Which act introduced FAPE for students with disabilities?

Which act introduced FAPE for students with disabilities?

• A. Education for All Handicapped Children Act (1975)
• B. IDEA
• C. No Child Left Behind Act
• D. Americans with Disabilities Act

Answer: (A)

The key idea here is the first law that guaranteed Free Appropriate Public Education for students with disabilities. In 1975, the Education for All Handicapped Children Act established that every child with a disability has a right to publicly funded education that is tailored to their needs, delivered through an individualized education program and provided in the least restrictive environment. This set the foundation for how special education services are planned and delivered. While the later law named IDEA continues and expands those protections, it did not originate FAPE. Other laws with different focuses—such as No Child Left Behind, which centers on accountability and testing, or the Americans with Disabilities Act, which addresses broader civil rights and accessibility—do not establish the specific entitlement to a tailored, publicly funded educational program that FAPE introduced.

The key idea here is the first law that guaranteed Free Appropriate Public Education for students with disabilities. In 1975, the Education for All Handicapped Children Act established that every child with a disability has a right to publicly funded education that is tailored to their needs, delivered through an individualized education program and provided in the least restrictive environment. This set the foundation for how special education services are planned and delivered.

While the later law named IDEA continues and expands those protections, it did not originate FAPE. Other laws with different focuses—such as No Child Left Behind, which centers on accountability and testing, or the Americans with Disabilities Act, which addresses broader civil rights and accessibility—do not establish the specific entitlement to a tailored, publicly funded educational program that FAPE introduced.