By means of documentary evidence and a small number of qualitative interviews, this article traces the development of education for partially sighted children from the beginning of the 20th century until the 1960s. The article shows how for much of this period, and in different educational settings, partially sighted children were prevented from using their sight and were thus denied many important opportunities through the dominance of medical and educational 'experts'. The article concludes with a plea that the voices of disabled people, including children, are heard as educationalists grapple with the complex process of inclusion.
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