School-Aged Children with Disabilities in U.S. Metropolitan Statistical Areas: 2010. American Community Survey Briefs. ACSBR/10-12.

In 1975, Congress enacted the Education for All Handicapped Children Act, which required all public schools that accept federal funds to provide equal access to education for children with physical and mental disabilities.2 Congress reauthorized the act in 1990, expanded certain programs, and renamed it the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).3 In 2004, Congress amended the law and further clarified its intended purpose that states provide a free appropriate public education for all students aged 3 to 21, including children with disabilities.4