This report describes factors distinguishing rural families with special-needs children and their communities from those in non-rural settings. Rural communities have distinct environments and unique strengths and weaknesses, differing even among themselves. A diversity among rural lifestyles, values, resources, and other socio-cultural factors call for unique responses to the needs of rural special-needs children and their families. The involvement of families in rural programs is essential for success. Interagency cooperation is also important. Funding inadequacies, staff recruiting problems, transportation difficulties, professional isolation, staff development needs, support services, and local resistance to change are all hindrances to such family-community collaboration. Factors to be considered when designing a service-delivery system for rural disabled children include: population sparsity, topography, cultural diversity, language differences, economic lifestyles, students' ages and level of disability, history of services, available resources, cost efficiency, and governance systems. This document describes many successful working service-delivery models and strategies. Service-delivery strategies discussed include the use of (1) non-school personnel; (2) power and communications sources; and (3) responses to family needs. The document concludes that, while community characteristics may differ, planners may identify variables to design appropriate, individualized models meeting the needs of children, parents, communities, and service agencies. (TES)