This past year, there has been an increased passion and urgency to protect the rights of 8+ million students with disabilities. There’s also an opportunity to learn about the influential offices in the Department of Education (ED) — and why it’s imperative these offices must remain united under a single department.
As the administration continues down its dangerous path of gutting programs that support the education of students with disabilities, we’re shedding light on how four education offices function. We dive into why their expertise matters and how these offices help turn the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)’s promises into a reality.
The Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP)
OSEP is the backstop to the IDEA. The office issues policy guidance and helps ensure states use IDEA funds properly so all students receive the support they need. This includes:
- Initiating and funding research and technical assistance centers uniquely designed to support special education teachers, specialists, and parents.
- Administering the distribution of IDEA funds and monitoring state implementation.
- Conducting site visits and collecting required data from states so Congress and the public are informed about the status of students with disabilities each year.
The experts at OSEP ensure the IDEA is more than just a law on paper, including at charter schools. In 2025, after data was collected, more than half of the states were found to be in Need of Improvement by OSEP. With this finding, OSEP requires these states to access specific types of technical assistance to get them in full compliance with the IDEA. Without OSEP, technical assistance will not be available, state compliance issues will go unchecked, and states will lose access to expertise and advice to help them improve their special education programming.
Office of Elementary and Secondary Education (OESE)
OESE ensures equitable access to education, including safe and inclusive learning environments for all children, especially for low-income children. The largest of ED’s K-12 offices, OESE administers billions of dollars in grants and provides technical assistance to states and districts. Importantly, OESE supports programs like Title I, which provides schools and districts with extra funding and support to close opportunity gaps for low-income students. The office also provides guidance to states and supports school leaders and teachers in public schools, including charter schools. Notably, OESE also administers the Charter School Program grant.
OESE is amongst the offices impacted by the administration’s November 18, 2025 interagency agreements. Specifically, all functions of the OESE were moved to the Department of Labor. This action separates all K-12 general education programs and grants that support all students from those that specifically support students with disabilities.
The Office for Civil RIghts (OCR)
OCR safeguards the civil rights of all students by conducting investigations into allegations of discrimination when complaints are filed against schools. Massive layoffs of OCR staff guts students’ civil rights protections, with no staff to investigate complaints nor issue important guidance helping schools protect students’ civil rights. The dismantling of OCR is even more devastating for students at the intersection of race, poverty, LGBTQ+ status, and disability. When a student sees relief because OCR has investigated and determined that a school has violated their rights, the results can be transformative, with wholesale changes in school practices and educators completing important training.
For more than five decades, the OCR has conducted the Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC), a mandatory survey of public schools. CRDC has captured data on students’ equal access to educational opportunities. Without this data, we lose our only source of transparent, comprehensive information about students’ access to educational opportunities. As a result of this loss, communities and advocates cannot collectively target resources to counteract disparities in educational opportunities.
The Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA)
The RSA ensures states provide essential vocational rehabilitation services so young adults with disabilities can become employed and live independent lives. RSA provides funding, oversight, and technical support to states so they can meet requirements under the IDEA and the Workforce Investment Opportunity Act (WIOA). Together, they support young adults with disabilities as they transition from high school into apprenticeships and other career training, higher education, and/or vocational training.
RSA works with state vocational rehabilitation (VR) agencies to support adults with disabilities who may require a range of services. This includes counseling and guidance, vocational training and post-secondary education, job search and placement assistance, workplace accommodations, competitive integrated employment, and other essential skills for working and living independently. If these agencies cannot readily access their agency funding or expert support to improve their programming, young people with disabilities will lose training and support they require to live independently and find employment.
What’s next? Your voice counts!
We urge you to reach out to your Senator and Representative to demand support for the Senate’s FY 2026 appropriations proposal and fund the IDEA and all its subparts. See suggested language for emailing the White House and your Governor or State Attorney General here.
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