This paper presents the Division on Career Development and Transition's position statement on preparing personnel in transition. The statement is organized into four sections: (a) the broader context for transition personnel preparation; (b) what should be taught: core content in personnel preparation; (c) recommendations for personnel preparation programs; and (d) implications for educational policy, practice, and future research.

The availability of professionals trained to design and deliver transition services is important to implementing the federal mandate for transition services. Yet, there is limited information available on the state of the nation with regard to personnel preparation in transition. To address this lack of information, a national survey of colleges and universities was conducted to determine (a) which transition-related competencies are considered to be most important and (b) how much instructional time is devoted to transition content. Responses received from a total of 573 institutions of higher education across the United States and Puerto Rico indicated that administrators and faculty appear to be attending to transition issues.

This article synthesizes descriptions of and recommendations for community transition teams found in research articles, model project reports, and state department documents. The levels, composition, and functions of transition teams are described. Community-level transition teams are shown to be critical support vehicles for helping communities improve their transition programs for youth and adults with learning or other disabilities. Highlights of the changes generated by community teams illustrate their potential impact; the experiences of team members illustrate the challenges to which future efforts need to respond.

This article initiates a double issue that addresses a traditionally absent or rare piece in the system puzzle of preparing individuals with learning disabilities to meet the challenges of adulthood. Most professional efforts have focused on academic preparation for the 25 years or so that learning disabilities have been recognized. The rest of the person's adult adjustment (self-determination, life skills and community living, vocational preparation and employment, etc.) is presented within the framework of vertical and horizontal transitions, to organize the reader to consider all the options that youth must consider and prepare for. Individualized transition planning is discussed as a dynamic vehicle by which to empower students and families to utilize strengths, set and reach short-term and long-range goals, and include community variables in the process. Finally, an overview of the two issues describes their creation, their core common themes, and highlights of each article.