Over my two decades as a special educator, I have had many parents and caregivers ask “how do I get my child one of those plans for extra help?” What they are actually referring to is an Individualized Education Plan or IEP.

For simplicity's sake, it may appear that these are simply documents that provide “extra help” for a student, but they are actually an invaluable tool (and legally binding document!) for providing equity and accessibility to education for students with disabilities.

The purpose of special education is to provide a free and appropriate public education (FAPE) to all students with disabilities. This is done through specialized instruction, services, and accommodations and modifications to make the classroom content, delivery of instruction and demonstration of mastery accessible to students based on their unique needs related to the identified disability or disabilities.