The federal special education law was originally passed in 1975 as the Education for All Handicapped Children Act and it is now called the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). It was revised and reauthorized in December, 2004 as P. L. 108-446 and is known now as “IDEA 2004.” A full copy of the law and the IDEA regulations that were issued in August 2006 can be downloaded at:
http://www.nichcy.org/idea.htm.
The U.S. Department of Education Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) has a new website that also contains copies of the IDEA law and regulations at: http://idea.ed.gov. This website is rich in resources about IDEA including documents, videos and other sources of information about IDEA.
Technical Assistance
Download a PowerPoint presentation created by Eileen Ahearn of the National Association of State Directors of Special Education. The presentation highlights the changes in the IDEA 2004 amendments.
Many other organizations provide materials related to all or part(s) of IDEA 2004. The following links provide such information:
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