As the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) nears its 50th anniversary later this month, Jessica Molloy, a Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities (LEND) Program Training Director, discusses how gaps in federal education funding and IDEA implementation affect students with disabilities.
Across the country, students with disabilities encounter systemic barriers that limit access to fair education, and at the core of this inequality is a persistent and harmful funding gap at the federal level. While education is often called the great equalizer, the reality is that students with disabilities frequently begin their academic journeys at a disadvantage due to underfunded support systems, insufficient staffing, and outdated resources. As both a Special Education teacher and the Training Director for a LEND Program focused on leadership and equity in developmental disabilities, I have seen firsthand how these funding disparities affect classrooms, families, and communities.
The Promise and the Reality
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) promises that every student with a disability is entitled to a Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE). However, this promise remains only partially fulfilled due to chronic underfunding. When IDEA was passed in 1975, the federal government committed to covering up to 40% of the additional costs of educating students with disabilities. Today, that contribution remains closer to 13-15%, leaving states and local districts to compete for the remaining funds. The result is a patchwork system where access to quality special education often depends on a family’s zip code rather than a child’s right.
This funding shortfall affects every aspect of a student’s experience: from the availability of individualized services to the training of their teachers, the accessibility of the school environment, and the adequacy of assistive technology. For students with significant support needs, these deficits can compound year over year, leading to poor academic outcomes, increased dropout rates, and limited postsecondary opportunities.
The Human Cost
Behind the data are real children—students who, with the proper support, can thrive. I remember a high school senior I worked with who was on the autism spectrum. He was brilliant, creative, and eager to transition into adulthood with confidence. However, because our district faced a funding freeze, his transition planning services were cut. He didn’t receive the job coaching or independent living skills development he needed. His story is not unique. Students like him fall through the cracks every day because decisions are made based on budget, rather than best practices.
As a LEND Training Director, I work with trainees preparing to become the next generation of leaders in disability-related fields. We frequently discuss how systemic inequities, including funding, directly affect families’ ability to access inclusive and supportive educational environments. Trainees hear from parents navigating overly complex Individualized Education Program (IEP) systems, educators who are stretched thin trying to meet legal requirements with limited resources, and self-advocates who had to fight for the tools they needed to succeed in school. This perspective helps us see that inequity in education is not just theoretical—it’s deeply personal.
The Intersection of Disability and Equity
It’s also important to recognize that funding disparities do not exist in isolation. They intersect with race, socio-economic status, and geographic location. Schools in under-resourced communities often lack trained staff, accessible materials, and mental health supports, all of which are essential for inclusive education.
This intersectionality must be at the center of policy conversations. The LEND Program emphasizes interprofessional training for precisely this reason: to equip future leaders with the tools to see the whole child, not just their diagnosis. We must consider how policies are implemented on the ground, in real-life situations, and real classrooms.
What We Can Do
The good news is that solutions exist. Fully funding IDEA is a critical first step. This would not only improve the quality of services but would also relieve the burden on local districts and ensure more equitable access to supports. Increased federal investment can fund smaller class sizes, provide better training for educators, enhance transition planning, offer access to bilingual special education supports, and integrate universal design for learning (UDL) principles.
Additionally, cross-sector collaboration between schools, healthcare providers, community-based services, and families should be prioritized and funded. Through my role in LEND, I’ve seen how powerful these partnerships can be in creating truly inclusive systems of care. But collaboration requires time, training, and compensation—all things that come with robust funding.
We must also amplify the voices of self-advocates and their families in these conversations. They are the most impacted, and their insight is crucial in designing policy that is responsive and just. As educators and leaders, we must also educate lawmakers and decision-makers, helping them understand that investment in special education is not charity—it’s justice.
A Call to Action
Every child deserves the opportunity to learn, grow, and achieve their full potential. Yet, until we address the deep and systemic funding inequities in special education, we will continue to fall short of that promise. As a country, we need to recognize that the actual cost of underfunding isn’t financial—it’s human. It’s the dreams deferred, the opportunities lost, and the potential left unrealized.
As a LEND leader, a teacher, a lifelong advocate, and a mother of children with autism, I believe we can do better, and I think we must.ain their career goals! If you want to celebrate and learn about this work—not just during October—but throughout the year, please consider joining AUCD’s Employment Special Interest Group.
Jessica Molloy, MEd, LEND Training Director at the Maine LEND Program, University of New England; Special Education Leader, Founder of WHILDE
AUCD Policy Talk 