Educational facilities for handicapped children are examined in terms of environmental design planning and needs. The first of four sections reports basic findings of the project Physical Environment and Special Education: An Interdisciplinary Approach to Research, which appraised by questionnaires and site visits the present status of special education facilities in the United States. Presented are general findings and implications for design planning based on data gathered relating to student integration, community and parent involvement, the learning space, the educational program and activities, social adjustment, observation systems, transportation, and administrative planning. The second section focuses on planning mechanisms and strategies from the point of view of both architects and special educators. Some individual approaches to planning are presented and mechanics of involving people in the planning process are discussed. The third section contains some specific solutions to environmental problems, with accompanying illustrative drawings. The final section presents selected research findings related to physical and psychological effects of environmental manipulation, research needs, and methodologies which can be used to conduct further research in this area. (KW)