Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEA)

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEA) is a federal law that guarantees all eligible children with disabilities between the ages of 3 and 21 (or until the child graduates) the right to a free appropriate public education designed to meet their individual needs. Part C of the IDEA provides services, education and support for children birth through 2 who have a disability or delay. The Education for All Handicapped Children Act (Public Law 94-142) was an earlier version of the IDEA.

On August 14, 2006, the IDEA 2004 regulations were published in the Federal Register and went into effect on October 14, 2006. Wrightslaw, a special education advocacy Web site, has reformatted the regulations for ease of reading and printing: IDEA 2004 Statue and Regulations.

Information from other organizations

• Building the Legacy: IDEA 2004
• Family & Advocates Partnership for Education
• Data Accountability Center
• IDEAMoneyWatch
• National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities
• Parent IDEA 2004 Guide
• Twenty-Sixth Annual Report to Congress on the Implementation of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act
• Wrightslaw