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 Maine, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is a critical federal law that ensures children with disabilities have access to a free and appropriate public education tailored to their individual needs. Under IDEA, children from birth through age 2 with disabilities and their families are eligible for early intervention services under Part C, while children and youth ages 3 through 21 are entitled to special education and related services under Part B. The state of Maine receives formula grants to support these services and may also benefit from discretionary grants aimed at enhancing research, training, and resources for special education. The IDEA, which aligns with Maine's commitment to educational equality, mandates that disability should not hinder an individual's right to participate in society and emphasizes the importance of improving educational outcomes for children with disabilities to promote their independence and economic self-sufficiency.