0:00:16.463,0:00:20.303
This right here is a photo of me[br]when I was 14 years old.

0:00:20.303,0:00:22.028
Now, I know what you're thinking,

0:00:22.028,0:00:24.225
'Dylan, mate,

0:00:24.513,0:00:26.823
are you sure that's not Ryan Gosling?'

0:00:26.823,0:00:28.512
(Laughter)

0:00:28.512,0:00:31.507
But, unfortunately, no,[br]this is a photo of me.

0:00:31.507,0:00:34.936
Now, for a long time, I tried to delete[br]this photo from my memory,

0:00:35.246,0:00:37.756
and to be honest, do you blame me?

0:00:37.756,0:00:40.792
Firstly, what the hell[br]is going on with my hair there?

0:00:40.792,0:00:42.440
I remember my mum's a hairdresser.

0:00:42.440,0:00:46.080
I used to sit in the front seat of her car[br]with a tub of gel and a hairbrush,

0:00:46.080,0:00:48.840
and on the way to school every day,[br]I'd sit there thinking,

0:00:48.840,0:00:50.723
'Dylan, you have absolutely nailed it!'

0:00:50.723,0:00:52.333
(Laughter)

0:00:52.333,0:00:55.328
I still don't understand[br]why she let me leave the car.

0:00:55.328,0:00:56.886
Also, secondly,

0:00:57.580,0:00:59.170
where the hell are my eyebrows?

0:00:59.170,0:01:01.220
(Laughter)

0:01:02.551,0:01:03.641
Now,

0:01:04.211,0:01:07.000
unfortunately for me,

0:01:07.000,0:01:09.690
I didn't grow any eyebrows[br]until I was 17 years old.

0:01:09.690,0:01:12.958
Now, I understand that I had[br]completely no control over that,

0:01:12.958,0:01:16.503
but, as you can imagine,[br]it wasn't really helping my cause, was it?

0:01:16.873,0:01:18.190
I also had braces.

0:01:18.563,0:01:20.313
I also had my bed in the pantry,

0:01:20.313,0:01:22.483
and I was a little bit[br]on the overweight side.

0:01:22.937,0:01:24.887
This was really the first time in my life

0:01:24.887,0:01:27.857
that I was really struggling[br]with my disability.

0:01:27.857,0:01:32.391
Up until this age, I'd never really cared[br]about the fact that I was in a wheelchair.

0:01:32.391,0:01:35.096
Everybody was young,[br]nobody really noticed it,

0:01:35.096,0:01:37.556
and everything just[br]went along pretty smoothly.

0:01:37.556,0:01:42.116
But, at this time,[br]things started to change.

0:01:42.116,0:01:44.212
People started going to house parties.

0:01:44.212,0:01:47.598
Boys started kissing girls,[br]girls started kissing boys.

0:01:47.600,0:01:49.010
Girls starting kissing girls,

0:01:49.010,0:01:51.830
and occasionally,[br]boys started kissing boys.

0:01:51.830,0:01:54.450
But, absolutely nobody was kissing Dylan,

0:01:54.450,0:01:55.890
I can tell you that much.

0:01:56.281,0:01:58.121
And it was also about the first time

0:01:58.121,0:02:03.531
that I really thought about myself[br]as being weird because I had a disability.

0:02:03.540,0:02:05.630
And, to be honest, that really sucked,

0:02:05.630,0:02:09.560
and had a really big effect[br]on absolutely everything that I did.

0:02:09.560,0:02:11.722
I started having a crap time at school.[br]

0:02:11.722,0:02:14.392
It really started affecting[br]my sporting career as well.

0:02:14.404,0:02:17.544
For the first time in my life,[br]I was really, really down on myself.

0:02:17.876,0:02:21.236
And then, the next year, in Year 9,[br]something happened.

0:02:21.236,0:02:23.167
A mate of mine was having a house party.[br]

0:02:23.167,0:02:25.810
Now, this was a really good mate of mine.

0:02:25.810,0:02:29.231
And previously, I'd never really been[br]invited to that many house parties,

0:02:29.231,0:02:32.383
and I thought, 'What a perfect opportunity[br]to go to your first one.

