Individuals with Disabilities Education Act

References

Individuals with Disabilities Education Act

United States [1990]

Also known as: IDEA

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July 20, 2026

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The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), originally the Education of the Handicapped Act of 1974, is a United States federal law that ensures public schools provide special education and related services to eligible children with disabilities. These services are detailed in an individualized education program (IEP). The law mandates a "free appropriate public education" (FAPE) in the "least restrictive environment".12

A landmark Supreme Court case, Board of Education of the Hendrick Hudson Central School District v. Rowley (1982), clarified that the IDEA does not require schools to maximize a disabled child's potential but rather to provide services that allow the child to benefit educationally. This ruling defined what constitutes a "free appropriate public education" under the act.2

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Arlington Central School District Board of Education v. Murphy
…school districts under the 1990 Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) are not entitled to reimbursement for costs associated with hiring expert witnesses and consultants.
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…school districts under the 1990 Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) are not entitled to reimbursement for costs associated with hiring expert witnesses and consultants.
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Board of Education of the Hendrick Hudson Central School District v. Rowley
…of 1974 (EHA; renamed the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act [IDEA] in 1990), as amended by the Education for All Handicapped Children Act of 1975, did not require that the special instruction and supportive services provided under the law by state governments to disabled students be designed to help them…
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…of 1974 (EHA; renamed the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act [IDEA] in 1990), as amended by the Education for All Handicapped Children Act of 1975, did not require that the special instruction and supportive services provided under the law by state governments to disabled students be designed to help them…
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Cedar Rapids Community School District v. Garret F.
…ruled (7–2) that the 1990 Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) requires school boards to provide continuous nursing services to disabled students who need them during the school day.
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…ruled (7–2) that the 1990 Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) requires school boards to provide continuous nursing services to disabled students who need them during the school day.
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education
Expansion of American education
…revision and was renamed the Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA); the law was significantly updated again in 2004. Reforms aimed to place handicapped children in the least-restrictive environment and, where possible, to “mainstream” them in regular schools and classes.
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…revision and was renamed the Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA); the law was significantly updated again in 2004. Reforms aimed to place handicapped children in the least-restrictive environment and, where possible, to “mainstream” them in regular schools and classes.
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history of the blind
Education and the blind
…1975 (the forerunner of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act [IDEA] of 1990), the mainstreaming of blind children became a right. Schools for the blind diminished in importance in favour of integration of the blind with the sighted.
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…1975 (the forerunner of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act [IDEA] of 1990), the mainstreaming of blind children became a right. Schools for the blind diminished in importance in favour of integration of the blind with the sighted.
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Zobrest v. Catalina Foothills School District
…ruled (5–4) that under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), a public school board was required to provide the on-site services of a sign-language interpreter to a hearing-impaired student in a private religious school. The court rejected arguments that it violated the First Amendment’s establishment clause.
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…ruled (5–4) that under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), a public school board was required to provide the on-site services of a sign-language interpreter to a hearing-impaired student in a private religious school. The court rejected arguments that it violated the First Amendment’s establishment clause.
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