Accessible Technology: A Champion for Our Team USA Paralympians

How Accessibility and Connectivity Help Anastasia Pagonis Shine In and Out of the Pool

This summer, the world has been watching as the greatest athletes compete for Gold at the Olympic and Paralympic Games Paris 2024. A two-time U.S. Paralympic medalist in Para Swimming, Anastasia Pagonis holds the world record for the 400-meter freestyle. She’s a part of the excitement again in Paris, showing the world how fierce drive and dedication can unlock a world of unlimited possibilities.

Having lost her vision at age 14, Anastasia has since become an advocate for people with disabilities. She’s focused on debunking myths about the blind and low vision community, all while breaking world records and blazing a trail for young athletes to follow.

A member of both Team USA and Team Comcast, I had a chance to chat with Anastasia about her road to the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, the importance of family, and how accessible technology keeps her going.

Q: This summer you’re competing in your second Paralympic Games. Beyond Going for Gold, what are you hoping to achieve?

A: Since my performance in Tokyo, I’ve been training to improve my breaststroke and to boost my 200 Individual Medley (IM), so I hope to see better results this time around. I’ll be happy regardless of how it turns out; as long as I get on the block, put everything I have into it, and have my family in the stands cheering me on, I’ll be thrilled.

Q: Your family seems to be very tight knit. Tell me more about their role in your career.

A: My family has always been in my corner. Through both my vision loss and life journey, a lot has changed, but my family has always been there, and their love and support keep me going. When I’m traveling, I always stay connected with my parents no matter where I am — they’re my lifeline and my biggest support, so I rely on technology to keep in touch.

Q: So, how do you use technology to stay connected?

A: Today, there are so many more ways for blind and low vision individuals to use technology, and I'm so thankful for that. For instance, I can tap anywhere on my phone or tablet screen, and it will speak out loud, which is not only really cool, but also an indispensable accessibility feature that allows me to experience technology independently. Companies, like Comcast, that are focused on making their technology accessible, are central to achieving real inclusion for people with disabilities. By developing and offering the tools for us to interact more easily with their products, we can compete on a level playing field.

Q: I could not agree with you more. You have a huge following on social media — how do you leverage your platform to tell your story?

A: I started sharing my experience on social media as a form of therapy to express myself and show people my life. The audience was mostly supporters at first, but eventually I reached people who didn’t know much about people with disabilities.

That's when I started making educational content –– I wanted to show people what it means to be blind, debunk stereotypes, and demonstrate my independence, which is important to people with disabilities. I love showing people that I can do my own makeup, do my own hair, and have some humor throughout it all.

Thanks to accessible technology, I’m able to share my story with the world and stay connected with my loved ones, without having to rely on anyone else to make it happen. I’m excited to see how innovations improve the experience for people who are blind or low vision in the coming years.

Q: Any last words of advice for our audience?

A: Above all, the most important thing in life is always finding joy in what you do and staying connected with the people who support you along the way. Accessible technology allows everyone to participate in spreading all that joy, energy, and love around.

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Thank you, Anastasia, for sharing your story and your insight into the importance of accessibility. Through inclusive technology, Anastasia can educate and inspire others, all while staying connected to her loved ones to share the excitement of her journey on the world stage.

Like Anastasia, Comcast knows how important Accessibility is in advancing equity and disability inclusion. That’s why, for over a decade, we’ve been committed to making the moments that matter more accessible for our customers — and making this year’s Olympic and Paralympic Games even more inclusive is a part of that goal.

This year, not only can our customers with vision, mobility, and dexterity impairments enjoy a world-class entertainment experience with our Large Button Voice Remote, but NBCUniversal is also offering live audio description for the Olympic and Paralympic Games. In a first for a U.S. broadcaster, audio description services for NBC coverage are provided in stereo, enhancing the quality of sound for Xfinity customers who watch the Games on the Xfinity X1 platform, including the live Olympic Games coverage delivered in 4K and on Xfinity Stream.

Comcast is a proud partner of Team USA and we’re thrilled to be able to provide Xfinity connectivity to tens of millions of Americans, bringing the fastest connection to Paris – and the joy and thrill of the Olympic and Paralympic Games to everyone’s home. We’re rooting for Anastasia, and all our Team Comcast athletes during this summer’s Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris. You can cheer on Anastasia and all our Paralympian athletes this week live on NBC and Peacock from August 28 through September 8. Go Team USA!

Tom Wlodkowski is VP of Accessibility at Comcast.