The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)

The U.S. Departments of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Education (ED) recently released an updated joint policy statement on supporting the inclusion of children with disabilities in early childhood programs. The policy statement reiterates expectations for inclusive early childhood settings and updates recommendations for state and local agencies that implement Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, Head Start, child care, home visit, preschool, and public school programs to increase inclusive early learning opportunities for all children. It also includes evidence-based models and examples of inclusion, as well as resources to support high-quality individualized programming and inclusion of children...

The Office of Disability Employment Policy and the LEAD Center released three Employment First technical briefs for individuals working on the implementation of Employment First in their states, regions, and organizations. Each of the briefs offers different technical guidance on the following topics: Federal policy that supports Employment First systems, federal legal framework that supports competitive employment outcomes, and criteria for performance excellence.