The Access Center: Improving Outcomes for All Students K-8

The Access Center was a national technical assistance center funded by the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) within the Department of Education. The purpose of the Access Center was to improve access to the general education curriculum for students with disabilities at the elementary and middle school levels.

View more of our work on special education and students with disabilities.

For questions concerning resources from the K-8 Access Center, please contact medmiston@air.org.

Drawing from national legislation such as the No Child Left Behind Act and IDEA ’97, the Center was designed to connect states and districts with research-based practices, tools, and materials that could help students with disabilities access the general education curriculum. The Center also helped decision-makers use data to improve instruction and services for students with disabilities. This was accomplished through a variety of technical assistance strategies, including direct consultation and web-based services.

Regretfully, since funding for ongoing hosting and maintenance has ended, the Center’s website is no longer available.

Related Work

PROGRESS Center

The PROGRESS Center provides information, resources, and support for local educators and leaders responsible for the development and implementation of high-quality educational programs that ensure students with disabilities have access to free appropriate public education and that enables them to make progress and meet challenging goals.

National Center on Intensive Intervention

The National Center on Intensive Intervention builds district and school capacity to support implementation of individualization in reading, mathematics and behavior programs for students with severe and persistent learning and/or behavioral needs.

Video link Teacher laughing with studentIndividuals with Disabilities Education Act: 40 Years Later

Before 1975, only one in five children with disabilities attended public school. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act changed that. AIR Managing Director Louis Danielson discusses the evolution of the IDEA and its continued commitment to greater educational accountability, inclusion, and quality for all students.

School Practices and Accountability for Students With Disabilities

Changes to federal education law—in particular, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA)—have created a national conversation about accountability for students with disabilities.