0:02:32.383,0:02:33.920
I'm absolutely going to kill it,

0:02:33.920,0:02:37.350
and everybody will invite me[br]to all the parties coming up ever since'.

0:02:37.350,0:02:41.242
Now, the invites for the party came out,[br]and what do you reckon happened?

0:02:42.116,0:02:43.296
I didn't get one.

0:02:43.791,0:02:45.251
I didn't get an invite.

0:02:45.540,0:02:47.346
And I remember thinking to myself,[br]

0:02:47.346,0:02:49.036
'That is bullshit.

0:02:49.036,0:02:51.520
Like, I'm actually[br]really good friends with this guy,

0:02:51.520,0:02:54.197
how could I not be invited to his party?'

0:02:54.467,0:02:56.463
I was sitting at home[br]the day of the party,

0:02:56.463,0:03:00.143
and I went to myself,[br]'I just really, really want to go'.

0:03:00.537,0:03:05.097
Now, back in the day when you're 15,16,[br]it was super uncool and lame

0:03:05.097,0:03:07.694
to text the person to ask[br]if you can come to the party.

0:03:07.940,0:03:11.940
The far more badass thing to do[br]was simply turn up and jump the fence.

0:03:11.940,0:03:13.360
(Laughter)

0:03:13.360,0:03:15.750
Now, as you could imagine,

0:03:15.750,0:03:18.130
jumping, it's not really my forte.

0:03:18.475,0:03:21.811
And unless I had some kind of crane[br]or, like, trampoline device ...

0:03:21.811,0:03:22.861
(Laughter)

0:03:22.869,0:03:25.923
there was no way in hell[br]that I was getting over that fence.

0:03:25.923,0:03:26.973
The only way to get in

0:03:26.973,0:03:29.303
was to knock on the door[br]and go through the front.

0:03:29.303,0:03:31.489
Anyway, I sat at home[br]and I'm like, 'Stuff it.

0:03:31.489,0:03:33.299
I'm going to go and see what happens'.

0:03:33.299,0:03:36.442
I go to the front door, knocked[br]on the door, and my mate answered.

0:03:36.442,0:03:40.222
And he had this really weird, shocked look[br]on his face, like I was there.

0:03:40.222,0:03:42.852
I remember thinking to myself,[br]like, 'What have I done?

0:03:42.852,0:03:46.592
Why didn't I sit at home and play N64,[br]like I did every other Saturday night?'

0:03:46.592,0:03:48.351
Anyway, he looked at me, and he said,

0:03:48.351,0:03:51.261
'Dyl, mate, I'm so glad that you came.

0:03:51.261,0:03:54.426
I didn't know if you could[br]get in my house because of the stairs,

0:03:54.426,0:03:56.061
so I didn't invite you'.

0:03:56.061,0:03:58.411
I remember thinking[br]to myself, 'Is that it?

0:03:58.411,0:04:01.921
Is that genuinely the only reason[br]that I wasn't invited?'

0:04:01.921,0:04:03.606
Anyway, I went in that house party,

0:04:03.606,0:04:05.993
absolutely crushed it,[br]had an awesome time.

0:04:05.993,0:04:07.573
(Laughter)

0:04:08.193,0:04:12.733
I remember the next day, I woke up,[br]and I was really bloody mad at myself.

0:04:13.021,0:04:14.291
I was really mad at myself

0:04:14.291,0:04:18.061
that I let my insecurities[br]and my embarrassment about my disability

0:04:18.061,0:04:20.572
[br]dictate the previous year of my life.

0:04:20.572,0:04:23.294
I was really mad at myself[br]that I believed this thing,

0:04:23.294,0:04:25.599
this negative stigma[br]that having a disability

0:04:25.599,0:04:27.674
makes you weird, makes you different,

0:04:27.674,0:04:30.768
and that's the only reason[br]people don't want to hang out with you.

0:04:30.768,0:04:34.548
I'm really mad at myself[br]that I didn't just grow a set of balls,

0:04:34.548,0:04:38.706
have some confidence, talk to my friends[br]and educate them about my disability.

0:04:38.706,0:04:40.956
Now, the only reason[br]I wasn't invited that night

0:04:40.956,0:04:42.736
wasn't because they didn't like me,

0:04:42.736,0:04:45.461
but it was because I didn't tell them[br]about my disability.

