with disabilities receive. These political conditions caused the composition and

implementation of IDEA and its major components. The principles Zero Reject,

Nondiscriminatory Evaluation, Free Appropriate Public Education, Least Restrictive

Environment, Procedural Safeguards, and Parent Participation and Shared Decision Making are

the foundations that have shaped and continue to shape special education. IDEA and its

components have impacted the American education system, educators’ roles, and individuals

with disabilities. This act passed by Congress in 1975 has formed special education into the

inclusive, fair, and appropriate system that it is today.

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IMPROVEMENT ACT (IDEA)

References

Hammel, A., & Hourigan, R. (2011). The Fundamentals of Special Education Policy:

Implications for Music Teachers and Music Teacher Education. Arts Education Policy

Review, 112(4), 174-179. doi:10.1080/10632913.2011.592463

Heward, W. L. (2013). Exceptional children: an introduction to special education. (10th ed.).

Boston, MA: Pearson.