Roundup: Taylor Winnett Celebrates ‘Disability Acceptance, Awareness And Accessibility Month’

Every other week we scour the web for the latest going on in the world of U.S. Para swimming. Here’s what you missed!

Disability Pride Month

Paralympians have the power to show the world what’s possible on a grand stage. 

But athletes don’t have to wait every four years to share their stories. Many athletes use social media to shine a light on what disability is and isn’t and to raise awareness of what life with a disability can look like. 

With July being Disability Pride Month, Taylor Winnett recently shared her memories and thoughts to mark what she prefers to call “disability acceptance, awareness, and accessibility month.”

“Shoutout to the airport employee asking if my walker was mine or my grandma’s 2 weeks ago” Winnett wrote, among other points. “Disability accessibility is vital in a society that caters to able bodied people. Have you ever: had to leave a restaurant because there were no braille or large print menus? Couldn’t move into a dorm because there were no elevators? Sat at a hockey game but didn’t know what was being stated because there were no closed captions? This is just a short list of inaccessibility that disabled people face every day.”

Check out her whole post (and also learn what the colors of the Disability Pride flag mean) here: 

Anastasia Shows Us How

Another athlete who often shares a peek into her world is Anastasia Pagonis. Over the years she’s demonstrated everything from how her seeing eye dog helps her navigate life as a blind person, to how she puts on makeup and how she swims and takes part in other sports including snowboarding, running and biking. Her most recent post shows her followers how she handles open water swimming.

New Travel Buddy

Evan Wilkerson introduced the newest member of Team Wilkerson, a partner who will be helping him to do things such as travel more independently.

Wilkerson already put his guide dog to the test by strolling around New York. 

Jessica Now And Then

Just how long has Jessica Long been dominating in the Paralympic pool? Check out this feature from the official Paralympics account that tracks her journey from 2004 to 2024.

Teaming Up

Long and fellow Paralympian Ali Truwit joined forces recently for a photo shoot for LA-based lifestyle brand Daily Drills for their USA Capsule Collection. 

A portion of the proceeds will go to Truwit’s Stronger Than You Think foundation, of which Long wrote, “A non-profit founded by my sweet friend and one of the best humans you’ll ever meet @alitruwit.”

Check out some of the photos here:

Want to learn more about Truwit’s foundation? Be sure to check out the article here.

Kubiak Goes The Distance

Katie Kubiak, who’ll be making her world championship debut in a few months, typically races anywhere from 50 to 200 meters at a time.

Recently, however, she swam a mile in the pool in support of Swim Across America, an organization that raises money for cancer research.  

“Blessed to have had the opportunity to swim in support of @saaswim last night at the beautiful @newyorkac.ti! Thank you to everyone who made last night’s event possible, and to NYAC Travers Island for hosting,” Kubiak wrote. “Thank you also to everyone who donated in support of my fundraiser! Your contributions helped the Travers Island pool swim raise a total of more than $60,000 for cancer research.”

The Science Of Swimming

Think you have what it takes to race Paralympian Jamal Hill? Kids of all ages can find out at the California Science Center with their new interactive program where Hill demonstrates treading water and basic water safety before inviting “swimmers” to test themselves against him. 

“My hope is that youth walk away from this experience wanting to be in the water more,” he said. 

Karen Price is a reporter from Pittsburgh who has covered Olympic and Paralympic sports for various publications. She is a freelance contributor to USParaSwimming.org on behalf of Red Line Editorial, Inc.