This Research Note, which focuses on Nepal, challenges the way in which donor definitions of inclusive education for students with disabilities and learning difficulties can too easily be imposed upon countries in the South without allowing for a thorough analysis of the disability context of particular countries. It questions the way in which generalisations are often made about how disability is perceived and how disabled people are treated in Nepal without a thorough analysis of the complexity of the actual situation. It also questions the way in which donors often ignore and do not seek to build upon successful local ways of working with people with disabilities. The Research Note does not argue against the positive vision of inclusive education, but does attempt to point out that a top-down donor-led model of inclusion does not always leave space for a thorough study of the reality upon which educational changes must be based.