The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)
http://idea.ed.gov/Twenty-Five Years of Progress in Educating Children with Disabilities Through IDEA
http://www2.ed.gov/policy/speced/leg/idea/history.htmlCongress enacted the Education for All Handicapped Children Act (Public Law 94-142), in 1975
currently enacted as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), as amended in 1997.
Public Law 94-142 guaranteed a free, appropriate public education to each child with a disability in every state and locality across the country.