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Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act
The purpose of this act was to eliminate discrimination on the basis of disability against students with disabilities in elementary and secondary education. This anti-discrimination, civil rights statute also applied to other services that receive federal funds. Today, students who are not in special education, but need special services to further their education, may receive support under a 504 plan. -
Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)
FERPA was signed to protect the privacy of all student educational records in public schools. Today, special education students are are granted protection through IDEA. -
PL 94-142
Originally named the Education for All Handicapped Children Act, PL 94-142 drastically improved the educational rights of students with disabilities. The intent of the law was to ensure that all children with disabilities receive a free appropriate public education. It was later amended to be called Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) in 1990. -
Board of Education of the Hendrick Hudson Central School District v. Rowley
A deaf student, Rowley, requested a sign language translator, but was denied one by Hendrick Hudson school district, so her parents filed a lawsuit. In the end, the Supreme Court held that public schools are not required by law to provide sign language interpreters to deaf students who are otherwise receiving an equal and adequate education. This case called the details of PL 94-142 into question. -
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
ADA was created as a civil rights law to prohibit discrimination against individuals with disabilities in all areas of public life, including public schools. Today, it is important because ADA protects children participating in activities outside of school, such as camps and sports. -
IDEA Amendments of 1997
The amendments further clarified IDEA, notably that the definition of disabled children expanded to include developmentally delayed children and it also provided a process for parents to resolve disputes with schools and Local Educational Agencies (LEAs) through mediation. -
No Child Left Behind Act
This law promoted a standardization of academic performance of all students nationwide. Each state was required to hold students to high academic standards through standardized assessments, meaning some students with disabilities are expected to take these tests and to achieve at a level equal to that of students without disabilities. Additionally, all teachers should be highly qualified. -
Assistive Technology Act of 2004
The 2004 amendment required states to provide direct aid to individuals with disabilities to ensure they have access to the technology they need, to help them perform tasks that would otherwise be difficult or impossible. -
Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEIA)
These amendments in 2004 further mandated equity, accountability and excellence in education by clarifying specific points from 1975 and 1997. Today, IDEA is in place for school districts to ensure identification, free appropriate public education, due process, parent/guardian surrogate consultation, least restrictive environment, individualized education program (IEP), nondiscriminatory evaluation, confidentiality, and teacher development. -
Rosa's Law
This law replaced references to “mental retardation” in Federal law to “intellectual disability,” to help reduce stigma against people with ID. It specified the use of profound, severe and moderate to describe the levels of intellectual disability.
