In 2015–2016, we celebrated the 40th anniversary of what is now referred to as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). By any indicator, the passage of Public Law 94-142 in 1975 was a watershed moment for students who require the most extensive educational supports to learn and progress. This is a population for which we have had many labels—from severely and profoundly handicapped to severely disabled—who receive IDEA services under the categorical areas of intellectual disability, multiple disabilities, deaf-blindness, or, in some cases, autism, but which we will refer to by the level and intensity of the supports they need to succeed in school and life.
PL 94-142 was necessary because many children and youth with extensive and pervasive support needs were excluded entirely from the education system in America. In landmark civil rights cases on behalf of children with intellectual disability and their families, the courts interpreted...