Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)
Institution Affiliation
The society over many years has viewed the persons with disabilities as less capable, which has made the group less advantaged. That makes them feel forgotten and treated as less human beings. That has necessitated the development of acts that are meant to protect people with disabilities who are also referred to as abled differently. Various Acts have been formulated to cater to their needs. Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) of 1975 is one of the Acts that protect the educational interests of the children who have got special education needs.
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act came in place in the year 1975 when congress saw it essential to improve the public education system to provide a level playing ground for these children. It is divided into three sections. One of the segments takes care of the toddlers while the other takes care of the children aged between 3 years and 21 years and advocates for several issues . The first issue usually is on making the Federal government providing adequate funding to the public schools to cater to the education of disabled kids from their childhood up to young adulthood.
The ACT also advocates for a fair evaluation to reasonably identify the kids eligible for this program, which does not discriminate against anyone based on the severity of their disability. Upon identification of the likely children, an individualized plan is offered. The children have got various disabilities calling for different education programs, which brings out the maximum benefit to the children.
Discrimination is one of the most significant issues usually aimed at being addressed by this ACT. To ensure this is achieved, the children should never be separated from other kids unless need be. Whenever the children study together with healthy kids without any disability, their self-esteem is boosted and is able to perform exceptionally well . Only extreme cases can be isolated, such as those kids with severe mental disability and visual impairment where special treatment to the kids is needed, thus requiring a special kind of education.
When the special education program is being offered, the parents’ and student’s input in decision making must be considered. The education officers should never impose special education services to the students. The parents know their children more, and involving them makes the system easier to implement. In addition to providing education to the children, their rights and those of their parents must be put into consideration. In most cases, families having children with disabilities are vulnerable to abuse. The government must protect these families. IDEA requires the local and federal governments to locate these families and ensure their rights are not violated in any way.
The law must be enforced, and the ACT requires that a regular assessment is carried out on the institutions providing special education to children with disabilities. The institutions must be willing to conform to the ACT to continue offering the services and obtaining government support . Failure would result in permanent closure and prosecution for violation of the law and the rights of the Citizens.
In conclusion, this ACT has dramatically improved the lives of many families who would instead have faced discrimination due to the disabilities facing their families. It should continue being implemented and enhanced for the sake of maintaining sustainable livelihoods for children born and living with disabilities.