The Truth About Growing Up Disabled | Dylan Alcott | TEDxYouth@Sydney
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- čas přidán 31. 08. 2015
- Dylan Alcott wasn't always a Paralympic champion. He grew up disabled, but it might not be what you think. In this engaging and funny talk, Dylan tells us what it's really like growing up with a disability.
Dylan Alcott OAM is a Paralympic gold medalist, World Champion, Grand Slam champion and world record holder for both wheelchair basketball and wheelchair tennis. In 2008, Dylan won Gold at the 2008 Beijing Paralympic games at the age of 17, the youngest ever winner of a wheelchair basketball gold medal. In 2013, Dylan switched sports to wheelchair tennis, and in 2015 won his first grand slam title at the Australian Open. Dylan was born with a large tumor wrapped around his spinal cord, leaving him a paraplegic. He is a keen advocate for people with disabilities, and is an ambassador for the charities Starlight Foundation and Variety which help change the lives of kids with disabilities across the country. Dylan is also a music enthusiast, and is well known for his wheelchair crowdsurfing at music festivals.
This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at ted.com/tedx
Dylan is exactly right, disability should be visible in mainstream media. People with disabilities should also embrace it where they need to and go out and enjoy life.
Easier said than done but yeah it would be nice if we could.
Exactly I agree with you
Dylan is picking up from where Stella Young left off, speaking out against ableism.
@Sarah Marie not sure what your disability is but that escalated quickly when replying to a comment written 5 years ago. Since you know nothing about my own struggles with disability, yes it is like holding a bolder covered in spikes everyday, chronic pain,, body care issues, wheelchair maintenance, money issues, relationship issues, I could go on and on, but there are positive things to look forward to and grab hold of. Not sure why you decided to go on the attack when we should be all on the same side. Hope you think first before doing that again.
Growing up as a wheelchair user I can empathize with most of what he said. It is hard never seeing anyone like you. I 100% agree that we need more people with disabilities in mainstream media. Not just characters with disabilities played by able-bodied actors, that drives me crazy! The idea that disability is a bad thing is very pushed by the media, and part of reason is that disabled characters are either looking for a cure, miserable, or suicidal (Me Before You, I'm looking at you!). Thankfully things are starting to change with shows like Speakless and movies like Wonder, but we need more representation.
God bless Moriah, you have such a beautiful name l just had to say hello. I'll pray for you Moriah, so l can repeat your name to God, l know he loves you, your name & everything in Creation, because he is Pure Immutable Love 🙏👍💖
I think people need to hear that having a disability is not a tragedy, that you can be happy. This is the message I keep seeing from parents of children with Down Syndrome. It changed my perception for sure.
I definitely think that as disabled people we need to stand up to those who resist the visibility of disabled people. The more disabled people that are visible in day to day life and in mainstream media, the quicker perceptions will change.
Steph Weller amen I have ADD and I can honestly tell you it’s not fun I have to live with it day in and day out I’ve always wanted to go to college but I hardly ever see anybody with a disability on TV trying to go to college but I’m very very thankful that there are people out there that believe that every disabled person has a right to do what it was I wanted to I believe every disabled person can do anything they said they’re mine to they have the right to do whatever they want they can do whatever they want and they can do anything they set their mind to men women children it doesn’t matter anybody can do anything they set their mind to it whether they are disabled or not disabled
Steph Weller first though we need more realistic portrayals when there are disabled characters. Not straight up villains, victims or heroes, just normal people who happen to be disabled.
Already working on portraying them through the media. I interviee them and they share their stories with me
I don't think Dylan could stand up for much
I think you're correct.
30 years in my life, i have never seen someone else with disability or hear what they have to say.
I have a disability myself and all i felt was envy(Maybe still is) All i see are normal people moving about everyday and so are the people around me.
This really ate me up. Confused, angry and alone.
I have a particularly large and very close family, still, no one has any idea what to say as they are not knowledgeable about disability and depression.
All in account of being a 3rd worlder, this is much more terrible.
