CI 1.7 form validation differences

[eluser]Eric Cope[/eluser]
In CI 1.6.x, you could reference validated data by

Code:

$this->validation->field;

I was able to initialize fields by extending the validation library:

Code:

function initField($field,$val)
{
    $this->$field = $val;
    return $val;
}

how can I reference validated fields in my controllers, libraries, and models?
What is the proposed method with the new form validation library?