[4] 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.
Dr. Edwin W. Martin, Jr., then Deputy Commissioner of Education, and director of BEH was nominated by President Carter to be the first Assistant Secretary for OSERS.
[3][pages needed] OSERS is composed of the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Special Education and Rehabilitative Services and two program components: Until 2014, OSERS also contained the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research.
The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act changed its name to the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research and relocated it to the Administration for Community Living, within the Department of Health and Human Services.
[9] As of May 15, 2023, Glenna Gallo is the Assistant Secretary for Special Education and Rehabilitative Services.