Keynoted by Dr. Margaret J. Giannini, Director of the National Institute of Handicapped Research (NIHR), these conference proceedings focus on present concerns and future issues facing the NIHR and researchers and trainers in the field of rehabilitation of the handicapped. In her address, Dr. Giannini outlines priorities for the NIHR for the next five years, such as training personnel engaged in rehabilitation activities, expanding core research programs, and putting the results of research projects to work. In greetings from the U.S. Department of Education and Rehabilitation Services Administration, respectively, Edwin W. Martin and Robert R. Humphrey point out the need for researchers and trainers to work together with their departments to improve delivery of services to the handicapped. In another major address, Joseph Fenton details what is happening in Rehabilitation Training Centers (RTCs) around the country and suggests directions for the future. RTC input into the NIHR long-range plan is then given in the following research areas: medical, blindness, vocational, mental retardation, mental health, and deafness; other NIHR long-range planning discussed includes the following: overview of the planning process and plans; management projects, medical projects, dissemination and utilization, psychosocial projects, and international programs. A legislative update, conference evaluation, and a list of conference participants, along with group meeting reports, are also included in this document. (KC)