Dylan Alcott, the co-host of ABC’s live music show The Set won a Gold Logie last night, accepting the Graham Kennedy award for Most Popular New Talent. The former triple j host and paralympian gave a moving acceptance speech about the importance of people with disabilities being represented in media.
“I used to absolutely hate having a disability,” said Alcott on the night. “One of the reasons I did hate it was when I turned on the TV, I never saw anybody like me, and when I did see someone like me, it was a road safety ad where someone drink drives, has a car accident, and the next scene was someone like me whose life was over. And I was like ‘that’s not my life’.”
“I wanted to get a job on TV because I love sharing stories but also to show that people with a disability can be talented, funny, humorous, just normal people enjoying their lives,” Alcott added, urging people to give the 4.5 million Australians with a disability an opportunity.
Alcott has been a staunch advocate for making live music more accessible in recent years. Ability Fest, the music festival he organised for the past two years has raised thousands of dollars for kids with disabilities. As The Music reports, Alcott recent partnered with Live Nation and Ticketmaster to improve accessibility at events by setting “new standards in the live event industry.”
The Set premiered last October, and hosted live music performances from the likes of Baker Boy, Angie McMahon and Wafia.
Watch Alcott’s acceptance speech below.
