Dylan Alcott continued to defy stereotypes about people living with disability during his time as Australian of the Year.
Before being named Australian of the Year, Alcott was known for being a record-holding wheelchair tennis champ and his increasing public profile also saw him win a television .
In the past he has also been pictured wheelchair surfing at his accessible music festival Ability Fest.
In 2022, Alcott soared even higher after being named the Australian of the Year on the eve of his retirement from professional tennis.
During his acceptance speech for the award, Alcott said he was the luckiest guy in the country.
"I love my disability. It is the best thing that ever happened to me. It really is, and I'm so thankful for the life that I get to live," he said.
Dylan Alcott is named the 2022 Australian of the Year. Source: AAP / Mick Tsikas
"It's up to all of us to do things so they can get out and be proud of their disability as well and be the people that they want to be," he said.
Alcott also challenged those who don't have disability to reassess their unconscious biases.
"Leave your negative perceptions at the door and lift your expectation of what you think people with disability can do. Because it's always more than you think," he said.
Here's a look back at some of Alcott's key moments during his time as Australian of the Year.
Last tennis match
Alcott did not have much time to celebrate being named Australian of the Year in Canberra on 25 January, flying back to Melbourne the next day ahead of his Australian Open quad wheelchair final match on 27 January.
Ahead of the game, the 31-year-old said he was "fried" after an intense 48 hours which saw him rushing to the nation's capital immediately after winning his semi-final to collect his award.
While Alcott fought hard in the finals he ultimately could not resist the charge from Dutch second seed Sam Schroder, .
Dylan Alcott after his quad wheelchair singles final match against Sam Schroder on 27 January 2022. Source: AAP / Dave Hunt
"The Australian Open, I love you so much ... thank you for changing my life but also backing someone who is disabled to be the front of your brand," Alcott, the then world No.1, said.
"You changed my life, but judging by that award I got a couple of days ago, maybe I helped changed some other lives as well."
He retired as the only man to complete the Golden Slam in quad singles, winning all four majors and the Paralympics in 2021.
Alcott also used his platform at the Open to , saying the costs of travelling to tournaments was often unaffordable.
Appearance at royal commission
Alcott hit back at negative headlines about Australia's National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) during a five-day hearing of the Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability held in December 2022.
Pointing to a report from his company Get Skilled Access, Alcott said children aged under six who had been on the scheme for four years had "double the amount of friends" of those who weren't on the NDIS.
He said the scheme was not about enabling people with disability to "drive nice cars".
"It's so people with disability can have a shower, get out of aged care facilities and … get the support in their home so they can get out and do whatever they want to do and start working."
The hearing explored what needed to be done to create a more inclusive society, with a report due in September.
Earlier in the year, Alcott also launched the report NDIS 2.0, aimed at restoring trust in the scheme and which provided key recommendations for NDIS Minister Bill Shorten.
Launch of job search organisation
In November, Alcott launched , an online job site for people with disability and employers who wish to hire them.
Alcott said just 54 per cent of people with disability were employed, something that had not changed in 28 years.
"For a lot of people with disability, they want to work and they won't have that choice to work," Alcott said.
"There are half a million people actively looking for work with a disability right now. And there's a worker shortage."
Dylan Alcott speaks to the media at the launch of disability employment website ‘The Field’ flanked by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, National Disability Insurance Scheme Minister Bill Shorten and Social Services Minister Amanda Rishworth, at Parliament House in Canberra in November 2022. Source: AAP / LUKAS COCH
"We have higher retention rates and lower absenteeism," he said.
“Some people want a job, for sure. Do you know what some people want? They want a career. They want a leadership position.
“I don't want to scare you, but we want your [parliamentary] seats as well.”
Royal connection
Alcott made headlines for making Queen Elizabeth II laugh during a video call ahead of her Platinum Jubilee weekend in June.
He was one of four Australians who spoke to the monarch on the call.
Alcott told the 96-year-old Queen he was lucky to have won four Paralympic gold medals and 15 Grand Slam singles titles playing wheelchair tennis.
"Unfortunately, won a couple of Wimbledon titles, beat some Great Britain players, which I was happy about but maybe you weren't so happy about," he said, prompting a laugh from Her Majesty.
Queen Elizabeth II on a video call with recipients of the Australian of the Year Awards, including Dylan Alcott
"To get that opportunity to talk to the Queen about disability and my ethos around it – but also to make her laugh at my crappy jokes – I was pumped."
A few months later, Alcott was also one of .
Raising awareness about sexual health
Alcott has also garnered media attention for talking openly about sex alongside his partner, sexologist Chantelle Otten.
The couple sparked debate in June after sharing a video of Alcott using an app on his phone to control a vibrating sex toy.
"Everyone is entitled to their opinion," he told Body+Soul when asked about critics who had described it as unbecoming behaviour from a high-profile figure.
"I’m not telling other people how they should react. All I know is what we represent in our relationship. I’m proud of the work that she does, and she supports me in the disability space."
Dylan Alcott with his partner Chantelle Otten. Source: Facebook / dylanalcottofficial
Man of the year
Alcott made it his mission to boost the "representation" of people living with disability, garnering accolades including being named by GQ magazine as one of its Man of the Year recipients in November.
He also worked with brands including watchmaker Longines and winemaker Grant Burge.
"To have a guy in a wheelchair as the front of a premium watch brand like Longines, that just didn't happen in the past," Alcott told Marie Claire.
"It’s about representing them and trying to change perceptions in everything that I can do—greater representation everywhere, not just in sport.”
Alcott may even have his sights set on Hollywood in the future.
“Growing up, I never saw anyone like me on TV, so I was honoured to win a Logie, but it’s definitely not as cool as an Oscar,” he told Body+Soul.
