AoC Sport has introduced Inclusion Hubs in colleges for the first time this year. The hubs will play a vital role in achieving 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.

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.

Alongside this, the hubs will form a national network to share best practice and ideas of how they have successfully engaged disabled students.

Shannon Howarth, AoC Sport Disability Development Officer, said: ‘I’m really excited to launch this programme and to be able to offer bespoke support to the selected colleges.

“The selection process was very competitive with many colleges applying which is a credit to the sector and colleges’ commitment to making sport and physical activity inclusive for disabled students.

“Our disability and inclusion offer for colleges has grown over the last few years and we see the inclusion hubs as our next step to ensuring we reach our vision of ‘every student active’.”

The 12 successful colleges are:

College Region

Milton Keynes College East

Loughborough College East Midlands

Sense College East Midlands

New City College Redbridge campus London

Orchard Hill College London

Sunderland College North East

Preston’s College North West

Havant & South Downs College South East

SGS College South West

Royal National College for the Blind West Midlands

Birmingham Metropolitan College West Midlands

North Lindsey College Yorkshire and Humber

Find out more about this area of work on the disability page.