A biography for Dylan Alcotthasn’t been written yet.
“I don't want to play able-body tennis. I don't want to go to the Olympics. I don't want to be out there with Novak and Medvedev. I want to be me. I'm proud to be me.”
“People are always stopping me and asking for photos.”
“I used to doubt my ability and what I was capable of, and then I changed my mindset. It made me a better person, a better advocate, and opened doors for me to help instigate real change.”
“There are so many things we can do to make sure they get those opportunities. People with disability are ready to go - it's you non-disabled people who need to start changing your unconscious biases.”
“I think standing ovations are one of the most ironic things in the world, by the way. But I'll take them, without a doubt.”
“I have a couple of companies I run.”
“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.'”
“I missed years of birthdays, celebrations and simple moments, so I'm enjoying being able to be more present, now I'm a washed-up athlete.”
“I was lucky enough to win a gold medal when I was 17 years old.”
“I love my disability. It is the best thing that ever happened to me.”
“The biggest thing is being really proud of my disability, which is kind of different. Most people don't want to talk about it. I always say, 'Nah, let's talk about it, openly and all the time.' People buy into that.”
“I've got full faith in the Australian public that they'll get behind athletes with a disability - and not just to get the warm fuzzies.”
“One thing I struggled with the most was my brother started playing football, AFL and I remember I went down and wanted to get involved and I had to sit there and watch. And the club that he was at didn't really have any way to integrate anybody with a disability, and I found that really hard.”
“I was really embarrassed about the fact that I had a disability. It was rough and tough like leather.”
“I sat at home for two years of my life eating junk food, playing video games, embarrassed to go to school or leave the house because I wasn't proud of the person that I was.”
“We all need to say 'disabled' - because guess what? There's absolutely nothing wrong with having a disability. It makes you different. And there's nothing wrong with being different.”
“There are people out there with disabilities doing amazing things but unfortunately they don't get the chance to show off - they don't get out of the house and get amongst the general public, and when they do, often the public doesn't know how to handle it.”
“When people have significant risks, that's when their needs for more protection comes into play.”
“I hated myself growing up.”
“I'm just a guy who's just always himself, I always try to just be me. I don't try too hard to be a role model or anything, I'm just always myself.”