Public Schools

To refer others to this page, please use:
http://www.nad.org/publicschoolcaptioning

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) requires public school districts to provide an "appropriate" education to children and youth with disabilities. The IDEA defines "appropriate" as responding to a child's unique needs. Again, captioning is a means by which videos, films, and other media used in school will meet the needs of a child who is deaf or hard of hearing. Parents should make sure to include "captioning of video, television and film" as a related service on the child’s Individual Education Program (IEP). 

Complaints about non-compliance with IDEA may be filed with local school districts. The IDEA has its own set of complaint procedures, usually beginning with mediation (which brings schools and parents together) and proceeding through "due process" or formal litigation. 

The National Association of the Deaf (NAD) Law and Advocacy Center prepared this material as informal guidance. This is not legal advice. The NAD assumes no liability for this material.

For additional information or technical assistance about how laws against disability discrimination apply to you, contact the NAD Law and Advocacy Center, 301-587-7730 Voice/TTY, 301-587-0234 FAX, www.nad.org/contactus; a local attorney (for more information, see  Get a Lawyer); or an enforcement agency (see list at www.ada.gov or call 800-514-0301 Voice or 800-514-0383 TTY).