Cant really blame people like me to feeling shunned in public.
i have a disability as well and i seek to educate peole about it, just like you do. keep it up mate
I remember the Australian singer Jeff St John. He was an active musician in the sixties and seventies. Wheelchair, spina bifida, it didn't stop him rocking out! Good points from Dylan, thanks for putting this TEDx Talk up.
You have become the role model you didn’t see when you were younger Dylan, you should be very proud that the disabled look at you and say everything and anything is possible. 🙏🏼
Now, he's the only male calendar year Golden Slam champion. Absolute legend.
I was one of those kids that had a really hard time growing up, and I have to thank you for this video. I would love to see more on this topic because it IS so important.
I had a hard time growing up too, being bullied by teachers as well as students at school. But one of the hardest things I had to come to terms with was the way my dad's family refused to accept my disability. My paternal grandfather was the only one who was good to me, but I was ten when he died, which left me with an empty space in my life. Despite my dad being hard on me, I realise now he did me a favour. I learned not to wallow in self-pity, to do what needed to be done and not complain about it. Dad lived with chronic pain from the time he was nineteen until the day he died. Just got on with working despite the pain. Played the hand he was dealt. Something we all have to learn how to do, if it's possible.
Same here, Dylan. 7x cancer survivor... which has brought on a mess of disability. But not all for all the tea in the world would I take that magic pill to go back in time. I love who I am, but I wouldn't be who I am without the disability.
why????
You are an amazing man Dylan, your advocacy for the rights & gifts of para athletes & people with so - called disabilities has been sensational as has been your sportsmanship. You will always be in my favourite athletes, people ever, thank you True Blue you are a Champion in every sense of the word 👍🙏❤️
I live with a disability too. Thanks for inspiring me with this video.
Bless you.
Both my brothers were in wheelchairs. And in their short lives, they got out there. This was long before this Ted Talk. They were trend setters.
Since my hidden disability I have lost friends and family but I'm a survivor and I carry on you find out who are true friends and who are not worth me stay strong stay positive sending luck hugs prayers most of all love from headway Nottingham UK takecare you got this xxx
Wins best TED Talk ever!!! Thank you Dylan! You are an amazing human, a strong athlete, and a very skilled, humorous speaker!
I am a Special Education Teacher and plan to show this to my students to facilitate self-awareness! Thank you!
Thank you teacher .You are doing a great job for us .
Good insight love keep up the good work.
The operative word is Visibility (awareness), Representation and Access. Thank you Dylan for such a great video.
came here to cry.
left with a smile.
Thank you for the talk.
I really appreciate it....
Excellent point made! Greatly enjoyed this video presentation!
This took place in 2015 and today, in 2021, nothing really has changed!
That is because nothing has changed. Nothing will change if nothing changes. I learned a long time ago that if you want to change something, you have to go out there and get it yourself.
Nice video, keep up the great work educating people.
Your my #1 favourite athlete! Keep doing what you do! I hope I will see you at the Tokyo Paralympics in 2020! :)
Thanks fer the Pep Talk Dylan...cheers...
I wish you knew what you would be in 7 years... you would be the example you are talking about in this talk. Awesome ❤
This guy is awesome!
i love this guy
I love this thankyou Dylan you are so amazing
Dylan is a legend!! What a great tedtalk
Had to check this out after reading Dylan’s book
Something I learned growing up as an amputee, you need to focus on the things you can do. Don't worry about the things you can't do.
Another thing I learned, I can't run fast. There was only one foot race I was in growing up in PE class where I didn't finish dead last. Once, when I was in first grade I pushed a girl down as she passed me, so I finished 2nd to last. I felt terrible afterward and I was sure I would get in trouble when she told on me, but she never did, which just made me feel worse. That day of course I learned, cheating isn't worth it.
But what I learned many years later was, the person who finished in last place finished.
this guy is awesome
I’m disabled too. I have mild cerebral palsy
Awesome video!
