in educational contexts   the process or fact of increasing  the participation of all learners within the system as a whole  or within the curriculum culture and community of particular establishments. Most commonly it involves developing or offering a single form of educational provision for all learners - regardless of ability. Thus learners who would previously have been sent to separate institutions for a variety of reasons are included within one overall set-up. There may continue to be specialist institutional provision for those with particularly pronounced needs but the assumption is that all learners will be provided for within the one system. This brings with it certain challenges relating to resources staff expertise class sizes and equality - trying to balance the needs of the individual with the common good. More broadly  inclusion can relate to  similar issues of participation and equity relating to race culture language ethnicity social class wealth gender age disability sexual orientation.