The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is a federal law that makes an appropriate, free public education available to eligible children with disabilities and ensures special education and related services to those children. The IDEA is located in the U.S. Code at 20 U.S.C. §1400.

The IDEA governs how states and public agencies provide early intervention, special education, and related services to more than 7.5 million (as of school year 2018-19) eligible infants, toddlers, children, and youth with disabilities.

Infants and toddlers, birth through age 2, with disabilities and their families receive early intervention services under IDEA Part C. Children and youth ages 3 through 21 receive special education and related services under IDEA Part B.

Additionally, the IDEA authorizes:

• Formula grants to states to support special education and related services and early intervention services.

• Discretionary grants to state educational agencies, institutions of higher education, and other nonprofit organizations to support research, demonstrations, technical assistance and dissemination, technology development, personnel preparation and development, and parent-training and -information centers.

Congress reauthorized the IDEA in 2004 and most recently amended the IDEA through Public Law 114-95, the Every Student Succeeds Act, in December 2015.

In the law, Congress states:

Disability is a natural part of the human experience and in no way diminishes the right of individuals to participate in or contribute to society. Improving educational results for children with disabilities is an essential element of our national policy of ensuring equality of opportunity, full participation, independent living, and economic self-sufficiency for individuals with disabilities.

In California, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is a critical federal law that mandates the provision of a free and appropriate public education to eligible children with disabilities. This law ensures that children and youth with disabilities, from birth through age 21, have access to special education and related services tailored to their individual needs. For infants and toddlers up to age 2, IDEA Part C outlines early intervention services, while IDEA Part B applies to children and youth aged 3 through 21, detailing the special education and related services they should receive. California, in compliance with IDEA, receives formula grants to support these services and may also receive discretionary grants aimed at funding research, training, and resources for parents and educators. The state is responsible for implementing the requirements of IDEA, which includes developing Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) for students, ensuring the rights of children with disabilities and their families are protected, and providing necessary resources to educators and schools to support the education of students with disabilities. The IDEA's provisions reflect a national commitment to educational equality, participation, and economic self-sufficiency for individuals with disabilities.