Six Components of IDEA and Their Impact 1

Six Components of IDEA and Their Impact

Brendon Pitts

SPED 100 – Intro Persons Exceptionalities

November 2015
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Abstract

There are six components of Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. These

components work together to provide a safe and effective environment for students with

disabilities. They also make sure that parents are able to actively participate in decisions

involving their children as students. These six components include a zero reject policy,

nondiscriminatory evaluation, free appropriate public education, least restrictive environment,

procedural safeguards requirement, and parent participation and shared decision making. These

measures are upheld to ensure a positive outcome from placing a disabled individual in school.

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act ensures privacy to students and their parents and

provides the resources necessary for students to excel in an environment that best accommodates

to their needs.
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Thinking about the way the six principles of Individuals with Disabilities Education Act

(IDEA) has impacted today’s modern education system brings up many new points. Many parts

of this have changed over the years with many proving to be very beneficial, but most have

remained basically unchanged since 1975. Education itself has a huge impact on each and every

individual and will only become more important in the future with the incorporation of these six

principles. These six principles work together to make sure that all children with disabilities

receive the services they need and are granted the rights they deserve.

The first principle under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act is the Zero

Reject Principle. The Zero Reject Principle is one that has a huge impact on the American

Education System. This specific principle leaves no gray area when determining who to provide

special education for. According to Heward, it informs the educators that special education is

required for individuals that fit the qualifications. This special education can start at the age of

three and continue until they are twenty-one (Heward, 2015). This has impacted the education

system by making it more suitable for everyone’s individual needs. This principle made it

possible for every individual child to have a chance at a fair and equal chance at a quality, public

education. It also makes it so each and every student is eligible no matter the severity of their

disability. The impact it has on the life of an individual with a disability is also great because it

shows them that they can also be successful in getting an education, and makes them feel

included and not left out.

The Zero Reject Principle’s impact is similar to the Free and Appropriate Public

Education principle. This principle states that the special education, if needed, is provided at the

publics expense; which means all students can equally benefit from this principle. This is an

important part of an individual with special needs education because it also gives them the ability
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to have specific things purchased that they will benefit from. This principle has also significantly

helped out educators because it gives them the ability to acquire the devices they need to provide

a proper education and other services. Examples of this would include the purchasing of assisted

walkers, hearing devices, additional educational aids and possibly a school nurse if needed.

Along with the addition of different education enhancement devices comes learning how to use

them. The educators are the ones that will need to know how to use the device properly and

effectively for the students who need them. Over time, this principle will play an important role

in the ability for educators to give individuals with special needs a good, public education.

The Nondiscriminatory Evaluation Principle has impacted the American education

system in a positive way. This principle states that schools must use nonbiased, multifactored

methods of evaluation to determine whether a child has a disability and, if so, whether the child

needs specially designed instruction to benefit from education (Heward, 2015). It is required that

testing and evaluation procedures must not discriminate on the basis of race, culture, or native

language and all must be based on the individual’s native language (Heward, 2015). This is a

benefit to educators because it gives them the ability to get the best assessment possible on a

student with no barriers. However, the placement of a student is not decided after only one test is

administered. A series of tests have to be given to each student to determine where the child

should be placed to benefit them the most from an education offered. This was a very useful

principle for the advancement of education for every individual.

The fourth principle deals with ensuring that students with disabilities are educated in the

Least Restrictive Environment appropriate to one’s individual needs. Individuals with

Disabilities Education Act requires schools to educate students with children without disabilities

to the maximum extent appropriate and that students with disabilities be removed to separate
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classes or schools only when the nature or severity of their disabilities is such that cannot receive

an appropriate education in a general education classroom with supplementary aids and services

(Heward, 2015). For example, a student with disabilities may not be able to learn in a classroom

filled with other students, therefore the Least Restrictive Environment provides the best learning

environment for them. Therefore schools must accommodate to fit each student’s needs. It is the

school district’s responsibility to provide the accommodation for students with disabilities to

utilize. Some of them include resource rooms or other types of special behavior rooms or

schools. This is one of the components part of Individuals with Disabilities Education Act that

have impacted the American education system and the lives of individuals with disabilities

dealing with providing a safe and effective environment.

Another component of Individuals with Disabilities Education Act are the procedural

safeguards. This requires schools to follow a set of procedures that protect the rights and interests

of children with disabilities and their parents (Heward, 2015). Parents have the ultimate consent

dealing with evaluations and placements. Students may receive the confidential evaluation and if

they don’t agree with the results, they can obtain an independent evaluation at public expense.

When the school and parents disagree on the identification, evaluation, placement, or provision

of a FAPE and related services for the child, the parents may request a due process hearing

(Heward, 2015). Although, most conflicts between school districts and parents are resolved

without resorting to a due process hearing. This component of Individuals with Disabilities

Education Act has positively impacted the American education system, educators’ roles within

that system, and the lives of individuals with disabilities by making sure that parents, not

teachers, have most of the say in deciding how and when to evaluate their children, students,

with a potential disability.

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The last component of Individuals with Disabilities Education Act that has impacted the

American education system, educators’ roles within that system, and the lives of individuals with

disabilities deals with parent participation and shared decision making. This is related to

procedural safeguards, as it is important to make sure the parents have say and are actively

participating and voicing their opinions regarding their child. This specifically requires schools

to collaborate with parents and students with disabilities in the planning and implementation of

special education and related services (Heward, 2015). The parents’ input and wishes must be

considered in determining IEP goals, related- service needs, and placement decisions (Heward,

2015). This component of Individuals with Disabilities Education Act has impacted the

American education system positively by making sure parents have a say and are able to actively

participate in decisions about their child and student, as they know what is best for them.

These six components of Individuals with Disabilities Education Act have positively

impacted the American education system, educators’ roles within the system, and the lives of

individuals with disabilities. These six components work together and protect the rights of

individuals, their families, and provide an environment that a student feels safe in. Each area is

integral in the process to allow a student to excel which is the main purpose of the Individuals

with Disabilities Education Act. These six principles work together to make sure that all children

with disabilities receive the services they need and are granted the rights they deserve.
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Bibliography
Heward, W. L. (2015). Exceptional Children (10th ed.). Ohio State University: Pearson.