Amy Van Dyken Blasts TSA Groping at DIA, Being Called "Cripple" at Hotel

Swimmer Amy Van Dyken is one of the greatest athletes ever born in Colorado — and she's bringing the fierceness that helped her win six Olympic gold medals to advocacy for the disabled.

Van Dyken, now known as Amy Van Dyken-Rouen (she's married to former Denver Broncos punter Tom Rouen), was paralyzed circa 2014 during an ATV accident in Arizona.

And of late, she's used her Instagram account to call out both the TSA at Denver International Airport, where she says an agent groped her during a search, and the Gaylord Texan Resort in Dallas, at which an employee allegedly referred to her flippantly as a "cripple."

Here's Van Dyken's May Instagram explanation of what happened at DIA:

With the positive in my journey, there is also negative. Need to make changes for all in ??. @denairport @tsa pre check officer was rude, and in correct. Said every airport in country BUT Den is doing it wrong. Had a full body pat down, and was humiliated by him as well. Thank you STSO Keith Rogers!!! I'm going to find out if the rest of the country is wrong, or if HE is wrong. I'll get back to you.

A photo posted by Amy Van Dyken (@amyvandyken) on May 1, 2016 at 12:52pm PDT

In a subsequent interview with Inside Edition, Van Dyken stressed that the groping, amid a full-body search, took place even though she had arranged a pre-check clearance.

No surprise that the TSA soon offered Van Dyken a public apology, which she also shared on Instagram.

I have to say a big THANK YOU to @denairport TSA for making sure they are trained for people with disabilities. I'm not a lightning rod, but I can and will speak out to help others who are afraid to speak out. #ADA #SCI #EqualityForAll #TSA

A photo posted by Amy Van Dyken (@amyvandyken) on May 2, 2016 at 4:53pm PDT

More recently, Van Dyken castigated Gaylord, an enterprise well known in Colorado; the company announced plans to build a giant operation in Aurora, not far from DIA, before pulling out in 2012.

The Instagram post about what happened includes both an account of the incident itself — in which Van Dyken says one hotel employee said to another, "What's going on here? Escorting the cripples now?" — and the first apology she received, from the hotel's security chief.

Today was brought by security back to my room and a hotel security guy called Bam Bam said "What's going on here? Escorting the cripples now?!" I'm shaking. I'm sorry my ?? buddies also have to deal with this. We need to make that as bad as other slurs. #ComeOn UPDATE: head of security came and apologized and said Bam Bam said it because he thought I worked there. Ugh. Then said that was no excuse. It's one person, not the whole hotel.

A photo posted by Amy Van Dyken (@amyvandyken) on Jun 8, 2016 at 2:24pm PDT

Another apology followed, this time from Gaylord's general manager, as Van Dyken documented in a tweet posted on Wednesday evening, June 8.

Tom just got off phone w/ the GM of @GaylordTexan he said how sorry he was about “cripple” situation. He was so nice. #Accepted #was1person

— Amy Van Dyken-Rouen (@amyvandyken) June 9, 2016

You can bet the next person who disrespects Van Dyken will have his or her behavior shared publicly, too — and that's a very good thing. She's definitely still got the Olympic spirit.

Here's the aforementioned Inside Edition interview about the TSA at DIA.