Specialized accreditation: endangered species in an era of change.

T he American public tends to place a great deal of trust in those mechanisms that protect or serve the public interest. For example, we usually take it for granted that the hair stylist, plumber, or exterminator are competent because we recognize that each of these practitioners must pass a test or meet specified standards to qualify for a license. Similarly, we assume that public water supplies meet acceptable standards throughout the country, and we almost never ask to see the health permits required of restaurantseven when we travel. In short, we expect our interests to be served through the enforcement of standards-even if we aren't quite sure which agency is responsible for protecting us in a given situation. This may help explain why there is little interest and even less understanding of the mechanism known as accreditation that is designed to ensure that minimum educational standards are maintained among postsecondary and professional education programs in the United States. In fact, a recent study (1) showed that even faculty and administrators in higher education may have a limited understanding of the nature or types of the accreditation p'-ocesses that affect their activities. Charles H. Christiansen, EdD, OTR, FAOTA, is Director, Program in Occupational Therapy, University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio, TX 78284. He is also Professor of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at the University. He currently serves as the Chairman of the Accreditation Committee, Commission on Standards and Ethics, American Occupational Therapy Association.