The Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS) is a program of the United States Department of Education. OSERS' official mission is "to provide leadership to achieve full integration and participation in society of people with disabilities by ensuring equal opportunity and access to, and excellence in, education, employment and community living."
OSERS was established by 20 U.S.C. § 3417, and is composed of the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Special Education and Rehabilitative Services and three program components:
- Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP)
- National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR)
- Rehabilitation Services Administration.
Alexa E. Posny, Ph.D., is the current Assistant Secretary for Special Education and Rehabilitative Services. Primary laws and statutes authorizing OSERS' programs and activities include:
- Individuals with Disabilities Education Act amendments of 1997. (IDEA)
- Rehabilitation Act of 1973. (Rehab Act)
- The Education of the Deaf Act. (EDA)
- Act to Promote Education of the Blind of March 3, 1879.
- The Helen Keller National Center Act. (HKNC)
- The Assistive Technology Act of 2004. (AT Act)
- The Randolph–Sheppard Act. (Vending Facilities For The Blind)
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—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)
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To thee a woman’s services are due.”
—William Shakespeare (1564–1616)