These proceedings contain nine presentations made at a conference to introduce vocational education teachers to effective instructional strategies to serve handicapped and disadvantaged persons. The conference was conducted as an activity of the project, Sensitizing Vocational Education Teachers to Effective Instructional Strategies to Serve Disadvantaged and Handicapped Persons, which focused on the educable mentally retarded student. The first presentation is The Concept, an overview and orientation, which is followed by The Student, a synopsis of four parents' perspectives of the education for the handicapped child. The other presentations are The Implications for Special Education; Vocational Education Alternatives for the Handicapped; Task (Work) Related Competencies; Work Assessment/Work Evaluation (Work Adjustment), including a selected annotated listing of commonly identified work assessment/work evaluation systems; Teaching Strategies; and Instructional Materials. Appendixes include these project materials: an Aptitude Assessment Instrument with description of respondants and analysis of attitude assessment, workshop evaluation form (used at project workshops) with analysis of evaluation responses and conclusions, and reference and selected reading list. (YLB)