Dylan Alcott has won the Graham Kennedy Award for Most Popular New Talent at the Logies, and wow, WHAT A SPEECH he gave!
The 28-year-old tennis star and paralympian used his moment in the spotlight to highlight why it’s so important to have more disability representation on TV.
“I used to absolutely hate having a disability. I’ve been in a wheelchair my whole life, and I hated it,” Dylan began.
“One of the reasons I did hate it was, when I turned on the TV, I never saw anyone like me. And when I did see someone like me, it was on a road safety ad where someone drink drives, has a car accident and the next scene is someone like me whose life is over. And I was like, that’s not my life.”
The ABC presenter who attended the evening with partner Chantelle Otten continued to thank the networks who gave him a chance to show the world what people in wheelchairs are capable of.
“I wanted to get a job on TV because I love sharing stories but also to show that people with disabilities can be talented, funny, humorous,” Dylan said, “just normal people enjoying their lives.
“To everyone who gave me an opportunity, thank you so bloody much. There are four and a half million people like me with a disability so whether it’s in education, employment, going on a date, whatever it is, please give them an opportunity. Because there are a lot of bloody talented people out there. And I promise you, they won’t disappoint!”
Definitely the speech of the night.
Learn more about Dylan’s story by reading his book* “Able”:
*When you purchase through the above link, we receive a small commission to help us continue writing more stories for CelebrityKind.
