Daveda Colbert, Michael DeVault, Ken Gutman, Stephen McNew, Brenda Tenniswood and Steven Tunicliff The Detroit News View Comments This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), a landmark law that revolutionized education for millions of students with disabilities. Before IDEA’s passage in 1975, these children were routinely excluded from public schools and thereby denied the opportunity to learn alongside their peers.