The education of students with severe to profound mental handicaps (SPH) or multiple disabilities may be greatly limited in rural settings. A survey investigating this issue in a southwestern state was completed by 136 of 346 directors of special education, 67 of whom worked in rural special education cooperatives. These cooperatives served 393 preschool, 851 elementary, and 828 secondary students with SPH or multiple disabilities. However, only 4 percent of teachers of these students possessed SPH certification, and only 26 percent possessed certification in mental retardation (MR). Figures were similar for individual rural districts and urban areas. The most common service delivery systems used by rural cooperatives were self-contained classrooms: (1) 32.5% of cooperatives for SPH elementary students; (2) 31% for MR elementary students; (3) 20% for SPH secondary students; and (4) 26% for MR secondary students. Developmentally-based program models were reported by 86 percent of rural cooperatives and ecologically-based programs by 29 percent. The fact that few districts used transdisciplinary teaming may indicate a lack of understanding of this model rather than a conscious decision to use other models. Survey results suggest that the quality of services available for SPH and multiply disabled students is limited by lack of qualified teachers, little use of ecological procedures, and a tendency to ignore functional and near-future needs. (SV)