**[GOAL 1: achieve true excellence in education for all\
children and youths with disabilities.]{.smallcaps}**

We have achieved much in the way of physical access for children with
disabilities to our nation's education system. Now we must achieve full
access to high quality curricula and instruction leading to improved
education achievement for all children and youths with disabilities. The
reauthorized *Individuals with Disabilities Education Act* (*IDEA*)
reinforces the importance of accountability for results by including the
requirements for the State Performance Plans in the law. These
requirements include a factual statement showing how states are
implementing *IDEA* and how well students are progressing under *No
Child Left Behind Act* (*NCLB*). We will release the final regulations
for *IDEA* this summer and offer states the assistance they need to
implement the new regulations, followed later by the 2 percent
regulations, which allow an additional 2 percent of students with the
most significant cognitive disabilities to be assessed with modified
standards. These are students who can achieve high standards but may not
reach grade level in the same time frame as their peers, even with the
best instruction. The reauthorized IDEA aligns more closely with the
*NCLB* with its emphasis on accountability for results. *NCLB* is
working, in concert with the *IDEA*, to close the achievement gap for
students with disabilities. To accomplish this, we must support children
from birth through their school years and empower families to be true
partners in their educational experience.

To help states raise student achievement and reach the goals of *NCLB*,
OSERS and the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education (OESE) have
forged a new federal collaboration on technical assistance. The Office
of Special Education Programs jointly funded three OESE Comprehensive
Centers in the content areas of teacher quality, instruction and high
schools. At the end of April 2006, OSERS and OESE provided an additional
resource for state officials, the *Tool Kit on Teaching and Assessing
Students With Disabiliti*es. It includes papers by experts on
large-scale assessments that are used to judge academic achievement in
schools and districts and also covers student assessment, instructional
practices, behavior and accommodation for the education of students with
disabilities. Roll out plans, technical assistance and dissemination
will be a big effort to help states in this process for assessing
academic achievement for students with disabilities.

**[GOAL 2: expand meaningful and competitive employment for people with
disabilities and emphasize the transition of youths with disabilities to
postsecondary education,\
employment or both.]{.smallcaps}**

Helping state agencies achieve positive employment outcomes for the
people with disabilities they serve requires a robust system of
collaboration, monitoring, and state improvement plans that address
identified needs and goals. Excellence in special education is also a
workforce issue. We need to start early in life in order to prepare
well-educated, skilled students with disabilities who will compete for
and attain good, promising jobs that will lead to fulfilling careers.
Providing effective programs to support the transition of youths with
disabilities into postsecondary education and employment is a major
focus for OSERS. In addition to helping state agencies achieve positive
outcomes that result in a more promising future for all youths and
adults with disabilities they serve, OSERS promotes interagency
collaboration, partnering with employers and effective independent
living programs to help youths and adults prepare for a more promising
future. In addition, OSERS contributes to evidence-based rehabilitation
practices that improve the lives of individuals with disabilities by
funding and conducting rigorous and consumer-relevant research in the
areas of employment, participation and community living, technology,
health and medical rehabilitation, and related areas. These practices
are intrinsic to the president's New Freedom Initiative (NFI), which is
focused on individual self-reliance and full integration into American
society.

**[GOAL 3: improve outreach, communication and
visibility.]{.smallcaps}**

Constituents around the country can benefit from research results and
technical assistance from all of the programs of OSERS' three
components: the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP), the
National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR) and
the Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA). OSERS provides a wide
array of support to parents and individuals, school districts and states
in three main areas: special education, vocational rehabilitation and
research. The public must have access to the results of monitoring
activities and how these drive program improvements. OSERS emphasizes
direct, positive and beneficial results for consumers. More effective
utilization of printed and electronic publications, Web pages, and
listserv messages---elements of Knowledge Translation, which involves
the synthesis, exchange and ethically sound application of knowledge
within a complex set of interactions among researchers and users---will
help to inform and engage interested persons. Our best outcomes are
those that improve the lives of individuals with disabilities and
special needs.

**[GOAL 4: build partnerships leveraging resources with federal and
other government agencies, nongovernmental organizations and the private
sector.]{.smallcaps}**

OSERS must serve as a repository of information to the public and all
its federal partners. OSERS' programs, grants and conferences produce or
highlight helpful technologies, services and resources for people of all
abilities. We need to utilize these activities in ways that will attain
the greatest possible impact. Improved collaboration and partnerships
will generate improved outcomes from combining governmental programs.
Creative ways to partner with business and nongovernmental organizations
through mentoring, job shadowing, internships or technical assistance
also will help to make a greater difference in peoples' lives. Together
we can accomplish the mission of serving and improving outcomes for
America's 54 million citizens with disabilities.

**[GOAL 5: expand access to, utilization of, and reuse of
Assistive Technology.]{.smallcaps}**

Assistive Technology (AT) levels the playing field for people with
disabilities. It can provide access to the general curriculum for
students with disabilities and expand employment opportunities for
adults with disabilities. One opportunity to greatly expand access to
and utilization of AT is through programs that support the reuse of AT
devices and durable medical equipment (DME). Across the country, many
people have AT or DME, from wheelchairs to special computer keyboards,
that they no longer need or use. Yet, other people with disabilities are
seeking affordable items to meet their needs. Organizations throughout
the country help bring together both groups of individuals in creative
ways through device reuse programs that exchange, recycle, repair,
redistribute and properly fit AT and DME. Common sense dictates that we
try to match up needs with available resources. This can be a big boost
to the medically uninsured and underserved populations and a big cost
saver for government. OSERS provides leadership to coordinate these
nationwide efforts, and we sponsored a national conference on this issue
in Atlanta, May 8--10, 2006, titled "Pass It On!" This conference was
designed to help organizations share successful strategies and build new
networks for reuse of AT, and it was a great success, with 174 people
from 50 states and territories participating. Going forward, OSERS will
work with states on implementing the reauthorized *Assistive Technology
Act* to promote AT and DME access, financing, training and reuse. In
addition, OSERS will be funding special demonstration projects
specifically to support AT and DME reuse.