Do “eligible students” still include children with physical disabilities and children with learning disabilities due to organic dysfunction?
IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Special Education Act) was originally enacted by Congress in 1975 to make sure that children with disabilities had the opportunity to receive a free appropriate public education, just like other children. The law has been revised many times over the years. The most recent amendments were passed by Congress in December 2004, with final regulations published in August 2006. So, in some senses, the law is very new, even as it has a long, detailed, and powerful history. IDEA guides how states and school districts provide special education and related services to more than six million eligible children with disabilities. Please also refer to Indiana’s special education rules promulgated in Article 7 (http://www.doe.in.gov/exceptional/speced/laws.html).
