The Individuals With Disabilities Education Act
Source By: Mitchell Louis Yell, PhD | December 21, 2024
In 2025, the Individuals with Disabilities Education (IDEA) will have been the primary law driving the field of special education for 50 years. A contentious area of disagreement has been the relationship between two primary mandates of the law: the obligation of schools to provide a free appropriate public education (FAPE) to eligible students with disabilities and the obligation to place these students in the least restrictive environment (LRE) appropriate to each student’s individual needs.
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Two surveys undertaken in the same year generated different disability prevalences: 16.1% and 25.6% using a broad cut-off; 4.0% and 6.7% using a narrower cut-off. In two longitudinal surveys, over 50% of persons identified as having disability in a wave were not identified as such in the next wave, independent of cut-off used. Data disaggregation by education and remunerative employment shows little differences between persons with and without disability, which is inconsistent with current evidence.
Data was coded to the five predictors, in addition, “co-workers” attitudes’ and “workplace accommodations and adjustments” emerged as additional predictors. All participants raised workplace concerns, with employers with experience adopting a range of strategies to address concerns. Employers with no prior experience were passively rather than actively creating barriers to employment. Smaller organisations were more likely to view employing people with disabilities as high risk. Few organisations reported accessing the services of disability employment providers.
Twenty-one studies comprising 458 adults with various post-stroke pain presentations were included. Only 10 studies specifically targeted stroke pain; the remainder primarily incorporated pre-post measures of pain in a heterogenous stroke sample (with and without pain). Studies varied in their levels of evidence, sample characteristics, mind-body therapies, and biopsychosocial outcome measurement.
Thirty-seven articles met the inclusion criteria, which involved 218 555 children and youth with various types of physical disabilities spanning over 29 years. We noted the following trends: (1) racial disparities in accessing or receiving care; (2) racial disparities in health outcomes and mortality rates; and (3) factors affecting racial disparities.
Twenty-two studies reported on twenty programs. Participants were from multiple disciplines in 13 programs and families were involved in development, delivery, or as participants, in nine. Program content typically related to participatory caregiving. Synthesis of findings suggested the ‘active ingredients’ were dynamic interactions among the participants and facilitators, and the program content and delivery methods, that promoted reflection and shifting perspectives among participants
People with young-onset Parkinson’s disease (YOPD), a term for those diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease (PD) under the age of 60, face unique challenges compared to those diagnosed with PD later in life. A better understanding of the lived experience of those with YOPD is essential to delivering bespoke rehabilitation and improving quality of life.
The Disability Rights Section (DRS) works to achieve equal opportunity for people with disabilities in the United States by implementing the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and coordinating with federal agencies on the consistent implementation of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act (Section 504). The Section also enforces the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2008 (GINA). The Section's enforcement, regulatory, coordination, and technical assistance activities, along with an innovative mediation program, provide a multi-faceted and dynamic approach for carrying out this mission.
Advancing respect for the human rights and fundamental freedoms of persons with disabilities is a key U.S. foreign policy priority. The United States does this through promoting policy, programming, and public messaging that are tailored to, and designed in consultation with, persons with disabilities.
The United States Government, through its Agency for International Development (USAID), launched a two-day event on December 17, 2024, celebrating the leadership of persons with disabilities in Ethiopia. The event, “Amplifying the Leadership of Persons with Disabilities for an Inclusive and Sustainable Future,” marked the International Day of Persons with Disabilities and highlighted the achievements of USAID’s Promoting Rights and Inclusion for Disability Empowerment (PRIDE) Activity...
Recent investigations by the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) have resulted in fines and settlements against two major airlines. In October 2024, DOT fined American Airlines $50 million due to “cases of unsafe physical assistance that at times resulted in injuries and undignified treatment of wheelchair users” between 2019 and 2023. Passengers reported that they were handled in a rough manner and their wheelchairs were damaged beyond repair. Of the $50 million penalty, $25 million will go to the U.S. Treasury, and the remaining $25 million will be credited back to American Airlines to invest in equipment and systems upgrades that reduce wheelchair damage and delays, and to compensate those customers who were mistreated.