Special Education
What is Special Education?
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)
Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE)
- At no cost to parents; the school district pays for the child’s schooling
- Includes all students, no matter their disability
- Available for students no matter where they live
- Available through the local public school
- Not usually available if the student goes to a private school
- Available regardless of whether the child is failing or is advancing from grade to grade
- Students can receive help in classes like reading, writing, and math - any subjects available to nondisabled students.
- Includes help with social skills or behavior intervention plans that the child needs to be able to learn in school.
- Provides services like speech, physical therapy, or counseling. (These are called "related services.”)
Least Restrictive Environment (LRE)
Resources
Information & Support
For Parents and Patients
Center for Parent Information and Resources (DOE)
Parent centers in every state provide training to parents of children with disabilities and provide information about special
education, transition to adulthood, health care, support groups, local conferences and other federal, state, and local services.
This link has a search tool to help you find the parent center in your state; Department of Education, Office of Special Education.
Transition to Adult Life/Adult Services
This site has great information for parents about transition to adult life and services and links to many more resources on
this subject including the Transition to Adult Life Handbook from the Utah Parent Center.
National Center on Secondary Education and Transition
This easy-to-use website provides information about transition during high school and to opportunities after high school including
jobs, vocational education, and college. Provides links to contacts in each state for State Transition Contact, Regional Resource
Center Contact, State Director of Special Education, Part B Contact, and State Director or Vocational Rehabilitation.
NIMAS, IDEA regulation for access to instructional materials
Provides data and technical information about the National Instructional Materials Accessibility Standard (NIMAS), which was
designed to make it easier and faster for students with disabilities to obtain accessible instructional materials in accordance
with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).
Services Nationwide
Early Childhood Education/Preschool
We currently have no nationwide Early Childhood Education/Preschool service providers listed; search our Services database for related services or, if relevant for you, a state link above.
Nonpublic Special Schools
We currently have no nationwide Nonpublic Special Schools service providers listed; search our Services database for related services or, if relevant for you, a state link above.
Public Special Schools
We currently have no nationwide Public Special Schools service providers listed; search our Services database for related services or, if relevant for you, a state link above.
School Districts
We currently have no nationwide School Districts service providers listed; search our Services database for related services or, if relevant for you, a state link above.
Special Needs Schools, Other
We currently have no nationwide Special Needs Schools, Other service providers listed; search our Services database for related services or, if relevant for you, a state link above.
For other services related to this condition, browse our Services categories or search our database.