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IDEA Essay

Loren Larson

Dakota State University

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Abstract

This paper discusses the importance of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act

and the impact it has had on different groups. It covers the impact on the American education

system and introduces the idea of an Individualized Education Plan, also known as an IEP. Next,

the paper discusses the impact IDEA has had on educators and their roles in the American

education system. Finally, the paper discusses the different types of disabilities that qualify for

IDEA and the impact IDEA has had on the individuals with one or more of the qualified

disabilities.
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Growing up, all children develop at different rates and in different ways. Some children

may become athletes who love to run, jump, and play sports. Other children may lean toward

music and the fine arts, finding a passion for performance, by playing an instrument, singing, or

acting as a character for an audience. Along with different interests, also come different

capabilities. For example, athletes may not be musically or theatrically inclined and the

performers may not be able to properly throw a ball or shoot a basket. This aspect can come into

play on the intellectual side of the spectrum also. Some individuals may excel in math, some in

science, and others in English and reading. However, in the same way that some individuals

excel in certain areas, others struggle in the exact same areas. This is where the Individuals with

Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) comes into play. According to Exceptional Children: An

Introduction to Special Education by William L. Heward, IDEA began changing the face of

education when it was implemented in 1975. When originally implemented, the law was known

as the Education for All Handicapped Children Act, but in 1990 the name was changed to

Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. The most recent rewriting of IDEA happened in

2004 tilting it: The Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004 (Heward,

2013).

Impact on the American education system

One of the main concepts IDEA brought into play was the concept of the Individualized

Education Plan or IEP. Heward explains that an IEP is an education plan that must be developed

and implemented to meet the unique needs of each student with a disability. This IEP will

specify the childs present levels of performance, identify measurable annual goals, and describe

the specific special education and related services that the school will provide to help the

children attain said goals and benefit from the education (Heward, 2013). The IEP was
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developed as a way for the school to work alongside the parents to plan and measure the

education that students with disabilities are receiving through their public-school system. One

way IDEA and IEP impacted the American education system is: it required school systems to

adjust so that all individuals with disabilities would be allowed in any school system. This

opened the opportunity to let parents choose the school they wanted their child to attend, without

rejection due to disabilities. IDEA also required educators in the system to focus more attention

toward students with disabilities and required the educators to work side by side with parents,

other educators, and the students with disabilities to make sure that the students were receiving a

fair and appropriate education. This allowed parents to become more involved in school systems

and voice their opinion on behalf of their child.

Impact on educators roles in the American education system

When IDEA was implemented other areas of the education system were also impacted.

Educators, were required take on more responsibility because they are required to compensate

for students with disabilities in addition to the rest of their class. IDEA did this, not with the

intentions to make the educators job more difficult, but to ensure that each student was offered

equal opportunities based on their needs. The IEP was one of the major ways that school systems

would be able to offer equal opportunities for these students. Heward explains this when he

discusses the purposes of IDEA on page 16. He states that one of the purposes is to ensure that

educators and parents have the necessary tools to improve educational results for children with

disabilities. IDEA does this in a number of ways, including: supporting system improvement

activities, coordinating research and personal preparation, coordinating technical assistance,

coordinating dissemination and support, and technology development and media services

(Heward, 2013). By providing the educators and parents with appropriate tools to ensure a
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childs education, it shows IDEA was not intended to make the job harder for an educator, but

rather to help both educators and students to be placed in the most equitable situation for

everyone.

Impact on the lives of individuals with disabilities

By opening the regular classroom in all schools to all individuals, IDEA allows for

individuals with disabilities to receive an education just like their peers. The disabilities that are

recognized under IDEA have many forms and are not limited to any specific area. According to a

table located on pg.9 of Heward,, disabilities can range from the widest category, learning

disabilities (which makes up 42.3 percent of the total number of students ages 6-21 with

disabilities), to the smallest category, deaf-blindness (which makes up less than 0.1 percent of

the total). Some of the other disabilities listed in the chart include speech or language

impairment, autism, hearing impairment, visual impairment, intellectual disability,

developmental disabilities, and multiple disabilities. (Heward, 2013). Not all individuals with

disabilities are hindered in the same way, but most face challenges that require help that can be

addressed under IDEA. According to Heward, one of the main purposes of IDEA is to ensure

that all children with disabilities have available to them free, appropriate, public education. This

education should emphasize special education and related services that are designed to meet each

individuals unique needs. Beyond that, this education should prepare them for further education,

employment, and independent living (Heward, 2013). Simply put, individuals with disabilities

should not be treated differently in the education system but instead, should be offered

everything that every student is offered, and that is what IDEA intends to do.

Although there were many impacts that IDEA had on various groups that may have made

things more difficult or challenging for people, such as educators, there were many other impacts
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that were highly beneficial for other groups. From allowing parents to enroll their child in any

school, regardless of a disability, to requiring educators to do the best they could to keep all

children in the appropriate classroom for their needs, IDEA helped make many peoples lives

simpler. Along with the simplification for parents and children, IDEA also implemented ways to

make the transition as simple as possible for educators by providing adequate funds and

sufficient help to get what they need to compensate for any child with a disability. IDEA also

opened the opportunity for parents to get involved with their childs education and voice their

opinion through IEPs and the requirement for educators to work side by side with parents to

form the most appropriate education plan for their children.

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References

Heward W. L. (2013). Exceptional Children: An Introduction to Special Education. United

States of America: Pearson Education Inc.