Lex Gillette is a decorated, multi-medaled Paralympic athlete.
Last month, the US Association of Blind Athletes (USABA) announced a “marketing collaboration” with Google that makes Google Pixel the organization’s official global technology partner. The USABA said the Bay Area-based titan of technology will provide a slew of Pixel products—phones, watches, earbuds, and more—to athletes in the USABA Sport Ambassador Program, which represents Paralympians and national team members spanning sports such as goalball and blind soccer. In an effort to help athletes “stay connected from anywhere in the world as they compete across the country and abroad and share their personal stories and experiences during their training and everyday lives,” Google is providing them an unlimited phone plan from Google Fi Wireless.
In an interview late last month conducted via videoconference, USABA chief executive officer Molly Quinn explained to me the “really exciting” part about collaborating with Google is it represents the latest step in what she described as a years-long sports ambassador program. The ambassadors, she said, are responsible for going out into the community and provide opportunities for Blind and low vision athletes to participate in sport; this sense of inclusiveness is crucially important because many such people never have been given to chance before to play anything.
“I’m so proud of the ambassador team and the work they do,” Quinn said of her organization’s collaboration with Google. “For us to be able to give back to the ambassador program [and] this opportunity to work with Google Pixel to be figuring out potentially new features and areas they may see a challenge with. The team has been very open to feedback from that perspective in order to make sure products are as accessible as they can be for people who are Blind and visually impaired.”
For Google’s part, Julia Cheney, who works as the company’s cultural marketing team lead for Pixel in the United States, told me in an interview concurrent to Quinn’s her responsibilities include identifying partnerships and programs (such as with the USABA) which “allow us to showcase how our Pixel technology can increase fandom of sports [and] music [and] entertainment and how we can look to partnerships to actually make our products better and stronger, and get them into the hands of people who can show the world the power of Google and Google AI.” Cheney said the work with Quinn and team began last February, when she was introduced to some key members of the USABA team; the meeting happened when Cheney was “fairly new” to the Google team, having worked there for only a year at that point. Google, she told me, was excited because the company viewed the USABA as “what could potentially be a unique partnership for us,” as similar deals are in place with major sports leagues such as the NBA and NWSL. In terms of her role involving culture, Cheney said she and her team were keen to start “leaning into opportunities with athletes [and] with creators who have typically been overlooked, those folks not being front and center when it comes to culture, and how we could start amplifying those voices.”
To Quinn’s point about the athletes using the myriad Pixel devices and providing feedback on areas of improvement, Cheney said Google simply wanted to show how its devices could “make their lives a little easier” so that connectivity with family and friends and fans is the last thing one needs to think about as they’re competing on the world’s stage. She added the company found the chance to work with Quinn and USABA to be a “natural tie” in Google’s aim to make their products as accessible as they can to every person—world-class athletes very much included.
In its press release, the USABA noted that, as part of the partnership, Pixel devices will help fans “get closer” to select American athletes in the 2024 USABA Sports Ambassador Program. They include Mindy Cook, Eliana Mason, Jasmine Murrell, Tyler Merren, and Matt Simpson.
Another notable participant is Lex Gillette, a five-time track and field Paralympic medalist from Raleigh, North Carolina. In an interview, Gillette, who’s competing in this year’s Paralympic Games in Paris, told me he uses a Pixel phone, Pixel Watch, and Pixel Buds in everyday life, telling me all three devices have proven particularly helpful while he trains at the Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, California. The data his phone and watch track, he said, is stuff he can easily share with his coaches. As to the broader partnership between Google and the USABA, Gillette said it’s a “beautiful opportunity” for athletes insofar as the technology enables them to give fans and supporters a behind-the-scenes look at their lives, adding it’s meaningful to him that he gets the chance to share his story as he goes through training. To that end, Gillette noted he “loves” taking photos using the Guided Frame feature, saying “you never know who might see them,” adding he loves being able to connect with Google engineers in making the devices more accessible.
“It’s awesome for us [athletes] to have that direct line of contact,” Gillette said. “We can share things we might run into, where we feel it could be improved. We have that direct line of contact to express those insights so we can make the technology better not only for Paralympians, but for the broader Blind and visually impaired community.”
Gillette went on to say he feels “amazing” knowing he can tap into a global tech giant like Google, adding “ the technology they have is already amazing.” Symbolically speaking, he said the Google-USABA partnership means a lot because it’s an opportunity to be heard—to use the athletes’ collective voice to make the disability community share the spotlight and make further inroads into the mainstream consciousness. Moreover, Gillette said Google’s approach to AI, especially around navigation, works wonders in “[boosting] our confidence” as Blind and low vision people. This increased self-esteem, he said, “has the opportunity to bleed over into how we approach training, how we approach competition, and how we approach our day-to-day lives.”
“It definitely feels absolutely amazing to know you have that sort of partner who hears you,” Gillette said.
For her part, Cheney said Google’s mission is to “make products that make information more accessible to the entire world,” adding it’s institutionally important to Google to design features which are workable by people of all abilities. She also leaned into the idea that accessibility benefits everyone, pointing to curb cuts on sidewalks being foremost designed for people who are Blind or low vision or those who use wheelchairs, but are useful to a parent pushing their child in a stroller or someone carrying bags of groceries. Google, Cheney said, is “trying to build for everybody” with accessibility exemplifying that ethos.
“These athletes are so inspiring for so many people,” Cheney said. “Having the seat that we sit in is such a a privilege… we have the ability to amplify these voices. It’s so important we use it in the right way.”
Both Quinn and Gillette echoed Cheney’s sentiments. Gillette reiterated his belief that partnering with Google is a significant step, saying “it’s impacting the world” because not only are the athletes being supported, but people who aren’t Blind or visually impaired are taking notice of what’s happening. The storytelling, he added, is powerful and compelling—made exponentially easier with modern technology like social media. Even the Paralympics in general, Gillette said, has seen “rising awareness” amongst Olympic watchers here in the United States.
“Over my years of competing around the globe, you see other countries where the awareness and education [of the Paralympics] is at a higher level,” he said. “As we continue this partnership, we’re bringing more awareness to not only Paralympic sport, but to the Blind community and shifting perceptions [and] changing how people view us.”
Looking towards the future, Cheney said she’s hopeful Google’s work with the USABA will garner great feedback and definitely show that Pixel devices are best-in-class in terms of accessibility for the disability community. She acknowledged the marketing side of this deal is nice and important in its own right, but the overarching goal truly is to “amplify these athletes and get them the proper attention they deserve.”
“If we continue to build technology that’s going to make the world an easier place to maneuver for people of all abilities, that’s a beautiful thing,” Cheney said. “That’s my hope for this partnership.”
Quinn concurred.
“We’re really excited to see where [the partnership] is gonna go and how it continues to improve and enhance the technology of the Google Pixel products,” she said of working with Google into the future. “It’s important to think about where we’ll be from the standpoint of our athletes and their training and metrics and how there’s so much training that happens individually for all the sports we manage. We’re looking forward to that work down the road from an innovation standpoint, so our athletes can be better prepared for life and for competition.”
And Gillette made three.
“Using technology for years upon years, you open up a box and a lot of times you might have to download a third-party application to close the gap on things that you’re wanting to achieve,” he said. “In my mind, I want to have that Pixel option and have that user experience where you literally open the box and you’re able to do absolutely everything—from having that opportunity being able to navigate freely, avoiding obstacles, [and] being able to leverage AI to help you identify where you are and where the camera’s pointed. I love having that option to open the box and literally be exposed to a world of 100% access and independence.”
This year’s Paralympic Games run from August 28 to September 8.