In October, Fairfield University students, including members of the men's and women’s swimming & diving teams, filled the Oak Room to welcome back swimmer Colleen Young ’20, a four-time Paralympian, four-time Paralympic medalist, and proud alumna of the Fairfield University women’s swimming & diving team.
The event, titled “Colleen Young: Chasing Greatness, High-Performance Athletics and Disability,” was planned by the Disability Awareness Club and Disability Awareness Committee, hosted by committee founder Christopher (Tripp) Lyons ’26 and club founder Maddie Babcock ’26 as part of ongoing efforts to highlight experiences with disabilities on and off campus.
Young, who is legally blind, competes in the S13 vision impairment classification. She was born with albinism, a genetic condition that affects melanin production and limits depth perception in one’s vision due to a more transparent iris.
Raised in St. Louis, Missouri, Young followed in the footsteps of her older brother Kyle, whom she described as being involved in “every sport under the sun.” She was introduced to many athletic pursuits, though not all were a natural fit. “Tried is a loose term,” joked Young about her efforts in team sports such as soccer and basketball. “I just ran in the same direction as everyone else.”
Sports like golf and swimming, however, allowed Young independence and body awareness, and she thrived off it. “Swimming allowed me to focus on my own lane and my own body in the water,” she said.
Young was introduced to Paralympic swimming at the age of 10 in Cape Girardeau, Mo. During a swim meet, an official, whose daughter also had a visual impairment, noticed that Young held the heat sheets close to her face to read them and approached Colleen’s coach to point out that she likely had a visual impairment.
