This paper discusses 1997 amendments to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) that promote the inclusion of children with disabilities in general early childhood education settings. The evolution of inclusion policy is explored and changes in disability terminology are described. Amended provisions are then explained and include:…

Updates a 1993 article describing two successful full-inclusion cases involving disabled students. In a 1994 case, a disruptive junior high student with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and Tourette Syndrome was placed temporarily in an off-campus, self-contained program. The Ninth Circuit Court affirmed the trial court's decision…

Asserts that 25 years after Congress passed the Education for All Handicapped Children Act (now called the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act), many educators and administrators still do not understand the law or how to implement it. Discusses three reasons for this situation and suggests benefits of understanding the law. (PKP)

If recent trends for serving students with severe disabilities continue, concerns about program costs and benefits may join those of policy and best practice. This article briefly reviews the full-inclusion literature, examines recent case law, considers program costs, and provides conclusions and implications for future decision making. (39…

In the United States, national legislation was created to protect disabled students' education rights. Courts have provided tests for integrating such students into school systems. Some are concerned this advocacy has gone too far and that court decisions authorizing "full inclusion" misinterpret the law's intent. This article examines…

This book explains federal guidelines for program directors and child care personnel for daily practices and procedures when children with disabilities are admitted to child care programs. The handbook addresses inclusion issues to raise the importance of involving all staff in preparation for efforts to become an inclusive program. Part I begins…

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)…

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…

This handbook is designed to serve as a report on negotiations that took place during the 104th and 105th Congresses that lead to the passage of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) amendments of 1997. In addition, the events and changes in the cultural climate during the 106th Congress and its impact on IDEA is also discussed,…

The 19th annual report to Congress on the implementation of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is organized around a model which views educational results as products of three sets of factors: the context and environment in which the education is provided, student characteristics, and school programs and services. Section 1, on…