Office of Special Programs

Larry Ryan

Director of Special Programs

[email protected]

740-678-2366, Ext. 3809

Lisa Spence

Central Office/Programs Asst. & Operations Coordinator 

[email protected]

740-678-2366 Ext. 3802

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is a law ensuring services to children with disabilities throughout the nation. IDEA governs how states and public agencies provide early intervention, special education and related services to more than 6.5 million eligible infants, toddlers, children and youth with disabilities. Infants and toddlers with disabilities (birth-2) and their families receive early intervention services under IDEA Part C. Children and youth (ages 3-21) receive special education and related services under IDEA Part B.

Assistance to States for the Education of Children with Disabilities

34 C.F.R. PART 300

300.8 Child with a disability.

(a) General

(1) Child with a disability means a child evaluated in accordance with 300.34 -300.311 as having mental retardation, a hearing impairment (including deafness), a speech or language impairment, a visual impairment (including blindness), a serious emotional disturbance (referred to in this part as emotional disturbance), an orthopedic impairment, autism, traumatic brain injury, an other health impairment, a specific learning disability, deaf- blindness, or multiple disabilities, and who, by reason therof, needs  special education and related services.

300.39   (a) General

(1) Special Education means specially designed instruction, at no cost to the parents, to meet the unique needs of a child with a disability.

(i) Instruction conducted in the classroom, in the home, in hospitals and institutions, and in other settings; and

(ii) Instruction in Physical Education.       

(2) Special education includes each of the following, if the services otherwise meet the requirements of paragraph (a)(1) of this section-                                           

(i) Speech-language pathology services, or any other related service, if the services is considered special education rather than a related service under the State standards;

 (ii) Travel training; and

(iii) Vocational education.

(b) Individual special education terms defined. The terms in this definition are defined as follows:             

(1) At no cost means that all specially designed instruction is provided without charge, but does not preclude incidental fees that are normally charged to nondisabled students or their parents as part of the regular education program.

www.wrightslaw.com/idea/law.htm