What is Special Education?
According to Understood.org, “Special education refers to a range of services that can be provided in different ways and in different settings. There’s no “one size fits all” approach to special education. It’s tailored to meet the needs of students with disabilities”. Special education is provided at no cost to parents and includes the related services a student needs to access her/his educational program.
Special education focuses on helping kids with disabilities learn. But it doesn’t mean placing kids in a special classroom all day long. In fact, federal law says that kids who get special education services should learn in the same classrooms as other kids as much as possible.’
To qualify for an IEP, a student must be determined to have a disability:
1. Intellectual disability
2. Hearing impairment (including deafness)
3. Speech or language impairment
4. Visual impairment (including blindness)
5. Serious emotional disturbance
6. Orthopedic impairment
7. Autism
8. Developmental delays (age 3 through 9)
9. Traumatic brain injury
10. Other health impairment
11. Specific learning disability
12. Deaf-blindness
13. Multiple disabilities
What laws govern special education?
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) of 2004 is the federal law that guarantees FAPE is provided to eligible students with disabilities.