IDEA Disability Categories in Washington D.C.
What disability categories qualify for an IEP in Washington D.C.?
Washington D.C. uses all 13 federal IDEA disability categories as codified in DC Official Code § 38-2561.01, which defines 'student with a disability' to include autism, deaf-blindness, developmental delays (for eligible age ranges), hearing impairments including deafness, intellectual disabilities, multiple disabilities, orthopedic impairments, other health impairments (OHI), emotional disturbance (ED), specific learning disabilities (SLD), speech or language impairments, traumatic brain injury (TBI), and visual impairments including blindness. DC does not add state-specific categories beyond the federal 13. For eligibility, a student must both have a qualifying disability and require specially designed instruction as a result; meeting only one prong is insufficient for an IEP. DC's LEAs—including all public charter schools—must use evaluation procedures consistent with IDEA that are nondiscriminatory, comprehensive, and conducted in the child's native language or mode of communication (34 CFR 300.300-300.311; DC Official Code § 38-2561.02). The disability category on the IEP does not limit the services or supports that can be provided.
What Washington D.C. Requires
DC uses all 13 federal IDEA disability categories as defined in DC Official Code § 38-2561.01 and 34 CFR 300.8. No DC-specific categories exist beyond the federal framework.
Eligibility requires two prongs: (1) the child meets criteria for one or more of the 13 disability categories, AND (2) the child needs specially designed instruction because of the disability (34 CFR 300.8; DC Official Code § 38-2561.02).
Developmental delay (DD) may be used for children ages 3 through 9 (or a subset thereof) at the LEA's discretion consistent with IDEA; OSSE sets specific age parameters (34 CFR 300.8(b)).
Evaluations must be nondiscriminatory, conducted in the child's native language or mode of communication, and use multiple sources of information; no single test or criterion may determine eligibility (34 CFR 300.304(b)).
The IEP team, which includes the parent and at least one person knowledgeable about evaluation results, makes the eligibility and category determination (34 CFR 300.306).
The disability category on the IEP does not restrict the services, supports, or placements available to the child; services are determined by need, not label (IDEA § 614(d)).
In DC, charter schools operating as LEAs have the same FAPE and eligibility determination obligations as DCPS and must apply the same disability category standards (DC Official Code § 38-2571.02).
Key Timelines
Eligibility determination must be completed within 60 calendar days of signed parental consent for initial evaluation (DC Official Code § 38-2561.02).
Reevaluation for continued eligibility must occur at least every 3 years (triennial) unless the parent and LEA agree it is unnecessary (34 CFR 300.303).