Well done keep going doing amazing things stay strong stay positive stay safe I have hypoxia brain injury I died 26minutes spent weeks months in coma rehab hospital learning talk walk again been a recovery massive discovery never ever give up on yourself many will never yourselves keep going doing amazing things amazing well done Dylan sending luck hugs prayers most of all love from headway Nottingham UK we got this x
Deb- wow thank you for sharing I hit my 2 yr mark in brain injury recovery. It’s a long road, but keep going
@@velvetstaub8443 bless keep going doing amazing things stay strong stay positive you got this sending luck hugs love from UK takecare x
Great talk👍🏻hopefully it helps to start a conversation between disabled kids and their friends about their situation and how to assist them to achieve their goals and to live a normal life as much as possible. I'm sitting in a wheelchair myself and my dream is to become an actress, but it's a lot of work ahead of me, to change the producers view on disabled people in the media. It's a normal practice to get a healthy actress instead, who then takes a course to learn to drive a wheelchair, for example. Mostly they learn it from a wheelchair driver, and that's kind of crazy. But I think to change something in this business, they first have to learn, that having a disabled actress isn't combined with more work and a bigger time effort. Mostly disabled people know exactly what they need and are great at planning all those things, because it's their daily life. It would be so helpful to see people with a disability on tv, especially for younger folks and for freshly new injured ones, to find a rolemodel, not only at competitive sports, as nowadays. To everyone out there who struggles with their situation right now, you can do it and embrace your abilities and not only your disabilities.
You said someelwhere that they will have a healthy person as an actor but remember u can do the same things regular people can whats most important is your view not their i personally would advise u to. Try something elae
He is Inspiring funny and very attractive keep being you because you seen great 👍 x
Who down vote such awesome video..
mandar salunkhe Surely someone very sad and envious of this great man called Dylan!
Exactly! Have you ever seen one of those "show more me" modeling ads with a disabled person in them? Because I havent
Absolutely loved the talk Dylan, but found the constant moving around activated my vertigo.
Wow Dylan 🙌🏻
With the huge amount of Shaming done in our society now a lot of people are afraid to say Anything. It is frustrating to see people like Dylan Alcott trying to tell others "speak up" when so many are yelling "no! you cannot say this OR that! It is Unacceptable!!". I once cracked up a man who was blind...but it took him a few seconds to realize I was teasing him. I will not forget his explanation: "I'm sorry...being blind I don't get teased much". I wish so many of the Shamers would get over themselves and let humor through--it would make a Lot of things easier for All of us.
Proud of you kiddo x
On dyslexic Asperger and high anxiety in primary school in the special education block they had a small room they called the Blue Room they had removed all the furniture and painted the windows blue so normal kids couldn't see you bang on the windows and screaming for help when they locked you inside for hours on end till you calm down
I would definitely kiss Dylan
That embarrassment is the main thing that needs to be changed from our society.. Which in turn will erase it from our inside too.,
It's hard being disabled because people treat you like you aren't human. They kinda treat you like an animal and then get mad when they get bit.
Well, what do people expect when they chain a dog up in the backyard and hit it with a stick? There will come a day when the dog bites back.
I am disabled to my the way xxx
Yes it does
I'm concerned after watching for sometime now that there is a passive genocide being perpetrated against the disabled community both here in the US as well as elsewhere around the world. The stripping of protections for disabled people coupled with the response to the covid 19 pandemic would indicate this to me. Please message back your thoughts and spread the word if you agree with me. Thank you for your time.
Hi 👋 i have an activity can I ask you how do team sports influence and change the lives of those in the video clip pls answer
My name is Gelsey, I've had double vision since I was 5 and a stroke at 11. I'm now 22 😎😎😎
The other major difference is we don't get to see the Paralympics in main stream Olympic coverage. Now commercials prior and during, they us Paralympians, but the games, find a special channel maybe, why can't they cover that instead, or "Parallel" with it.
I'm autistic and I'm trying to make friends right now and in school it sucks for me right now
david dawson yeah, school kind of sucks for a lot of people, finding friends later in life is so much easier. As an adult, I have three good friends that happen to be on that spectrum.
