This paper recommends a research and action agenda for the federal Office of Special Education Programs in examining instructional technology for individuals with disabilities, particularly as those activities relate to "system" change. Staff development programs and curriculum reform are stressed as concrete components of system change. A theoretical analysis of key concepts, such as "technology," and of how and why instructional technology has particular importance for special education is encouraged. Attention is then given to the following distinctions: (1) between technology as physical equipment and technology as productive capacity; (2) between physical and teaching variables (resources); (3) between technical and allocational efficiency in instructional settings; and (4) between control and ownership of technological innovations. Research into three cross-fertilizing strands of information and knowledge development is then recommended. These are: first, descriptive work that monitors and evaluates trends in technological development, application, and innovation; second, theory development, presentation, and debate as part of supporting empirical studies of innovative technology applications; and, third, more traditional instructional technology development, experiments, and demonstrations related to viable theory and empirical evidence. An 8-year timeframe for implementation is proposed. The critical questions of whether new technology extends or substitutes for existing school activities and whether new technology increases efficiency are suggested as central to research on curriculum reform and staff development. (51 references) (DB)