A r c h i v e d I n f o r m a t i o n

   FOR RELEASE                                Contact:  Jim Bradshaw    August 9, 1994                                     (202) 401-2310

SCHROEDER TAKES OFFICE AS COMMISSIONER OF REHABILITATION SERVICES ADMINISTRATION

Fredric K. Schroeder, former director of the New Mexico Commission for the Blind, has been sworn in as commissioner of the Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA) following his confirmation by the Senate.

"Fredric Schroeder has demonstrated success in helping individuals with disabilities achieve better lives," said U.S. Secretary of Education Richard W. Riley. "His expertise will be a tremendous asset to this department and to persons with disabilities across the country."

Schroeder will head a $2.3 billion organization within the Department of Education's Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services that provides grants to state vocational rehabilitation agencies to help individuals with disabilities find employment. The agencies support counseling, job training and medical and psychological services, especially for people with significant disabilities.

RSA also funds programs to train rehabilitation professionals, as well as programs that work to enrich the lives of people with disabilities and enable them to live more independently with their families or in their communities.

Schroeder, who gradually went blind at age 16, was formerly president of the International Council on English Braille. He is also a past president of the National Association of Blind Educators and has served as a member of the Board of Directors of the National Federation of the Blind.

From 1986 until assuming his current post, Schroeder was director of the New Mexico Commission for the Blind. In that role, he led efforts to provide rehabilitation support for individuals who are blind through counseling, home teaching and emergency medical eye care services.

Schroeder was also a special education coordinator for the Albuquerque Public Schools from 1981 to 1986, responsible for special education programs for children who are blind and hearing impaired.

In addition, Schroeder has been a consultant on rehabilitation issues for organizations in Minneapolis, San Francisco and the state of Louisiana.

He helped San Francisco State University in 1977-78 develop tactile maps and braille resource files to increase mobility for students who are visually impaired.

Schroeder has written extensively on such topics as inclusion of students with disabilities in regular classes, employment and growing up with blindness.

He received a doctorate in educational administration from the University of New Mexico earlier this year. His master's degree is in special education from San Francisco State University (1978), where he also earned a bachelor's degree in psychology (1977).