Edwin W. Martin, Jr. was named the nation's first Assistant Secretary of Education for Special Education and Rehabilitative Services by President Carter and confirmed unanimously by the Senate.
Martin began his Washington career by serving as Director of the House of Representatives' ad-hoc Subcommittee on the Handicapped in 1966-67. The subcommittee, Chaired by Rep. Hugh L. Carey of New York, drafted, and saw passed, the first Education of the Handicapped Act, Title VI of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, (PL 89-750).
In 1967 Martin was invited to serve as Deputy Associate Commissioner and Deputy Director of the new Bureau of Education for the Handicapped (BEH) created by Title VI. It was a competitive Civil Service appointment.
In 1969, Martin was promoted to Associate Commissioner and Director of the Bureau, and in 1977 advanced to Deputy Commissioner, remaining Bureau Chief. During these years Martin played a key role in developing federal special education policy, drafting and advising the Congress on multiple pieces of legislation.
In 1975, he was one of a small group of hill staff members and advocates for children who drafted what became PL 94-142, the Education of All Handicapped Children Act, a landmark bill in which states promised to educate all their handicapped children to qualify for federal funding for such programming.
Martin's efforts won him invitations to become Lecturer in Education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education and Columbia University's Teachers College. Leaving the government in 1981 Martin became the President and CEO of three non-profit corporations serving children and adults with disabilities, The National Center for Disability Services on Long Island, NY. The Center has since been renamed Abilities!
After retiring, Martin ran for, and successfully won, election for the office of Mayor of Venice, Florida. He served for one three-year term from 2007-2010. He currently writes a blog opposing increased land development in the area, Inside Venice Florida.
Martin earned his PhD from the University of Pittsburgh in Speech Pathology and Psychology. Muhlenberg College, his undergraduate college, Emerson College and Long Island University's C.W. Post College have awarded him honorary degrees.