Special education and related services are mandated by the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and related state special education policies. Policies and procedures associated with implementing IDEA can be complex, cumbersome and time consuming. IDEA is founded on the notion that a free appropriate public education is a civil right for students with disabilities, a group of students who have historically been denied a right to an education on par with that of their non-disabled peers. Complying with IDEA is a critical responsibility for public schools and, thus, a responsibility that authorizers and charter schools must embrace. Adequately addressing the policy issues and practical challenges associated with educating students with disabilities in the charter sector requires thoughtful policy development and implementation on the part of both authorizers and charter school operators. This Issue Brief is the first in a two-part series on navigating special education in charter schools. The first brief introduces the basic foundation of special education and research findings regarding the legal roles and responsibilities for the provision of special education in charter schools and describes strategies for building a charter school's capacity to provide quality special education programs. (Contains 1 endnote and 5 resources.)