I have an amazing little boy who is severely autistic. He has a hard time dealing with negative people, but the friends that he does have are awesome.
I've been disabled my entire life:
Focus on the relationships with the people who are always there for you, through good and bad times. Those are your friends!
And, be REALLY good at something! People will look up to you and work hard to get you to like them back.
Great motivational speech. I have a disability to. Hahaha that is NOT me in my pic. Maybe its apart of you but sitting still is mine. As you relate the story of not being invited to that party I was crying cause I have been there. I am older than you and could walk until I was 50. BUT that story gives me a jump in my thinking.
I should have watched this video a long time ago
This guy is so f...king hottttt!
I to have a disability I know how you feel it's not fun but life is life
Read this part in his book
Locks on the outside of the room of course 😅
🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌
Love videos titled “The truth” lol
My 'PRIMARY' school teachers put this in for work from home, and yet theres swearing.
lol
@@anonfn. YOU AGAIN, r u aussie?
I have a disease to I have Duchennes
Same here it sucks lol
7 9 10
The only way I can jump is with a trampoline even with that is hard I want to be a dancer. I am shy and a lot of people don't know that I have cp
kelvianna epperson The bright side is: if just a few people notice that you have cerebral palsy, so you must have a mild form of it.
DYAN
MY NAME IS VANESSA MERRIMAN I HAVE CEREBRAL PALSY
Vanessa Ann Merriman Me too!
Vanessa Ann Merriman I'm dating someone who has Cerebral Palsy ❤️
webkinzgeek18 Devoteé Detected!
Me too!
Me too
If you liked this video, please join my group on Facebook called The Magic of Inclusion!
I believe their is a passive GENOCIDE taking shape against the disabled community currently here in the US as well as elsewhere around the world. I further wish to state my belief that the mismanagement of all aspects of the Corona Virus response would indicate to me that it is being used as a tool to accomplish these ends. I don't like Facebook but is there another way we might dialog moving forward.
Having autism and ADHD does make you weird though. It never helped me in any way shape or form .
yeah exactly, most people with these things don't want them and they are excluded because they are weird.
This video is tight! I have to admit though that I don’t like term “disability”. It infers someone is unable or imperfect- the norm is average is correct. When In fact people may be differently abled. Which is a clunky term! How about differabled? Ok idk call a linguist. Anyway this bloke shows us that he would wish for nothing besides his god given abilities. Another consideration is that people who are gifted experience “othering” and struggle against the average mass too. I think it’s time to change our language. Somebody call a damn linguist.
Watch Ramy! Ramy's friend is disabled, and funny!
I think it s different being born disabled then getting disabled during your life. I was an adult when I suddenly started to have way more problems from EDS then I was justed to, and from being able to run for an hour every day, working 40-46 hours a week, etc etc,...to being unanble to walk, and having subluxation,luxation ans extreme pain from them... Getting able to walk again, is not my future unless they find a cure for EDS 3 and EDS 4....the EDS 4 will make that , unless I m am the exception, there aren t much people that are in EDS 4, to each 70,..with that exception, all the others, won t make 50 years old and die before that age, am 38 now. Walking or hoping to be an exception and that very very slight chance, of maybe reaching 70? Hoping they finf a cure before I die of it...
I understand that he looks different at what he has, is used to the wheel chair, but every second that I am able to stand, I do so, every step, I can walk, 5 steps,....some days 50 meters total,...I cherise it and do it, hoping that I can walk a couple of meters daily in a few years? maybe not, caue it s not known to get better, but only get worse. I dream of being able to walk! to be able to celibrate my 50th birthday,...I really pray to reach it, or be one of them, that get older then that, who knows?
Beside this load of hoping and sadness, that I think also needs a place to stay, it s part of my live, most of the day I am a bundle of joy! Believing in God, having a very positive attitnce birth , loving friends and sweet, supporting people who although it s also their work,in which I come in contact with them, some weekly, they also brighten up my life with their presence!
