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less capable, unemployable and un-dateable. I
hate it when people say this because it means
they’re embarrassed to say they’re disabled. I
still get confused when countless Paralympians
call themselves ‘Olympians’. They didn’t go to
the Olympics they went to the Paralympics, and
what’s wrong with that? That is nothing to be
embarrassed about.
And why are they embarrassed? Why don’t
people want to admit to themselves that they
have disabilities? Why are they afraid?
The answer is simple. Unfor tunately, when you do
speak up, society immediately places limitations on
what they believe you can achieve. Immediately
they say you can't do the work of an able-bodied
person. Immediately they believe you are less
productive or skilful. Immediately they think you
minimise the chance of getting meaningful work.
And for many, they believe that rules you out of
the dating world as well.
To me, that sucks and makes me sad. And the
worst par t, these misconceptions are completely
and utterly untrue.
Having a disability is a natural, normal par t of
society. It can happen to anyone, at any stage,
even to you reading this. No one is immune.
Disability does not discriminate! But contrary to
what many in the able-bodied world may think,
having a disability isn’t a death sentence either.
I have spent my life, and the work I do through
my new disability and accessibility training star t
up Get Skilled Access, changing the way people
with disability are perceived in our community,
normalising disability, and altering the existing
negative stigmas and prejudice into positives.
I want people all around this country to feel
comfor table to be able to say they’re disabled.
I want them to be proud of their abilities and
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differences, and be able to get out and live the
happy and successful lives they deserve to live.
I want them to be able to shop, travel, work,
laugh, live and love just like everybody else. But in
order to do so, we as a society need to continue
to fur ther our expectations of what people
with disability can actually do. We need to stop
overcomplicating disability. We need society to
employ us, treat us like customers, and not be afraid
to star t a conversation.
It is an incredible honour for me to be named the
2017 Patron of International Day of People with
Disability. I hope I can give the position the justice it
deserves.
Dylan Alcott – 2017 Patron International
Day of People with Disability
International Day of People with Disability
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