Off Sunset Boulevard: Students, Homelessness and Disability in Los Angeles- IDEA, McKinney Vento and the Void in Between

Homeless youth with a disability must overcome many barriers to receive the meaningful, individualized education they are legally entitled to. Over the last two decades, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and the McKinney-Vento Act have begun to acknowledge the challenges that exist for this population. These laws require school districts to identify homeless youth with a disability, allow them immediate enrollment and access to special education services, and free transportation to school. This article examines the Los Angeles Unified School District as a case study for policy implementation. In analyzing the success of the policies as implemented, this article makes affordable, specific and systemic recommendations for meeting the obligations of the IDEA and the McKinney-Vento Act. These recommendations rely on the opinions of professionals who work with this population everyday, to improve access to special education so that homeless students get the meaningful, individualized education the law requires