Blind Swimmer Withdrew from Paralympics

Becca Meyers, 26, was born with Usher syndrome, a rare genetic disorder that causes hearing and vision loss. Meyers is a six-time Paralympic medalist. She won three gold medals and a silver at the 2016 Rio Games, and a silver and bronze at London 2012. Meyers was expected to compete in next month's Tokyo Paralympics. However, the USOPC denied her request to have a personal care assistant (PCA) in Japan. As a result, the blind swimmer withdrew from the Paralympics.

"Team USA and USOPC know that I am deaf and blind," Meyers told ESPN. "I need a personal care assistant who I can trust. They are claiming that because of COVID restrictions, I can't get approved for a PCA. But I really don't believe that it's just because of COVID. They chose to ignore my needs. They chose to ignore my request for my team."

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"Deaf-blind swimmer Becca Meyers is denied personal care assistant, withdraws from Tokyo Paralympics"