Tom, Ollie and Emily: Reflections on inclusion as an exclusive experience

It is well recognised that individuals who belong to non-dominant or marginalised groups, such as those with disabilities or those from minority ethnic groups, are subject to various forms of overt and covert discrimination in their daily lives and in their interactions with organisations, institutions and broader structures such as the education system. This paper explores the experiences of three young people who formed part of a small scale study exploring young people’s experience of inclusion in education. The young people had varying degrees of physical disability and the evidence from the study suggests that some of the strategies put in place to facilitate the inclusion of young people in education can, conversely, result in exclusive experiences for the individual(s) concerned.