0:04:45.461,0:04:47.581
I didn't tell them[br]I could get up the stairs,

0:04:47.581,0:04:48.721
and it'll all be fine.

0:04:48.721,0:04:52.220
I sat at home for a whole year[br]thinking these people didn't like me.

0:04:52.220,0:04:56.211
The only reason that they did was because[br]they weren't educated about disability,

0:04:56.211,0:04:58.841
and I really didn't do anything[br]to educate them on it.

0:04:58.848,0:05:01.928
So, after that night,[br]things really changed for me.

0:05:01.936,0:05:03.556
I started being more social,

0:05:03.558,0:05:05.059
I started getting a lot fitter,

0:05:05.059,0:05:06.729
I started going out a lot more,

0:05:06.729,0:05:09.330
and I even started kissing[br]the odd girl or two.

0:05:09.330,0:05:11.190
(Laughter)

0:05:11.504,0:05:13.734
After that night,[br]I made a pact with myself.

0:05:13.734,0:05:14.983
I made a pact with myself

0:05:14.983,0:05:19.717
to never, ever let my disability[br]get in the way of what I wanted to do.

0:05:19.717,0:05:22.803
I made a pact with myself[br]to not be scared of my disability,

0:05:22.806,0:05:25.836
but rather to embrace it[br]in everything that I did.

0:05:25.836,0:05:30.500
Because of that, I've been able to live[br]a truly, incredibly awesome life.

0:05:30.500,0:05:32.048
In 2008, I was lucky enough

0:05:32.048,0:05:34.739
to win a gold medal[br]at the Paralympic games,

0:05:34.739,0:05:38.698
playing basketball for Australia -[br]wheelchair basketball, believe it or not.

0:05:38.698,0:05:40.241
This was incredible for me.

0:05:40.241,0:05:43.191
Ever since I was a kid, I wanted to go[br]to the Paralympic games.

0:05:43.191,0:05:45.235
The Paralympics -[br]for those who don't know -

0:05:45.235,0:05:48.105
is the pinnacle of elite sport[br]for people with disabilities.

0:05:48.106,0:05:49.501
But a lot of people

0:05:49.501,0:05:52.596
don't know the true meaning[br]of the word 'Paralympic'.

0:05:52.596,0:05:54.252
The word is actually split in two:

0:05:54.252,0:05:56.633
the 'Olympic' part -[br]which represents the Olympics,

0:05:56.633,0:05:57.845
the pinnacle of sport -

0:05:57.845,0:05:59.391
and the 'Para' part.

0:05:59.391,0:06:00.818
There's a common misconception

0:06:00.818,0:06:04.706
that the 'Para' part[br]actually means paraplegic or paralysed,

0:06:04.706,0:06:06.194
but this isn't the case.

0:06:06.194,0:06:09.096
The 'Para' actually represents 'parallel',

0:06:09.096,0:06:12.931
meaning the Paralympics runs parallel,[br]or alongside, the Olympics.

0:06:12.932,0:06:17.222
Same gold medals, same venues,[br]same elite athletes, same time.

0:06:17.225,0:06:20.841
The only difference is obviously we all[br]have disabilities at the Paralympics.

0:06:20.841,0:06:23.101
Now, this was awesome in Beijing for me.

0:06:23.101,0:06:24.871
I was 17 years old at the time,

0:06:24.871,0:06:29.024
so I was still doing my HSC or VCE[br]while I was over there.

0:06:29.254,0:06:33.495
To be 17 years old and sit on top[br]of the podium with 12 of your best mates -

0:06:33.495,0:06:36.011
guys that had lost limbs to cancer,

0:06:36.011,0:06:38.721
other guys that had horrific accidents[br]on their worksites

0:06:38.721,0:06:40.331
so were left up in wheelchairs.

0:06:40.331,0:06:43.293
Other guys who had car crashes[br]and never be able to walk again

0:06:43.293,0:06:45.277
and lost loved ones in the process.

0:06:45.277,0:06:49.177
To sit on top of that podium[br]and so proud of what we had done,

0:06:49.177,0:06:51.677
singing that national anthem[br]with tears in our eyes -

0:06:51.677,0:06:53.863
it was the best thing[br]that ever happened to me.

