This Twenty-second Annual Report to Congress on the
Implementation of the Individuals with Disabilities Education
Act (IDEA) marks the 25th anniversary of the passage of P.L.
94-142, the Education for All Handicapped Children Act of 1975.
The annual reports published since that time have informed
Congress and the public of the steady progress made in
implementing the Act and reflect a history of persistent
commitment and efforts to expand educational opportunities for
children with disabilities. The 25th anniversary of IDEA offers
an opportunity to consider this important law and its history,
to acknowledge the progress that has been made, and to look
forward to the challenges ahead. The terms used in the Act, and
indeed the title of the law itself, reflect the nations changing
attitudes over the past 25 years toward persons with
disabilities. For the first 15 years of its history, the Act
referred to "handicapped children." A decade ago, however,
Congress made significant changes in the title and wording of