Opinion

Paralympian's request unfairly denied

Posted July 22, 2021 1:00 am

As second vice president of the American Council of the Blind, I am writing to express my anger at the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee for their denial of paralympic swimmer Rebecca Meyers her simple reasonable accommodations request for a personal care attendant so that she could fully participate in the 2021 Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Due to this discriminatory decision made by the committee, Ms. Meyers has had to withdraw from the games. Ms. Meyers has participated in several competitive swimming events using a PCA without issue, until this year. She made her accommodations request in plenty of time for it to be fulfilled.

The Olympic movement is about inclusion of everyone. The USOPC apparently hasn't gotten that message. In 2021, such a denial of a simple accommodation is unacceptable. I urge everyone to reach out to the USOPC, your elected officials and the media and join with me in decrying this unjust decision and urging that the committee do better. After all, the committee is a nonprofit organization chartered by the United States Congress.

Ray Campbell, Second Vice President, American Council of the Blind

Glen Ellyn

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