There are few people in the world who can inspire you like Paul Nunnari. He represented Australia in three consecutive Paralympic Games and won a silver medal.
His view on being wheelchair-bound is not a disabler, but an enabler. And he wants to see more representation and diversity in the media.
“I’m not seeing authentic representation of myself when I grew up,” he told Dan Krigstein from The Growth Distillery.
“When I was growing up, back in the day, you watch content on film or TV or in or through marketing and branding and I never really saw myself reflected in the images or the content that I was watching,” he said, adding that when he was in hospital for spinal cord injury “you had to lay flat…for six weeks”.
When Nunnari completed intensive surgery and recovery, and got into a wheelchair, he looked on the positive side and found it inspiring. The Incredible Hulk, the Marvel character, inspired him to become an athlete.
He competed and was successful at the Sydney Paralympic Games, and he wanted it to inspire the next generation.
What he learnt at a young age and wheelchair bound was to accept he couldn’t get involved sport, but he “outgrew that [mindset] by the time I was 15 or 16”.
There are two barriers for disabled athletes, medical and social. When you remove those barriers, he said: “anything is possible.”
This is an Untold Story you won’t want to miss. Watch the video above for one of the most gripping episodes yet.
