Disabled students will get more exciting opportunities to excel in sport after Loughborough College was chosen as one of only 12 UK ‘inclusion hubs’.
The college has become an Association of Colleges (AoC) Sport Inclusion Hub and will play a vital role in ensuring disabled students have access to the same opportunities as their non-disabled peers.
The hubs are expected to engage 50 students in sport and physical activity, as well as recruiting eight ‘Inclusive Ambassadors’ and hosting a local development opportunity for other colleges in their region.
Thomas Young, 20, from Shepshed, discovered his passion for athletics when studying at Loughborough College and went on to become a double European T38 100m and 200m champion.
He is now studying a BSc Honours Sports Coaching degree at the college and welcomed the news. He said: “This is brilliant news. Anything that the college can do to help students succeed is a really good thing.
“It is so good to see more being done to help people access disabled sport and qualifications. It gives people the chance to try something new.”
When Thomas, who has the condition NF1 (Neurofibromatosis type 1) which affects his co-ordination and balance, arrived at Loughborough College in 2016, he wanted to become a teacher.
“I came to Loughborough College because I wanted to study to become a PE teacher. I didn’t know I was going to become an athlete!” he said. “But the college, the tutors, supported me all the way.
“They’re already great at supporting people with disabilities, but being an inclusion hub will hopefully take it to the next level.”
Jo Maher, CEO and Principal at Loughborough College, said: “One of our core values is inclusivity so I’m extremely proud that we will be one of the UK’s leaders in removing barriers to sport for disabled people.
“I’m really excited to see what our amazing students will achieve through this programme and what we, as a college, can learn to constantly improve what we do and how we do it.”
The 12 hubs will also form a national network to share best practice and ideas of how they have successfully engaged disabled students.
Dan Jackson, Loughborough College Sports Development Officer, said: “We are really pleased to be part of such an exciting programme and have an opportunity to get more of our students involved and enjoying sport and physical activity at Loughborough College. We look forward to working with AoC and making more of the sport we provide inclusive.”
The Inclusion Hub’s are part of AoC Sport’s vision of ‘every student active’ and will be recognised in the sport, physical activity and further education sectors as being proactive in ensuring all disabled students have access to the same opportunities as their non-disabled peers.
For more information, please visit: https://www.aocsport.co.uk/news-cs/inaugural-aoc-sport-inclusion-hub-colleges-chosen/