IDEA: Access to Education for Disabled Children

I don't remember everything about being five years old, but I do remember kindergarten. I remember story-time and recess. I remember how much I loved to do coloring and read my first books. I also remember my mom and I going to special meetings with the principal and my teacher. Even though I didn't understand everything they were talking about, I understood enough to know these were meetings that other kids didn't have.

When I heard phrases like, "Jody's special" or "Jody needs her special desk, but don't make a big deal about it," or "be careful of Jody at recess, she can't get knocked over," I realized that must mean something, even though I didn't understand precisely what.

Of course, now I know why my mom was having all those conversations. I was benefiting from IDEA: The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. Because of IDEA, millions of disabled children have had equal access and integrated educations. More specifically, it is the most critical piece of civil rights legislation for children with disabilities ever passed in this country. It authorizes federal aid to meet the educational needs of children with disabilities and provides due process rights to their parents.

Before 1975, most children with disabilities could not access meaningful participation in the public education system. Inspired by the civil rights movement and the Brown v. the Board of Education decision, parents of children with disabilities turned to the courts. Two landmark cases (Pennsylvania Association for Retarded Children v. Pennsylvania in 1971 and Mills v. Board of Education in 1972) established the right of children with disabilities to a free, appropriate public education in the least restrictive environment.

Before IDEA, U.S. public schools accommodated only 1 out of 5 children with disabilities. Until that time, many states had laws that explicitly excluded children with specific disabilities from attending public school. At that time, more than 1 million children in the U.S. had no access to the public school system. Many of these children lived at state institutions where they received limited or no educational or rehabilitation services. Another 3.5 million children attended school but were "warehoused" in segregated facilities and received little or no effective instruction. As of 2006, more than 6 million children in the U.S. receive special education services through IDEA.

The Individualized Education Plan or IEP is a significant component of IDEA, and it was also a substantial part of my elementary education. I still have old carbon copies of my IEPs. An IEP is an understanding of accommodations and goals between the parents of a disabled child and the school staff.

I remember learning about my IEP. It involved academic testing, occupational and physical therapy. IEPs help "mainstreamed" students meet their specific educational goals while still being part of a classroom of non-disabled students.

Beyond all of the rules, regulations, and legislative mandates, what is at the heart of IDEA is integration and equal access. And hopefully, when appropriately implemented, as I feel it was for me, the law creates inclusion for disabled students. Even at five, all I wanted was to be treated like all the other kids. I accepted my differences, but I didn't want them exploited or emphasized to the point that my peers wouldn't include me.

Being a kid is hard enough. Being a disabled kid brings its own set of unique challenges. IDEA allowed me to receive an equal education, which led to so many more options defined not by my disability but rather by me, the individual. This educational experience helped lay the foundation for the confident and independent woman I am today.