Skip to content Skip to section navigation
An explanation of Individualized Education Programs (IEPs), from the National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities (NICHCY):
When a child receives special education services under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), he or she must have an Individualized Education Program (IEP). This is a written document listing, among other things, the special educational services that the child will receive. The IEP is developed by a team that includes the child’s parents and school staff.
Future Reflections (1985)
This checklist prepared by Nebraska Advocacy Services contains both the legal requirements that define the IEP process and some common sense issues that parents may wish to consider during the IEP preparation and meetings. A later (1995) version prepared by Maryland Disability Law Center is linked here.
Source: National Federation of the Blind (NFB)Future Reflections (2005) – National Federation of the Blind (NFB)
Leslie Seid Margolis provides an overview of extended school year (ESY) services, including federal law and policies, eligibility criteria, building a case for ESY, due process challenges to denial of ESY services, and practical issues.
Source: National Federation of the Blind (NFB)This two-page fact sheet provides parents with a basic introduction to IEP goals and objectives, including some specific examples. This link takes you to a reprint of this information in Future Reflections.
Source: Families and Advocates Partnership for Education (FAPE)This article by DeAnn Hyatt-Foley offers a brief overview of the three components of the IEP: evaluation, curriculum, and placement. It includes a checklist for parents of information that should be written in the IEP document; available in Spanish.
Source: Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired (TSBVI)This webpage offers NCDB products, links to articles and other publications, and Internet resources.
Source: National Consortium on Deaf-Blindness (NCDB)In this two-page fact sheet, parents learn what they can do before, during, and after the IEP team meeting, with real life examples. Available in Spanish, Hmong, Somali.
Source: Center for Parent Information and ResourcesThis checklist is "a tool to help parents who want to make sure that their child receives the special education and related services listed in their IEP."
Source: National Organization of Parents of Blind Children (NOPBC)Future Reflections (1997)
This article by Doris M. Willoughby contains IEP Goals and Objectives for Self-Advocacy for three age groups, from preschool through twelfth grade. It also includes recommendations made by the National Organization of Parents of Blind Children and the National Federation of the Blind regarding the provisions and proposed rules which impact blind and visually impaired children.
Source: National Federation of the Blind (NFB)Bookmark the official U.S. government site, "Building the Legacy: IDEA 2004." Here you will find links to Topic Briefs (IEP, Team Meetings, and Changes to the IEP), Video Clip (Changes in Initial Evaluation and Reevaluation), Training Materials (IEP), Dialogue Guides, Presentations, and Q&A Documents.
Source: U.S. Department of EducationMillie Smith discusses the impact of current federal legislation on the development of IEPs for students with severe disabilities,” and examines research-based instructional strategies.
Source: Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired (TSBVI)Cyral Miller “provides families with some guidelines to help assess if the IEP is meeting the vision-related needs of a child with a visual impairment”; available in Spanish.
Source: Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired (TSBVI)Eileen Hammar and Anne Malatchi list seven ways to make the IEP team an effective one; available in Spanish.
Source: Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired (TSBVI)Matt and DeAnn Foley list the most common mistakes that parents making during the IEP meeting and offers suggestions for how to address these; available in Spanish.
Source: Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired (TSBVI)This document by Sharon Nichols offers a basic introduction to IEPs, including who is responsible for developing the IEP, what must be on it, what information must be considered as the IEP is developed, and the role parents can play on the team.
Source: Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired (TSBVI)This article by David Wiley and Kate Moss “discusses the importance of building highly motivating instructional elements into daily programming in order to improve the students’ openness to instruction.”
Source: Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired (TSBVI)FamilyConnect describes the role of each member of the educational team. There are links to related documents, including strategies for success, the role of the paraprofessional and the TVI (Teacher of the Visually Impaired).
Source: FamilyConnect for Parents of Children with Visual Impairments