The Senate has confirmed Danté Quintin Allen as Commissioner of the Rehabilitation Services Administration at the U.S. Department of Education. Secretary Cardona issued the following statement:

“With the confirmation of Mr. Danté Allen as commissioner of the Rehabilitation Services Administration, the Department of Education is gaining a passionate advocate for students and individuals with disabilities and a proven leader with vast public and private sector experience. Mr. Allen joins our Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services after an impressive run as executive director at CalABLE, where he helped empower thousands of Californians with disabilities and their families to invest in themselves and their financial futures. I look forward to working together with Mr. Allen to provide individuals with disabilities and all students with equitable access to the education and training they need to find good-paying jobs; achieve economic security; and lead healthy, independent lives.”

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The National Council on Disability (NCD) has lost its Chairman Andrés J. Gallegos, 62, of Illinois, who passed away Dec. 1.

Chairman Gallegos led NCD, an independent, non-partisan federal agency responsible for making recommendations on national disability policy to the President, Congress, federal agencies, state, territorial, tribal and local authorities.

To read more about Chairman Gallegos, please click here.

On this day 48 years ago, President Gerald Ford signed into law the Education for All Handicapped (EHA) Children Act, which later became known as the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act, or IDEA.

To read more about the Individuals with Disabilities Act, click here.

Last night the Interdisciplinary Training for Early Intervention Professionals Specialist Program (EISP) Cohort had their final class! Congratulations all!

The American Institutes for Research (AIR) is launching a federally funded center that helps leaders to establish and maintain inclusive learning environments and improve outcomes for students who receive services and support under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). AIR and five partners have been awarded a five-year, $15 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services to establish and develop the Lead IDEA Center. 

AIR will lead the center in partnership with the University of Connecticut (UConn), True North Evaluation, University of Illinois Chicago’s Center for Urban Education Leadership, Boston University, and the National Association of Elementary School Principals. Abby Foley, senior researcher at AIR, will lead the center as project director. In addition to Bateman, co-principal investigators are Lynn Holdheide, AIR managing technical assistance consultant, and Mary Beth Bruder, UConn professor of pediatrics.

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