Blind Ardmore Paralympic Gold Medalist Runs, Skis, and Motivates Others with Vision Impairment

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Pamela McGonigle, an Ardmore resident and Paralympic gold medalist, has never allowed her blindness stop her from doing anything she sets her mind to. Image via The Philadelphia Inquirer.

Pamela McGonigle, an Ardmore resident and Paralympic gold medalist, has never allowed her blindness stop her from doing anything she sets her mind to, including running and skiing, writes Rita Giordano for The Philadelphia Inquirer.

In fact while growing up, the versatile para-athlete and development professional found that her biggest issue was the narrow views of others.

“I fell outside of what our society considers normal,” said McGonigle. “People were mean and made fun of me. I just wasn’t accepted.”

So she started hanging out with her older brother, Tim, who played a lot of sports with his friends. To keep her included, they devised a system for each sport. For football, it was verbal signals and cues, in basketball, it was a bounce pass, and in hockey, she could simply hear the puck.

“I worked it out to my advantage,” she said.

Now, McGonigle is the new director of development and communication at Overbrook School for the Blind. And while she is no longer competing in the Paralympics, she still finds time to run with Maida, her specially trained running guide dog.

Read more about Pamela McGonigle at The Philadelphia Inquirer by clicking here.

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