Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 2004
Summary
Children with disabilities who are between the ages 3-21 are guaranteed special education services under the Individuals with Disabilities Education act of 2004. President George W. Bush signed the law on December 3, 2004 with the hopes that the rights of the children and families were protected. It was originally passed in 1975 as the Education for All Handicapped Children Act (Madaus & Shaw, 2006).
A free appropriate public education should be available to all individuals regardless of the type of disability that he or she may possess. IDEA of 2004 enables States to have assistance by the government to ensure that all services are provided as needed. All families that have individuals with special needs will be provided with the necessary tools to enable the educational success that a child deserves to have. Students should not be discriminated against due to the fact that they have a disability.
The law enables students to be educated by highly qualified professionals who understand what it takes to work with a child with a disability. Patience and understanding are two qualities that educators need to possess. Methods and techniques need to be researched by the professional in order to make sure that all the educational needs are met.
IDEA of 2004 is an extremely important piece of legislation that protects the needs of those students who have special needs. The educational success of a student is fostered by the enforcement of the law. Educators have a responsibility to make sure that every student is successful regardless of a disability.
Components of IDEA of 2004
Part A
Terms that are used in the law are defined such as:
a) “Specific Learning Disability”: a disorder in one or more of the basic psychological processes involved in understanding or in using language, spoken or written, which disorder may manifest itself in the imperfect ability to listen, think,...