HERMES McClain

Classification
S11, SB11, SM11 (IPC, 05 Aug 2021)

Type of Impairment
Vision impairment (Athlete, 06 Dec 2017)

Origin of Impairment
Congenital (Athlete, 06 Dec 2017)

Impairment Details
She has Wagner syndrome and is legally blind after both of her retinas detached at age eight. Surgeons were able to reattach the left retina but not the right. She is completely blind in her right eye and has limited vision in her left eye, which extends to about one metre in front of her, but has no depth perception. (Athlete, 06 Dec 2017; gwinnettdailypost.com, 06 Jul 2013; loyolagreyhounds.com, 2019)

General
OTHER ACTIVITIES
In 2009 she founded the 'Shoes for the Souls' project along with her father Matt. The organisation collects shoes for the homeless in Atlanta, GA, United States of America. In the first six years the project was running, more than 12,000 pairs of shoes were collected for those in need. She has also undertaken an internship as a journalist at 'Swimming World' magazine. (differentandable.org, 05 Jan 2021; gwinnettdailypost.com, 11 Apr 2015; atlantahomesguru.blogspot.co.uk, 19 May 2013; mcclainhermes.com, 05 Jul 2016; pressboxonline.com, 26 Dec 2019)

INSPIRATIONAL FRIEND
She considers fellow US Para swimmer and bone cancer patient Grace Bunke her inspiration. She also gave Bunke the silver medal she won at the 2017 World Championships in Mexico City, Mexico, before Bunke passed away in March 2018. "Seeing Grace go through cancer and swimming was huge for me. I believed that if Grace can do it, I can do it. If Grace can go to swim practice and be so sick that the next day she's in the hospital because [of it], I can go [too]. Swimming turned into something not just for me, but for the both of us." (swimmingworldmagazine.com, 15 May 2019; teamusa.org, 26 Mar 2018)

OVERCOMING BULLIES
She learned how to overcome bullying she experienced at school. "My biggest challenges in school was not being able to get from one room to the other and the perpetual bullying. Because of the bullying, I was afraid to use my different types of assistive technology. I was afraid of what my peers would say about me. I was often called names such as 'Cyclops' and 'Freak'. Kids would purposely push me into things or walk in front of me, knowing I could not see them. However, I did find, or they found me, a really great group of friends who banded around me and helped guide me through my school. They were amazing and continuously encouraged me to use my assistive technology, to use my cane, and to self-advocate for my needs." (differentandable.org, 05 Jan 2021)

At age 15 years and 250 days she was the youngest athlete representing United States of America to compete at the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. (teamusa.org, 22 Aug 2016; SportsDeskOnline, 13 Jan 2020)