Problem

Thirty-two years ago 4.5 million children with disabilities received inadequate educations. In 1975, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) was enacted to remedy this injustice and became the foundation for special education. IDEA gives children the right to a free appropriate public education and empowers parents in their child's education. Children with knowledgeable advocates are most likely to receive services that help them be successful students and productive adults.

The Gift

The old and often used Chinese proverb, "Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach him how to fish and he will eat for a lifetime" is put into practice everyday at DREDF. Your gift will help the family of a child with a disability become active and stay involved in their child's education and increase the likelihood that their child will receive benefit from a public education along with their non-disabled friends. Your gift of one hour of help and advice to a parent or family member will be provided by the parent advocates at DREDF.