On 50th Anniversary of Landmark Disabilities Education Law, MAAPS Brings Together Legislators, Families and Special Education Providers to Advocate for the Future

November 12, 2025, BOSTON

Today, the Massachusetts Association of Approved Special Education Schools (MAAPS) brought together nearly 400 policy leaders, students, families, educators and special education advocates at the Edward M. Kennedy Institute in Boston to celebrate 50 years of the landmark Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). One of the nation’s most important civil rights laws, IDEA became federal law in November 1975 and guarantees every child in the U.S. access to a free and appropriate public education, regardless of their ability.

IDEA was modeled after Massachusetts’ Chapter 766 law of 1972. At the time of IDEA’s passage, Congress pledged to fund 40% of the additional costs of special education. Today, only 12% is funded, a gap that impacts students, schools, and communities across the country. Supporting the IDEA Full Funding Act (S.1277, H.R. 2598) is essential to fulfilling the promise. Any further reductions in federal funding would have grave implications for Massachusetts students and families. 

“IDEA continues to lead to transformative outcomes for students across the country and here in the Commonwealth. Massachusetts led the way with Chapter 766 and we have set a national standard – ensuring that all students have the chance to learn, to be themselves and to reach their full potential,” said Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll, who addressed the audience at today’s event. “As an administration, we will continue to invest in programs that support our students with disabilities. And we will continue to fight alongside our partners in Congress to protect the civil rights guaranteed to every child, and the funding that opens doors for students across Massachusetts every day.”

Today’s event highlighted the long-lasting positive impact IDEA has had on millions of students nationwide. IDEA transformed the educational landscape for children with disabilities and continues to support young people in achieving educational success. The education MAAPS schools provide to students is supported by IDEA funding and other programming administered by the Department of Education. Amidst federal uncertainty about the future of the 50-year-old special education law, today’s gathering was more vital than ever as advocates called for more funding and a renewed commitment to protecting the rights of students.

“I am proud that Massachusetts has led the way in ensuring every child with special education needs receives the education they rightly deserve. We again have the opportunity to lead the nation forward for a new generation of students with diverse needs – and the potential to positively change lives and create a promising future for every student,” said Elizabeth Becker, executive director of MAAPS. “As we celebrate 50 years of IDEA, let’s commit to fulfilling its promise for the next 50.”

Several members of Congress provided video greetings to the audience in support of their advocacy and commitment: 

“As a former special-ed teacher, for me, this is personal.  I have seen firsthand what a wheelchair, or an aid, or a speech therapist means for students with disabilities. Those students need those resources so that they can have a chance to succeed alongside their classmates. That is the promise of IDEA,” said U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren. “I am leading the charge in Congress to save our schools. We’re supporting lawsuits and demanding the administration reverse their cuts to the Department of Education, and we have a bill that does more than just stop the losses. If passed, our bill would fully fund the IDEA program–finally delivering on a long-overdue promise from the federal government to students with disabilities.” 

“Over the years, IDEA has ensured that all students, regardless of individual ability, have access to a high-quality education – it’s what every child in this country deserves. That’s why I was glad to co-sponsor the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act Full Funding Act, which would provide permanent mandatory funding for IDEA,” said U.S. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse. “Unfortunately, we are sailing into dangerous headwinds caused by the chaos wrought by the Trump Administration. I’m committed to doing everything in my power to defend academic freedom and funding for schools, and I am really grateful to have you all as partners in this work.”

“Today Senator Kennedy’s words that ‘the greatest lesson a child can learn is to persevere,’ remind us that the determination of children with special needs must be matched by our determination to provide sufficient resources and equality of opportunity,” said U.S. Sen. Susan Collins. “We must fulfill the promise the federal government made to ensure all special education students have access to quality public education. When IDEA became law in 1975, Congress set a goal of providing 40% of the excess cost of servicing students with disabilities. Today, regrettably, that level of funding is only around 12%, leaving state governments and local school districts to cover the remainder of this federal mandate.”  

“Massachusetts paved the way for the IDEA. Our educators, school leaders, families, students, advocates and elected officials came together to forge a new vision for education – one where students with disabilities were not a side note, but a centerpiece of our schools where students were empowered to achieve their dreams because the education system was required to meaningful support them,” said U.S. Sen. Ed Markey. “The federal government must finally make good on its promise to fully fund the IDEA. I am proud to co-sponsor the IDEA Full Funding act, and I’m also leading efforts in the Senate to recruit, train and pay paraprofessionals and all educators what they deserve.”

“Fifty years ago, Ted Kennedy penned landmark legislation to build an education system that opens classroom doors to all and for half-a century, the IDEA has offered the promise of a more perfect future for our kids,” said U.S. Rep. Katherine Clark. “But it’s each of you, the educators, staff, parents, and friends of our MAAPS schools, all of you, who have turned that promise into real change. Thank you for being the heroes this moment demands and thank you for being the champions our kids deserve.”

“One of the lessons that I carry with me from the civil rights movement, which we are still very much in, is that our collective victories must be won and re-won by future generations,” said U.S. Rep. Ayanna Pressley. “It’s important that we remain vigilant, that we are celebratory of gains that have been made but that we remain vigilant because certainly this moment has proven to us that these gains do not exist in perpetuity.”

MAAPS was founded in 1978 as a statewide association of schools dedicated to providing educational programs and services to students with special needs, particularly students who require specialized education programs and services as guaranteed by Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 766. MAAPS’ mission is to represent approved special education schools in their goal of providing the highest quality education to students with special needs and represents approved schools for students with special needs in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Connecticut, and Rhode Island. MAAPS programs and schools serve more than 7,000 children with special needs between the ages of 3-22. MAAPS provides a range of services to its members, including professional development, marketing, diversity initiatives, government relations, external affairs, and peer enterprises.