I do think it s great to see someone in this video talk bout not being a sad little handicapped person, but learning that he could behelping others understand what he has, that makes him more handecapped then his friends, and what he can or can t do, get s him in with group of friends to enjoy life!
abigail van der Pluijm I have a connective tissue disease as well. I became so much more mobile once I started using a wheelchair.
Ben affleck
Ok. Disabled but still healthy? I'm disabled and sick. It prevents me from all that.
comments are disabled for this video
You can’t be a paraolympian if you have any medication in your blood! That’s the true message!!!!
Actually its not . if an athlete is taking prescribed pills they need to prove they have to take it an no other natural medications work
ill kiss you
I really hate the word “disabled” and it’s other forms. It implies that ability is on or off, you’re abled or disabled. Which is absolutely not the case, you’re slightly less abled than a non-wheelchair person. Plus there’s considerable overlap between the best “disabled”people and the worst “abled” people. Paralympic athletes are leagues better than some obese person who has disabled their own body.
Habakkuk 2:8-12
Because you have plundered many nations, the remnant of the people will plunder you - because of your bloodshed against man and your violence against the land, the city, and all their dwellers.
Woe to him who builds his house by unjust gain, to place his nest on high and escape the hand of disaster!
You have plotted shame for your house by cutting off many peoples and forfeiting your life.
For the stones will cry out from the wall, and the rafters will echo it from the woodwork.
Woe to him who builds a city with bloodshed and establishes a town by iniquity!
Is it not indeed from the LORD of Hosts that the labor of the people only feeds the fire, and the nations weary themselves in vain?
For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD as the waters cover the sea.
There are some people on tv with an obvious disabilities, I can think of 3 straight away,there is plentyy more i know who have a hidden disability , sure there are more, but arent there many more able bodied people then obviously disabled people ? Cant expect there to be someone in a wheelchair in every tv show ever thats ever made can you ? and face it many able bodied people couldnt become an actor either,,, surely its about talent and some luck too who you know ect ect
@@janr.1077 Thats ashame you lost your job because of having seizures as its not your fault, But having certain disabilities would be a bad thing in some jobs an other jobs not an all different things have difference problems I suppose but if disability doesnt stop the person doing their job they should get the job
This dude is fidgeting and it's distracting and irritating. I totally can relate to his situation.
If you don't like ADA laws, simply more out of American... then you can discriminate. If you are in America and you don't comply with ADA law, you deserve felony charges.
him rolling back and forth is distracting and unnatural. i know he does it so hes not just sitting in one spot but he actually doesnt have to do it. just be more expressive and you can still pull the room in. great speech though.
I think it might just be a habit - I know some people who do it just out of pure routine, like pacing
"Unnatural"??? What is unnatural about pacing? Lots of people do it.
yea everybody that does the public speaking thing just stands still the entire time. lol
As a wheelchair user, I can tell you rolling back and forth is really just a habit. I always say my arms are like your legs, so pacing just kind of happens.
Its not unnatural. A lot of people in manual chairs do it. When I was in a manual chair and spoke in front of people I did it all the time
Sit STILL!
SHUT UP!
I can’t sit still either. I have ADHD along with Autism. I move around and fidget when I am doing my classes with my day program for adults with Autism. I am grateful that my staff understands why I do the things I do.
@@PinkHawk191 It is distracting for public speaking. keep movement limited.
@@shadforthw3535 I can’t control what my brain does. It’s hard for people without ADHD to understand how my brain works and why I constantly move and fidget.
@@PinkHawk191 I have it too. so I get it.
Love the crippled olimpics. Nothing better than beers and watching this side-splitting circus. Baaahahahaha
That says a lot more about you.
Dylan You are not quadriplegic! .. you have more advantages than the real tennis player with quadriplegic!
You are a cheater!!!
Ricardo Corral If you ask me Lapthorne should be in a different division also. Who ever heard of a standing quad with balance? There nothing but sand baggers.
Ricardo Corral this isn't a "I'm more disabled than you are" pissing contest.
Ricardo Corral unless you are disabled ( like I am) you don't understand
He plays quad?
big when buddy