Despite the centrality of social inclusion to social policy, its interpretation and attainment remain elusive for people with intellectual disability. Drawing ideas from disability and urban planning, and using the concept of ‘encounters’, this research explored the influence of the social and built environment on opportunities for people with intellectual disability to be socially included. It explored the types of ‘encounters’ experienced by people with intellectual disability to identify factors that support or inhibit encounters. By integrating conceptual and methodological approaches from the fields of urban geography/planning and disability studies, the research provided an innovative approach to the study of social inclusion. It used observational methods, locality surveys and interviews to explore and identify the range of convivial “encounters” experienced by people with intellectual disability from their own perspective and that of the general public.