This study examines federal law IDEIA and its four purposes. This research aims to understand better this federal law's purpose and what it is supposed to do. The researcher examined her own experiences with special education and other families' experiences across the United States. Within these personal stories are both negative and positive experiences. All the experiences were unique; however, there were similar themes among them. Experiences gathered during guided conversations were compared to the purposes of IDEIA, a way to show the reality of what occurred within the school districts. The author discusses the results and includes recommendations for future studies within the special education field. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com.bibliotheek.ehb.be/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]