0:06:53.863,0:06:56.678
It really was incredible[br]and something I'll cherish forever.

0:06:56.678,0:06:58.594
I've also got a bit of a name for myself

0:06:58.594,0:07:01.654
as the dude that crowd surfs [br]in his wheelchair at festivals.

0:07:01.666,0:07:03.183
(Laughter)

0:07:03.183,0:07:05.383
I've been very lucky[br]to travel around the world

0:07:05.383,0:07:07.203
attending different music festivals.

0:07:07.203,0:07:08.259
Everybody knows me as,

0:07:08.259,0:07:10.749
'You're the guy that[br]crowd surfs in his wheelchair!'

0:07:10.749,0:07:13.135
To be honest, the first [time][br]that I ever did this

0:07:13.135,0:07:14.821
was completely out of necessity

0:07:14.821,0:07:17.404
because I was sick and tired[br]of sitting in the mosh pit

0:07:17.404,0:07:19.217
and looking at all your asses all day.

0:07:19.217,0:07:20.321
(Laughter)

0:07:20.321,0:07:22.941
You don't understand how much[br]that sucks after a while.

0:07:22.941,0:07:25.951
But from the first time I did it,[br]I was absolutely hooked.

0:07:25.951,0:07:28.624
It's an incredible feeling, [br]sitting on top of that crowd

0:07:28.624,0:07:31.782
in what I like to call[br]the best seat in the house.

0:07:31.782,0:07:32.928
It really is incredible.

0:07:32.928,0:07:36.408
I think it's a really cool metaphor[br]for people with disabilities as well,

0:07:36.408,0:07:37.557
what they can really do,

0:07:37.557,0:07:40.887
getting out there, breaking the mould,[br]doing what's unexpected of them.

0:07:40.887,0:07:42.902
On a side note,[br]I've only fallen out once.

0:07:42.902,0:07:45.851
And don't worry, I didn't get[br]any more disabled from the fall,

0:07:45.851,0:07:46.851
so it's all good.

0:07:46.851,0:07:48.556
(Laughter)

0:07:48.556,0:07:49.746
Now,

0:07:50.381,0:07:53.041
when I reflect on my life,[br]I think back to when -

0:07:53.041,0:07:54.950
I'm really happy that I can sit here now

0:07:54.950,0:07:59.041
and think that all this stuff[br]almost didn't happen to me.

0:07:59.041,0:08:02.783
I remember back when I was 14,[br]I think of 14-year-old Dylan, and I think

0:08:02.783,0:08:06.710
I had these really low expectations[br]of myself of what I could achieve.

0:08:06.710,0:08:09.803
And I let that dictate[br]what I did in everyday life.

0:08:09.803,0:08:11.379
I think back to 14-year-old Dylan

0:08:11.379,0:08:16.006
who thought of his disability[br]as this really shitty burden

0:08:16.006,0:08:18.201
that was really hard to overcome.

0:08:18.201,0:08:19.830
I think back to 14-year-old Dylan,

0:08:19.830,0:08:22.540
and I think I'm so lucky doing[br]what I'm doing these days.

0:08:22.540,0:08:25.020
I'm so glad that I could challenge[br]my own perception

0:08:25.020,0:08:27.040
about what I thought about disability.

0:08:27.040,0:08:29.953
And to be honest, I can sit here[br]in front of you all today

0:08:29.953,0:08:31.521
and tell you 100% honest truth:

0:08:31.521,0:08:33.781
if I ever had the chance[br]to go back in time

0:08:33.781,0:08:36.336
or eat some kind of magic pill[br]and walk again,

0:08:36.336,0:08:39.042
there's no way in hell[br]you could pay me enough to do it.

0:08:39.042,0:08:41.712
Because I absolutely love[br]everything in my life,

0:08:41.712,0:08:42.719
wheelchair or not.

0:08:42.719,0:08:44.339
I wouldn't change it for the world.

0:08:44.339,0:08:49.926
But, unfortunately, there are so many kids[br]across the world, all around Australia

0:08:49.926,0:08:53.373
that are really struggling socially[br]because of their disabilities.

0:08:53.713,0:08:57.753
Disability remains this thing[br]that nobody wants to talk about.

