Thesis
Although generations of young people with disabilities have suffered a lack of education due to discrimination in schools, since IDEA was passed in the United States, the rights of students with disabilities and their parents have increased greatly.
"The history of special education is one of total neglect," says Chris Borreca, a Houston-based attorney specialized in education law. "You had a system in place where kids were denied access continually, so Congress said we're going to put a law in place that will stop that."
IDEA was created to protect the rights of individuals with disabilities in schools and "strives not only to grant equal access to students with disabilities, but also to provide additional special education services...therefore...[setting] high standards for their achievement and guides how special help and services are made available in schools to address their individual needs." - NICHCY. Overall, IDEA "ensures that children with disabilities have the opportunity to receive a free appropriate public education, just like other children. Without the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) most students with physical, mental and learning disabilities in the U.S. would not have the opportunity to receive free public education." - NICHCY. IDEA protects the rights of the disabled and those involved in the child's life.
Researched and Created by: Emily Mollet ~ 2014