In this special issue of PLAIO, we invite contributions from papers and presentations connected to the 4^th VPL Biennale (19-20 May 2022). This special issue will include essays/materials exploring the four major themes of the conference:

*Validation and the working life;

*Validation and education/training;

*Validation and social sustainability; and

*Validation and personal development.

We are especially interested in contributions that explore the history of VPL(RPL/PLA); that critically examine VPL assessment tools; that take up VPL in the academy, the workplace and in the community; that help us understand the links between VPL, access and social justice; and that propose approaches/innovations that advance VPL policies and practices worldwide.

PLA as an Avenue for New Recognitions and New Beginnings

In our next issue of PLAIO, we are calling for materials of all kinds: resources that have been created; policies that have been put in place; research that has been done; voices from researchers and those affected by existing policies; organizations and programs that have been established – efforts of all kinds that use PLA to recognize the skills, knowledge, competencies, and/or credentials of those who have been politically, economically, and culturally displaced. How has PLA become a practice that responds to these pressing social realities anywhere in the world?