I had the pleasure of speaking with Paul Zinni about the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and the innovation it inspires. Paul Zinni is one of the nation’s leading experts on IDEA because his career tracks with the law’s development. He’s implemented the law as a teacher, managed programming as a superintendent, and teaches the next generation of school leaders as a professor. And if you give him a moment of silence, he’ll fill it with ideas and insights tested over time (we love you, Paul). 

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Drawing on his extensive personal experience, Paul describes the dramatic evolution in special education—from an era when children with disabilities were routinely excluded from schools to today’s inclusive practices focused on equity, access, and individualized support. The practice of teaching students with disabilities has moved from separate and inaccessible spaces to inclusive classrooms, anchored by bedrock legal protections and practices rooted in research. 

Given the importance of parental rights in today’s political discourse, Paul reminds us that the law was ahead of the time. IDEA centers on parental rights and the development of  individualized education programs (IEPs), ensuring parents are integral decision-makers in their child’s education. Parental rights are paramount. 

But IDEA’s impact isn’t just about education. The idea of inclusion—of universal design—is all around us. We put curb cuts in sidewalks so people with wheelchairs or people with accessibility issues could easily navigate a sidewalk. We design voice technology to make it accessible to everyone. So much has changed in 50 years that we forget that it wasn’t always this way.  

Here are three themes you will hear: 

  • IDEA revolutionized educational access, mandating a free, appropriate public education for every child, regardless of disability severity.
  • Parental rights remain foundational and politically critical, ensuring parents actively participate in shaping their children’s educational experiences and providing them formal mechanisms for advocacy and appeals.
  • Persistent underfunding significantly hampers progress, as insufficient federal support places financial burdens on local districts, affecting both special education and general education resources.

Enjoy the conversation with Paul, and let us know how IDEA has changed your life.