IDEA+&+504

  IDEA & 504  History of 504 504 refers to Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. It states that “no qualified individual with a disability in the United States shall be excluded from, denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under” any program or activity that either receives Federal assistance or is conducted by any Executive agency or the United States Postal Service.

What does this mean for educators? This civil rights law was designed to eliminate discrimination on the basis of disability in any public education system. It ensures that individuals with disabilities have the right to full participation in and access to a Free and Appropriate Public Education [|(FAPE)] regardless of the nature or severity of their disabilities.

Why was 504 passed? When the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 was passed, section 504 was included because little was being done on a federal level to encourage participation and equal access to federally funded programs by the disabled. The primary goal of Section 504 is non-discrimination, prohibiting the denial of public education participation because of a child's disability. By complying with Section 504, public schools receive federal funds that are contingent upon this compliance.

What does Section 504 look like?

“No otherwise qualified individual with a disability in the United States, as defined in section 706(8) of this title, shall, solely by reason of her or his handicap, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance or under any program or activity conducted by any Executive agency or by the United States Postal Service....” —29 U.S.C. § 794(a) (1973). [|504 Overview] How effective is 504? Because the funding provided by the government was not adequate to create and implement the necessary programs that the mandate required, and also due to the unclear goals and requirements of the section, 504 was not very successful in achieving its goals. This ultimately led to the development of IDEA in 1974.



HISTORY OF IDEA:  Prior to the EHA statute enacted in 1974, only 1 out of 5 children with disabilities were educated in public schools. Children with physical disabilities (blindness, deafness, handicapped) and also children with mental disabilities (emotionally disturbed, mentally retarded) were discriminated against and barred from attending public schools. Children with disabilities were often put into state institutions where they received little to no education or rehabilitation services. Children with disabilities who were able to attend public schools were more often than not segregated into separate facilities with little to no instruction that accommodated their exceptional needs.

As a response to this less than adequate education, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) was passed as a federal law. Formerly known as the Education for All Handicapped Children Act, the law was enacted by Congress in 1975 and has been frequently amended since. IDEA mandates that states and public agencies provide early intervention, special education, and all other related and applicable services to children with disabilities. It accommodates children with disabilities from birth to the age of 21.

IDEA is a civil rights law, but not all states are required to participate. In an effort to encourage states to participate the US government provides incentive and assistance in complying with the requirements of the act. At this point in time, all 50 US states have chosen to participate.   The most recent amendment was made to IDEA in 2004. This amendment more clearly defines the purpose of special education, and clarifies the purpose of the act, requiring that all students be provided a Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) that prepares them for further education, employment, and independent living.     [|(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Individuals_with_Disabilities_Education_Act]) Learn more about IDEA at their government website: [|IDEA] <span style="font-size: 140%; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; color: rgb(14, 42, 164); background-color: rgb(154, 249, 11)"> <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255)"> HOW IT WORKS:

10 Steps of Identification:

> 2.What are the child's specific educational needs? > 3.What special education services and related services are appropriate for addressing these needs? >   <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255)"> <span style="font-size: 140%; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; color: rgb(14, 42, 164); background-color: rgb(154, 249, 11)"> <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-align: left; display: block">
 * 1) <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255)"> <span style="font-size: 140%; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; color: rgb(14, 42, 164); background-color: rgb(154, 249, 11)"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255)">Child is identified as possibly needing special education and related services:<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255)">   <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255)"><span style="font-size: 140%; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; color: rgb(14, 42, 164); background-color: rgb(154, 249, 11)"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-size: 80%">Each state is required by IDEA to identify, locate, and evaluate all children with disabilities in the state who need special education and related services  <span style="font-size: 140%; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; color: rgb(14, 42, 164); background-color: rgb(154, 249, 11)"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255)">
 * 2) <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255)"> <span style="font-size: 140%; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; color: rgb(14, 42, 164); background-color: rgb(154, 249, 11)"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255)">Child is evaluated:  <span style="font-size: 140%; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; color: rgb(14, 42, 164); background-color: rgb(154, 249, 11)"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255)">1.Does the child have a disability that requires special education and related services?
 * 1) <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255)"> <span style="font-size: 140%; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; color: rgb(14, 42, 164); background-color: rgb(154, 249, 11)"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255)">Eligibility is decided
 * 2) <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255)"> <span style="font-size: 140%; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; color: rgb(14, 42, 164); background-color: rgb(154, 249, 11)"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255)">Child is found eligible for services
 * 3) <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255)"> <span style="font-size: 140%; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; color: rgb(14, 42, 164); background-color: rgb(154, 249, 11)"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255)">IEP meeting is scheduled: To learn more about IEP, follow this link: [|What is an IEP?]
 * 4) <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255)"> <span style="font-size: 140%; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; color: rgb(14, 42, 164); background-color: rgb(154, 249, 11)"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255)">IEP meeting is held and the IEP is written
 * 5) <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255)"> <span style="font-size: 140%; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; color: rgb(14, 42, 164); background-color: rgb(154, 249, 11)"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255)">After the IEP is written, services are provided
 * 6) <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255)"> <span style="font-size: 140%; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; color: rgb(14, 42, 164); background-color: rgb(154, 249, 11)"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255)">Progress is measured and reported to parents
 * 7) <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255)"> <span style="font-size: 140%; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; color: rgb(14, 42, 164); background-color: rgb(154, 249, 11)"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255)">IEP is reviewed
 * 8) <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255)"> <span style="font-size: 140%; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; color: rgb(14, 42, 164); background-color: rgb(154, 249, 11)"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255)">Child is reevaluated: The child must be reevaluated every 3 years

<span style="display: block; font-size: 130%; text-align: center; color: rgb(28, 21, 213)">__Breakdown of the laws:__ IDEA- The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act is a US federal civil rights law which serves to aid in and regulate free and appropriate educations for students with disabilities. IDEA was implemented in 1974 to respond to the 20% enrollment of students with special needs in public school classrooms. Though it is not necessary for states to adapt the precedents of IDEA, all states have adopted at least the minimum requirements of the laws. Because of this, all states are provided with federal funding to help alleviate the financial restrictions of it's requirements. Being Identified with a disability does not guarantee a student will be covered under IDEA since a student must fall into one of 10 categories including such things as mental retardation and hearing impairment and also who, as a result of the disability, requires special needs services.

__504:__ Section 504 is like IDEA in many ways but differs largely in two. Firstly, 504 is able to provide funding for students with disabilities that may not have been eligible under IDEA. Also, 504 extends out of the school environment to assist with job training and is in fact mostly geared towards preparing individuals with disabilities out of the school environment to join the work force. Though this is true, 504 is also created in response to the realization that 8 million americans with disabilities were not receiving free and appropriate educations. [|sample 504]