Dylan Alcott AO—2022 Australian of the Year—is one of the world’s most celebrated and well recognized Paralympians, media personalities and disability advocates. A trailblazer on and off the court, Dylan made history in 2021 as the only man in any form of tennis to win the 'Golden Slam', winning the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon, US Open and Paralympic Championship in the same year.

He is a rare dual-sport Paralympic Gold Medalist in both wheelchair basketball and wheelchair tennis as well as a 15-time Grand Slam singles champion in wheelchair tennis. 

Since retiring from professional sport, Dylan has not slowed down in any way and his drive is stronger than ever when it comes to his purpose and mission: ‘to change perceptions so people with disability all over the world can live the lives they deserve to live’. He is a global keynote speaker, actor, philanthropist, entrepreneur and all around game changer.

Whether speaking to global audiences or working in philanthropy, he brings a blend of authenticity, vulnerability, humor and hard-won insight. Dylan challenges others to think differently about adversity, accessibility, leadership and the everyday choices that enable people to thrive.

Topics:

  • Estimates show that there are 1 billion people in the world with a disability, that is 1/7 of the world's population. And yet, this ratio doesn't come close to being represented in any of our spaces. Sara will make the case for the authentic inclusion of the one billion people with disabilities in the world by weaving together her own lived experiences as a blind, Lebanese-American, Muslim woman, and the work of her organization, Empowerment Through Integration (ETI). Sara approaches the inclusion of people with disabilities from a value-based lens, and her mantra that “the inclusion of all is a value for all.” Sara is on a journey to engage every stakeholder in society, and invites every one of us to engage in breaking the cycle of disempowerment, moving from a charity perspective, to human rights, and finally the value-based approach to inclusion.

  • Despite much improvement, a lack of gender diversity in leadership is still a challenge that we need to tackle across the world. Sara’s goal and dream is to create more spaces for women to lead and succeed. She will highlight that having women in leadership, especially women of minorities, has a positive impact on the culture and productivity in organizations of all industries, improving their diversity, innovation, growth, and more. Sara will empower others to follow in her footsteps by sharing her own perspective and lessons as a female leader and her experiences leading a diverse team of women with disabilities.

  • Sara is not your stereotypical social enterprise leader: she is a young, blind, Muslim woman. As a leader with these diverse identities, she has had to overcome many biases, but what she realized is that being a woman from a minority and with a disability actually gave her an edge and had their own unique advantages. She’ll share these lessons, and how we can all access the power behind our identities to become a stronger leader, discussing topics from starting and growing an enterprise, to founder’s dilemma, evolving your business plans, and more.

Twitter: @sarasminkara | @ETIVision

Instagram: @sarasminkara

In this video, Sara Minkara, Founder & CEO of the non-profit organization (NGO) Empowerment Through Integration (ETI) talks about her life journey and how he...