When the ADA was signed into law, it aimed to protect people with disabilities from discrimination and exclusion. It requires that public schools provide children with an equal opportunity to "programs, services, and activities." When schools are in accordance with the law, then children with disabilities are provided with accommodations and special transportation as deemed necessary.
IDEA provides guidance to states to help educate all children with disabilities. Not all children with disabilities qualify to receive services through IDEA, as specific criteria need to be met. When a child with a disability qualifies to receive services under IDEA, or special education, then they are required to have an Individualized Education Program (IEP) that documents their present levels of performance, annual goals and objectives, individualized accommodations and modifications to assignments, and amount of access to support services such as speech therapy, occupational therapy, physical therapy and counseling. Through IDEA, children with disabilities can receive individualized instruction to help them demonstrate academic and behavioral progress.
At times, children with disabilities do not qualify to receive special education services through IDEA. However, they can be ensured equal access to an education as any other child without a disability. According to the law, "Section 504 does not require the school to provide an individualized educational program (IEP) that is designed to meet the child's unique needs and provides the child with educational benefit." There are also less procedural safeguards available as is found under IDEA. However, Section 504 does provide children with disbilities the opportunity to participate in and benefit from activities and programs that are federally funded and available to all students in public education. Furthermore, according to the Office of Civil Rights, students with a disabiity who fall under Section 504 regulations can continue to receive their education in regular classroom settings, with supplementary aides and services as needed, and/or receive special education and related services such as counseling.
Universal intervention programs such as RTI are available to all students whether or not they have a disability. However, children with disabilities benefit from RTI because of the implementation of research-based materials that are incorporated into the instruction. Through RTI, schools are instructed to use scientifically based instructional materials that validly and reliably show academic strengths and weakness. By determining a child's weaknesses, a teacher can adjust her lessons to address his needs. Children with disabilities receive the specialized help and are provided with an opportunity to learn in the same classroom as peers without disabilities. Furthermore, RTI helps identify disabilities in children who have yet to be diagnosed.