The distance-learning project eLeSI – e-Learning for an Inclusive Society – grew out of the awareness of a gap in the training of many people in Europe who work with children and adults affected by learning difficulties, pervasive developmental disorders (PDD) or psychiatric disorders.eLeSI is supported and led by three large universities and three partner organisations from the voluntary sector: Its aim is to provide these persons as well as their families and helpers, free of charge, with distance-training modules, including tutorial support, that are accessible in several languages.The advantage of e-learning is that it is accessible everywhere, requiring only an Internet connection. It is designed to cover a range of countries. It is based on fundamental principles and common precepts, particularly those enshrined in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities. The cultural, political, social and national aspects of the project will be addressed as secondary priorities, particularly through the tutors and through the learners’ experiences and skills. This project is innovative in both its purpose and its structure, involving interaction between partners in the academic world and the voluntary sector, professionals and users, and can prove to be a major asset in the quest for a more inclusive society. It is designed to deepen the knowledge of the European public about these sections of the population and to change attitudes towards them.eLeSI will contain a generic training module about the people who are affected by learning difficulties, pervasive developmental disorders (PDD) and psychiatric disorders, which will target teachers, assistants, mentors, trainers and families – in short, all those whose activity brings them into contact with these people. It will also contain three specialised modules, one for each age bracket, covering the various aspects of the inclusion and participation of these persons in all areas of social life.