ABSTRACT This paper begins by analysing the notion of inclusion, the experiences which give rise to it and the set of ideas, termed ‘Inclusivism’, which animate it. It illustrates how the notion might operate in practice by reference to the situation of visually impaired children in schools, and examines the scope for an inclusive approach in a variety of other contexts, such as the built environment and the dissemination of information. It distinguishes between different types of inclusivism ‐ hard, soft and stupid ‐ and suggests that the quest for full inclusion may be illusory, on the ground that the notion, in its most thoroughgoing form, is both Utopian and elitist