Special Education is specially designed instruction, offered to students with a disability at no cost to parents, to meet a student’s unique needs.  Special Education serves students with a disability under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).

Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act is a federal civil rights law that protects individuals with disabilities of all ages, including school-age children, and individuals regarded as disabled or with a history of a disability from discrimination in programs and activities that receive federal funds.  (Students with disabilities under IDEA are automatically protected against discrimination under Section 504).

A student with dyslexia may display the ability to learn in the absence of print and receives the same classroom instruction that benefits most children; however, the student continues to struggle with some or all of the many facets of reading and spelling.

The Texas Education Code (TEC) 38.003 defines dyslexia in the following way:

1. "Dyslexia" means a disorder of constitutional origin manifested by a difficulty in learning to read, write or spell, despite conventional instruction, adequate intelligence, and sociocultural opportunity.

2. "Related disorders" include disorders similar to or related to dyslexia such as developmental auditory imperceptions, dysgraphia, specific developmental dyslexia, developmental dysgraphia, and developmental spelling disability.