This special issue of Learning Disabilities Research & Practice is a direct result of a symposium on "Risk and Resilience in Individuals With Learning Disabilities: An International Focus of Intervention Approaches and Research." The symposium brought together an interdisciplinary group representing Czechoslovakia, England, Germany, Sweden, and the United States, and included individuals with expertise in regular and special education as well as clinical, developmental, and educational psychology. Researchers, practitioners and/or teacher trainers represented both empirical and qualitative research traditions. Each was asked to consider the implications of his or her work for individuals with learning disabilities (LDs) with the goal of helping us better understand the risk associated with LDs and what it takes for individuals to succeed despite that risk. The challenge was to integrate and translate theory and research into practice and social policy aimed at improving the lives of individuals with LDs.