The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA, 2004) provides legal guidelines to include who participates in the individual education program team, how students with disabilities require least restrictive environment and free and appropriate public education and describes each eligibility category and criteria to meet the eligibility for special education services. If students with disabilities are made ineligible or are placed into the incorrect eligibility category or classroom environment, there are greater concerns for academic gaps and poor behavior for these students. The purpose of the study was to determine how the special education teachers, who are members of the Individual Education Program team, made rational choices for students with disabilities based on the special education teacher's knowledge of Individual with Disabilities Education Act (2004) which impacts these teachers' level of participation in the individual education program process. A phenomenological study was utilized in conjunction with the rational choice theory as a framework. Special education teachers were recruited through a social media site and a national honor society. Nine special education teachers representing seven states in various sized school districts were interviewed. The school districts varied between rural, suburban, and urban. The researcher hand-coded the results. The results by six of the special education teachers determined eligibility and placement was not always a data driven decision making the deciding factor a rational choice. Also, interviewees determined important areas of the Individual with Disabilities Education Act included least restrictive environment, free and appropriate public education, and placement, and concluded all components are connected. The varied results of how students with disabilities are made eligible and placed determined special education teachers and administration would benefit from more training on the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act to better serve students with disabilities. [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/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]