0:08:57.753,0:08:59.377
There's still this negative stigma

0:08:59.377,0:09:04.867
that having this disability[br]is this weird, unlucky, really ugly thing.

0:09:05.087,0:09:07.953
And for kids with disability[br]that don't have any confidence,

0:09:07.953,0:09:10.063
it's really hard[br]for them to get over this

0:09:10.063,0:09:12.613
and get into the world[br]and do what they want to do.

0:09:12.613,0:09:15.693
And it really restricts everything[br]that they want to achieve.

0:09:15.693,0:09:17.659
There are heaps of problems in the world:

0:09:17.659,0:09:21.728
poverty, refugees,[br]same-sex marriage, gender equality.

0:09:21.728,0:09:24.330
They're all very, very important things.

0:09:24.330,0:09:27.560
But when the hell do you ever[br]hear anything about disability?

0:09:27.568,0:09:29.188
Or when do you ever turn on the TV

0:09:29.188,0:09:32.088
and see the first news story[br]about somebody with a disability?

0:09:32.088,0:09:35.239
Or when do you turn on your TV[br]and see a wheelchair TV presenter -

0:09:35.239,0:09:37.438
sorry, a presenter in a wheelchair?

0:09:37.438,0:09:39.917
Or somebody with cerebral palsy[br]in our parliaments?

0:09:39.917,0:09:43.577
Or an actual blind actor[br]playing a blind actor,

0:09:43.577,0:09:46.055
as opposed to some bloke[br]who's just closing his eyes?

0:09:46.055,0:09:47.135
(Laughter)

0:09:47.135,0:09:48.875
Now, I remember when I was a kid,

0:09:48.875,0:09:51.165
when I was struggling, when I was 14,

0:09:51.165,0:09:53.501
I just wish I could have[br]turned on my television

0:09:53.501,0:09:55.781
and seen a guy in a wheelchair achieving.

0:09:55.781,0:09:57.841
Because it would have[br]made me realise that,

0:09:57.841,0:10:01.941
'You know what? I could do that too![br]That, one day, could be me'.

0:10:01.941,0:10:04.130
I wish I had a positive[br]role model in the media

0:10:04.130,0:10:06.709
where I could have seen somebody[br]absolutely killing it,

0:10:06.709,0:10:08.959
and that would've instilled[br]the confidence in me

0:10:08.959,0:10:11.499
to get out there and do whatever I want.

0:10:11.499,0:10:14.985
I think it's really important[br]moving forward that we, as a society,

0:10:14.985,0:10:17.771
change our perception of disability[br]away from this idea

0:10:17.771,0:10:21.251
that it's this really bad,[br]unlucky, weird thing,

0:10:21.251,0:10:23.456
and stop being so scared to talk about it.

0:10:23.456,0:10:26.814
We need to realise that it's okay[br]to have any disability,

0:10:26.816,0:10:31.116
and we need to further our expectations[br]of what people with disabilities can do.

0:10:31.116,0:10:33.252
Moving forward,[br]I think in order to do that,

0:10:33.252,0:10:35.141
we need to mainstream disability.

0:10:35.141,0:10:38.351
Get people with disabilities[br]into our mainstream media,

0:10:38.351,0:10:41.345
and that will increase[br]the visibility in a positive light.

0:10:41.347,0:10:44.349
We need to make disability[br]heaps more commonplace.

0:10:44.349,0:10:46.349
We need to start[br]the conversation about it,

0:10:46.349,0:10:48.831
which will go a long way[br]in normalising it.

0:10:48.831,0:10:50.718
And then, who knows?

0:10:50.718,0:10:52.645
Maybe one day, if we can do that,

0:10:52.645,0:10:55.255
these kids, like me, like I used to be,

0:10:55.255,0:10:57.685
won't be going through such a tough time.

0:10:57.685,0:11:00.975
They won't be embarrassed[br]about their disability ever again.

0:11:00.975,0:11:04.425
They'll have the confidence[br]to go out there and do whatever they want.

0:11:04.425,0:11:09.963
But, as a society, we really have to hope [br]they pick a much better haircut than that.

0:11:09.963,0:11:11.401
Thank you.

0:11:11.401,0:11:14.331
(Applause) (Cheers)