LAWS SURROUNDING EDUCATION AND DISABILITY
The United States
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Laws such as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, and the Americans with Disabilities Act
IDEA (1990) ensures students with disabilities receive free public education that is tailored to their needs
Section 504 (1973) prohibits discrimination based on disability and requires that students with disabilities needs are met equally
Americans with Disabilities Act (1990) prohibits discrimination based upon disability
The United States overall has more laws in place and has had them for a longer period of time
France
In the French school system, there are certain departments dedicated to assisting children with disabilities. But, there are not as many laws protecting and granting these children special education opportunities as there are in the United States.
The official website of the French government (https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr) outlines the laws in place regarding the education of children with disabilities in Articles L112-1 to L112-5.
These articles state that all adolescents with disabilities are entitled to an assessment of their skills to determine what accommodations will be made.
All students shall attend a school close to them or if necessary, distance learning.
Each department is required to have schooling monitoring teams that "monitor the decisions of the Commission for the Rights and Autonomy of Persons with Disabilities."
They also outline the requirements for schools regarding training sessions for educators about teaching students with disabilities.
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A lot of the articles put into place are from as late as 2019 and 2021. This could be an indication that they are regularly revisited and revised or that there is slower progress in France. The earliest version of any of these articles is dated 2000 which indicates that the latter is more likely to be true.
Analysis and Comparison
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Laws in France protecting and supporting children with disabilities are more recent
This shows a slower progression in France when it comes to disability support and protection in schools​
In the U.S. teachers are trained on how to recognize possible learning disabilities in the classroom
This has become increasingly difficult due to high numbers of students in classes ​
In France the responsibility for this relies mainly on the parents to recognize and treat their children's disabilities ​
Some schools test for learning disabilities and then the parents of children that score low are recommended to take their child to get a diagnosis​