Reauthorization Of The Individuals With Disabilities Education Act

This Congressional hearing on the reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act was held to define the necessary elements and supports that must be in place in order to make inclusion work successfully for students with disabilities, parents, and teachers. It contains statements and supplemental materials from: (1) Congressional representatives, including Cass Ballenger (North Carolina) and Major Owens (New York); (2) the General Accounting Office; (3) educators, including Barbara Bateman, Daniel P. Hallahan, James M. Kauffman, and Patrick Schwarz; (4) private organizations, including Action for Children to Insure Options Now, American Association of University Affiliated Programs for Persons with Developmental Disabilities, National Education Association, Council for Exceptional Children, National Association of Private Schools for Exceptional Children, American Society for Deaf Children, American Federation of Teachers, and National Association of State Boards of Education; (5) parents, including Lyda L. Astrove, Jill R. Barker, Carlos A. Oberti, and Valerie J. Veltman; and (6) an individual with a disability, Roberta Gallant. (JDD)

This transcript presents testimony given at a House of Representatives committee hearing on the reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. Included is the text of an amendment, the Braille Literacy Amendment, which is intended to improve the literacy rate among children with visual impairments. This amendment calls for an individual assessment of each student's literacy skills, establishes teacher competency standards for Braille instruction, and facilitates the production of Braille and digital texts and other materials. Other issues addressed in the hearing include needs of children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, issues concerned with the inclusion of students with disabilities in regular classes, personnel development, and discipline of students with disabilities. Organizations represented by statements either delivered or prepared include the American Association of School Administrators, National Association of State Directors of Special Education, and the National School Boards Association. Congressmen involved in the hearing included: Major R. Owens (New York); James A. Traficant, Jr. (Ohio); Charlie Rose (North Carolina); Robert C. Scott (Virginia); and Cliff Stearns (Florida). (DB)

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) provides funds to states for the education of children with disabilities. It contains detailed requirements for the receipt of these funds, including the core requirement of the provision of a free appropriate public education (FAPE). IDEA was comprehensively revised in 1997 by P L 105-17, but Congress has continued to grapple with issues relating to the Act. This book provides an overview of the Act with particular attention paid to issues of recent congressional concern, such as funding and the provision of FAPE for children with disabilities found to have brought a weapon to school.

This transcript of a Congressional House hearing on the reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act focuses on the role of parents of 5 million schoolchildren with disabilities and ways to strengthen their involvement in their children's education. The transcript includes presented and/or prepared statements from: Cass Ballenger, Representative from North Carolina; Major R. Owens, Representative from New York; Dee Spinkston, Federal for Children with Special Needs; a number of parents of children with disabilities; and representatives of such organizations as the ACTION coalition, the New York Institute for Special Education, and the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill. (DB).