Updated, October 2017
If you are involved in the well-being of an infant, toddler, child, or youth with disabilities, you’ll find reading the exact language of IDEA both illuminating and important. In addition to being able to read it here online, you may also wish to download a full copy, print it out, and keep it handy.
- IDEA’s statute, as passed by Congress
- Federal regulations for Part B of IDEA
- Federal regulations for Part C of IDEA
- Guidance from the U.S. Department of Education
The Law (Statute)
- Current Name: The Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004
- Public Law (PL) Number: PL 108-446
- Passed by Congress and signed into law by the President: December 2004
Access the entire law at:
PDF | http://www.parentcenterhub.org/wp-content/uploads/repo_items/PL108-446.pdf
HTML | http://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?path=/prelim@title20/chapter33&edition=prelim
Part B Regulations
Part B of IDEA is focused on services to school-aged children with disabilities. This includes preschoolers (ages 3-5) and children in K-12. Regulations for this part of the law, as reauthorized in 2004, are available. Here’s a brief description:
- Date Published: August 14, 2006
- Where Published: Federal Register, Volume 71, Number 156
- Includes: U.S. Department of Education’s Analysis of Comments and Changes–which responds to comments and questions from the public on changes made in Part B regulations following IDEA’s reauthorization in 2004
Available online at:
- For easiest reading, read the regulations here at CPIR: http://www.parentcenterhub.org/partb/
- PDF (regulations start at page 46756) | http://www.parentcenterhub.org/wp-content/uploads/repo_items/IDEA2004regulations.pdf
- HTML | https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?tpl=/ecfrbrowse/Title34/34cfr300_main_02.tpl
Part C Regulations
Part C of IDEA is the Infants and Toddlers with Disabilities program, otherwise known as early intervention. Regulations for this part of IDEA were published in 2011, and are available online at:
https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?tpl=/ecfrbrowse/Title34/34cfr303_main_02.tpl
Guidance from the U.S. Department of Education
For authoritative input on the law, we look to the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS) and the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP), within the Department of Education. These are the agencies within the federal government responsible for overseeing IDEA’s implementation. They’ve established a dedicated IDEA 2004 page with a wealth of information on Part B, including:
- OSEP’s Assessment Tool Kit
- Model Forms
- Q & A Documents
- Topic Briefs
Find all this and more at: https://sites.ed.gov/idea/