Foreword

Equal educational access and opportunity for all is the one unequivocal underlying value that is reflected throughout this report. The goals and strategies set forth in this report belong to all of us. Working together we can provide for New Yorkers with disabilities the opportunity to tap into their deep energy, talent and resolve in ways that will enrich all of New York.

This report represents the hard work and best thinking of dozens of experts from the education, disabilities advocacy, social services and business worlds. It is the product of exhaustive research, extensive consultation and comprehensive statewide public forums. The strategies recommended were widely discussed and debated. Frequently the debate was heated. Even as the report is released, the debate continues. In fact, such debate is both healthy, and a deliberate by-product of the work done by the Task Force. With a subject that inspires such passion and commitment, it is not surprising that the discussion and debate over how to increase the participation of individuals with disabilities in postsecondary education would inspire wide-ranging, deep and honestly held opinions.

In the months ahead there will be extensive debate and discussion about the strategies presented in the following pages. We will wrestle with the issues of who is responsible and who should be held accountable for the outcomes outlined in the report as we move into the implementation stage. That is to be expected and encouraged; the strategies herein are not prescriptive or set in stone. Rather, they are meant to serve as a range of initial action aimed at beginning the hard and rewarding work of making the vision of equal educational access and opportunity for all a reality in New York State.