At the request of the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools, the National Clearinghouse for Educational Facilities (NCEF) has conducted "a literature search and review to identify best practices in [school] building design for accommodating the evacuation and sheltering needs of individuals with special needs or disabilities." NCEF's research included: a search of 13,000 abstracts in the NCEF database or subjects related to accessibility, special education accommodation, safety and security design, fire safety, and disaster preparedness; a search of the ERIC website and the websites of over 20 state school safety centers; a review of the school emergency preparedness plans of the thirty-nine states that post them online; a review of the numerous reports and guidelines for emergency preparedness planning for the special needs population in general; and a search of the Internet using the keywords "school facilities," "school buildings," and "educational facilities" coupled with the keywords "emergency evacuation," "sheltering," "emergency egress," "disabilities," and similar terms. The results are discussed in terms of evacuation, shelter, and communication. Recommendations are included. (Contains 2 endnotes.)