Introduction
In the year 2006 my youngest son comments that it would be cool if we each had our own personal flying device to avoid automotive gridlock and wonders whether that might make a good topic for a school project. I encourage him to investigate his idea further using NetLearner, the customizable supportive research, study, and expression environment available to all learners. After generating a few related questions, we query NetLearner to see what kind of information is available.

From NetLearner my son is surprised to discover that Michelangelo thought about similar issues 500 years ago. After reviewing the other available information and surveying the available research supports, he narrows in on an interesting but manageable topic, a comparison of personal flying devices between the years 1500 AD and 2006 AD.
Throughout this process, NetLearner proves an invaluable resource. Its research tools provide the supports my son needs to explore the broad landscape of age-appropriate resources. More important, NetLearner has been tailored to his unique characteristics (e.g., his reading and math skills, his tolerance for ambiguity, his need to survey the larger picture before getting mired in the details, the way he prefers to keep track of information, and his tendency to overanalyze available resources). His customized suite of tools exploits his strengths and scaffolds his weaknesses, while providing opportunities to extend his abilities in realistic ways.

In 2001, NetLearner is for us only a fictitious technology, but the continued, rapid technological progress promises that in 2006 many equally, if not more remarkable, new educational technologies will be available. It is worthwhile to consider the opportunities that these new technologies will undoubtedly make possible at school, at home, and in the community. It is also important to ask how these technologies will affect the learning of children with disabilities. This paper fast forwards us ahead to what education might look like in 2006, illustrating how technological developments might ultimately reshape the education of all students, including those with disabilities.

Learning Technologies in 2006
In 2001, many experts felt that technology had failed to demonstrate any significant advantage over traditional, non-technology-based approaches to learning. Electronic learning and productivity software placed huge demands on teachers' time and schools' bank accounts. Further, although technology-based learning environments included several essential learning elements, each element required a lot of knowledge and introduced new opportunities for complexity. Much could go wrong and often did. Moreover, the accessibility of the hardware, operating systems, software applications, digital content, and networks was a significant problem. Only some schools, and some teachers and students, had the opportunity to benefit from their use. In 2006, all teachers and students have complete access to new learning technologies. Access to these technologies is no longer considered an educational solution, but instead a basic right.