I think you can do anything in this life whether you're in a wheelchair or not. I go to festivals, nightclubs, I travel the world, I'm loving my work on Triple J.
Dylan AlcottRead
I don't get out of bed every day to play to win a tennis tournament, I honestly don't. I do it because I love it, but it also provides me with a platform to do what I really want: which is to continue to change the perceptions around disability.
Interpretation
The quote emphasizes pursuing one's passions while also striving to challenge societal perceptions, particularly regarding disabilities.
Dylan Alcott expresses that his motivation for playing tennis goes beyond just winning tournaments; it stems from a deep love for the sport. He also highlights the importance of using his success to influence and alter public perceptions about disabilities, showing that personal passion can align with a broader mission of social change.
In practice
This quote could be used in a speech about the importance of following your passion while advocating for social change.
I think you can do anything in this life whether you're in a wheelchair or not. I go to festivals, nightclubs, I travel the world, I'm loving my work on Triple J.
When I turned on the TV or the radio, and flicked to the newspaper, I never saw anyone like me. That's what I struggled with the most. I loved Pat Rafter. I couldn't be Pat Rafter. I watched Rove McManus and I couldn't be Rove either.
I questioned whether anyone would love me because I'm in a wheelchair.
My purpose is changing perceptions so people with disability, people like me can get out there and live the lives that they deserve to live.
People used to stare at me when I was growing up because I was in a wheelchair, and I hated it. Now they're staring at me because they know me. How amazing is that? It's 'Oh, that's Dylan!' Not, 'Oh, there's a guy in a wheelchair.'
People say, 'why not have the Paralympics and Olympics combined?' I'm like, 'When Usain Bolt was running, I fully appreciate everyone will watch him and not me. But guess what? When I'm on, we're the stars, right?'
People need not fear the unknown if they are capable of achieving what they need and want.
When we advocate for violence against women to be eliminated on campuses, we say, 'Well, actually, it's not just on campuses we have to worry about.' We might have to worry about high schools. We might have to worry about police precincts and cars. We might have to worry about public housing.
As a kid growing up, I didn't want to tell any of my classmates I did figure-skating because I knew they'd be like, 'Oh, you're a skater, you're gay, blah blah blah.' So I kept it to myself. Once I started getting to more of an elite level, I didn't really care what people thought, though.
In a weird way, that's the beauty of being an actor. You get to live out things that you're afraid of, and you get to say, 'Well, maybe I can get to the end of it and survive it intact and I can be the hero of my own story.' It's kind of a way of exorcising fear.
Laugh at yourself, but don't ever aim your doubt at yourself. Be bold. When you embark for strange places, don't leave any of yourself safely on shore. Have the nerve to go into unexplored territory.
As African-Americans, people of that generation felt pretty much if they were going to see changes in the world, they had to make sacrifices and step up to the plate. I'm very proud that my parents happened to be people who did. They were not privileged to have a formal education.
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