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 Vermont, as in all states, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) provides a framework for children with disabilities to receive a free appropriate public education tailored to their individual needs. IDEA Part C covers infants and toddlers up to age 2, offering early intervention services, while Part B applies to children and youth aged 3 through 21, ensuring access to special education and related services. Vermont complies with the federal mandate by providing formula grants to support these services and may also receive discretionary grants to enhance educational research, training, and support for families. The state's education agencies work in conjunction with the federal guidelines to ensure that children with disabilities have equal opportunities to education, aligning with the national policy that disability does not diminish an individual's rights to participate in society and that improving educational outcomes for these children is crucial for their independence and economic self-sufficiency.