Glossary
Individualized Education Program (IEP)
An Individualized Education Program (IEP) is a written statement for a child with a disability, developed, reviewed and revised under the federal IDEA regulations. For US students, it is the school's plan for the special education and services the child needs, and the team must consider whether the child needs assistive technology.
Updated October 16, 20264 cited facts, each traced to its source
Also called IEP.
An Individualized Education Program (IEP) is the written plan for a child with a disability who receives special education in a US public school. Federal law defines it as a written statement for a child with a disability that is developed, reviewed and revised under the rules in sections 300.320 through 300.324 of the federal regulations 1. The "individualized" part means the plan is written for one student's needs, not for a whole class.
An IEP is a written statement that a team develops and reviews
The IEP is not a form the school fills in once. The regulations describe a process in which a team develops the statement, reviews it and revises it. The team includes the child's parents and school staff. Because the statement is reviewed, it can change as the child's needs change, and the school must keep it in writing.
The IEP team must consider assistive technology
One of the factors the team must address is whether the child needs assistive technology devices and services 2. The team must consider this factor when it develops the plan and again when it reviews it. The duty is to consider the question. It does not name a product, so whether a student gets dictation software, a speech to text tool or another device depends on the evaluation and the team's decision.
Example: a student whose writing is slowed by dysgraphia
A student who has trouble with handwriting and spelling might be evaluated for a written expression disability. If the team finds that writing limits what the student can show, it can consider a speech to text tool. The IEP would then say which tool the student will use, who will teach them to use it, and how the school will check that it is working. The student and family would ask for the decision to be recorded in the written statement.
Why it matters for dictation and typing
Special education is common. Federal figures for the 2022-23 school year count 7.5 million US students aged 3 to 21 who received special education or related services under IDEA, equal to 15 percent of all public school students 3. Specific learning disabilities were the most common category, at 32 percent of those students 4. Because the assistive technology factor applies to every IEP, a student whose writing is limited by a disability can ask the team to consider dictation.
IEP and 504 plan are not the same
An IEP is part of special education law. A Section 504 plan comes from a civil rights law and lists accommodations for a student who may not need special education. Some students have one document, and some have the other. Ask the school which process applies before you assume either one covers the support you need.
Related terms
- Section 504 plan: the accommodation plan under Section 504, separate from IEP.
- Assistive technology (AT): the devices and software that an IEP team must consider.
- Dictation: speaking so that software writes your words.
Guides that cover it
Evidence
Every number on this page, with where it comes from. Open a fact to see the exact words in its source.
- 1.Under the federal IDEA regulations, an Individualized Education Program (IEP) is a written statement for a child with a disability, developed, reviewed and revised under the rules in sections 300.320 through 300.324.
Cornell Law School Legal Information Institute, reproducing the Code of Federal Regulations (Department of Education, IDEA Part B), 2026 · Original
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Related terms
- Speech to Text for Accessibility, RSI and DisabilitiesThe topic this term belongs to
- Access to WorkAccess to Work is a UK government grant for people with a disability or health condition who need support to do their job. GOV.UK says it can help pay for specialist equipment and assistive software, among other support, and that the grant does not affect other benefits and does not have to be paid back.
- Assistive technology (AT)Assistive technology (AT) is any item, piece of equipment or product system that increases, maintains or improves what a person with a disability can do. Speech recognition, voice control and screen readers are common examples.
- Augmentative and alternative communication (AAC)Augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) is a clinical practice area that supplements or compensates for impairments in speaking or understanding language. It uses tools such as picture boards, letter boards and speech-generating devices, and it is augmentative when used alongside speech and alternative when used instead of speech.
- CART captioningCART captioning is a live text service in which a trained captioner types what is said, usually on a stenotype machine, and the words appear on a screen as they are spoken. CART stands for Communication Access Realtime Translation, and it is also called real-time captioning.
- De Quervain's tenosynovitisDe Quervain's tenosynovitis is a painful condition in which tendons that move the thumb become irritated where they pass through a narrow tunnel on the thumb side of the wrist. Repeated thumb and wrist movements, such as texting, can worsen it.
- Disabled Students' Allowance (DSA)Disabled Students' Allowance (DSA) is UK government support for students with a disability, mental health problem or long-term illness, to cover study costs that come from the condition. It depends on individual needs rather than household income, and it does not have to be paid back.
- DysarthriaDysarthria is a speech disorder that happens when brain or nerve damage changes the way the muscles used for speaking work, so speech can sound slow, slurred or hard to understand. Speech recognition trained on typical voices can make more errors with this speech, so accuracy depends on the person and the software.
- DysgraphiaDysgraphia is a difficulty with writing that does not match a person's cognitive level and age, even after adequate instruction. It can affect letter formation, spacing, spelling, writing speed and composition, and speech to text lets a person get their words onto the page without writing each letter by hand.
- Median nerveThe median nerve is one of the main nerves of the arm. It runs from the forearm through the wrist into the hand, giving feeling and movement to parts of the hand.
- Reasonable accommodationA reasonable accommodation is a change to the job, the workplace or the equipment that lets a qualified person with a disability do the work. Under U.S. law, employers with 15 or more employees must provide one unless it would impose an undue hardship.
- Repetitive strain injury (RSI)Repetitive strain injury (RSI) is an umbrella term for pain and damage to muscles, tendons and nerves that builds up from repeated movements, held postures or sustained effort, felt in the hands, wrists, arms, shoulders and neck.
- Screen readerA screen reader is software that reads what is on a computer or phone screen aloud, or sends it to a braille display, so that people who are blind or have low vision can use the device. The most used screen readers on Windows are JAWS and NVDA, and VoiceOver is the one built into Apple devices.
Pages that use this term
- Speech to Text for Accessibility, RSI and DisabilitiesTopic
- Speech to Text for Dyslexia and DysgraphiaGuide
- Speech to Text for Deaf and Hard of Hearing PeopleGuide
- Speech to Text for Students: Essays, Notes, HomeworkGuide
- Dictation for ADHD: Get Your Thoughts Onto the PageGuide
- Speech to Text for Students With DisabilitiesGuide
- Can ADHD affect a child's speech?Question
- Can speech therapy help with dyslexia?Question
- Can students use speech to text on standardized tests?Question
- How do college students get speech to text as an accommodation?Question
- Is speech to text an IEP or 504 accommodation?Question
- Is there a Dragon NaturallySpeaking education discount?Question
- DysgraphiaGlossary
- Section 504 planGlossary