00:00Conversations around disability don't have to be awkward or scary.
00:04What I love about being a performer is I give permission to ask the questions that maybe you've always had.
00:21Hi! Hi Jay! Oh my goodness.
00:24Thank you so much for having me at your office!
00:27It's so great to have you here! This looks amazing!
00:31My favorite question that people ask me is, what's your story?
00:35I was born and raised in Ridgewood, New Jersey.
00:38And when I was two years old, I was involved in a car accident with my mom and my brother.
00:43I had a spinal cord injury and am paralyzed from the chest down.
00:47I spent at least 10 years in physical therapy.
00:51Having a disability, you are dependent.
00:54You have a lot of feelings about that.
00:56Especially when you're watching other kids just physically get to explore all the time.
01:01And being a kid with a disability, I just didn't see any representation on TV or on stages.
01:08That was a big theme when I was growing up.
01:13I was introduced to musical theater when I was seven by my next door neighbor.
01:17She was 12 years old and she had just come home from theater camp.
01:21And she decided to direct a production of Annie in our backyard.
01:25And she cast me as Annie, the lead.
01:28I was so excited!
01:30I'll never forget wheeling out on stage and singing in front of people.
01:34Magic happened.
01:35For the first time in my life, everyone was staring at me.
01:39But not because of my chair.
01:41They were staring at me because I was the star.
01:43And I knew I wanted to be on stage for the rest of my life.
01:47Because I was able to flip this thing that felt so painful into a moment where I felt so powerful.
01:53And the Tony Award goes to...
01:57Ali Stroker!
02:00Being on stage at Radio City and accepting my Tony was such an overwhelming experience.
02:09This award is for every kid who is watching tonight who has a disability, who has a limitation, or a challenge.
02:19To be accepted and celebrated in a community that I always admired and wanted so badly to be a part of felt like I had arrived.
02:29I had no idea how it was going to change my life, but it certainly did.
02:33And it's opened so many doors.
02:35Here around the corner is our absolute master.
02:38It's given me opportunities to represent and speak on behalf of my community and bring more awareness and acceptance to disability.
02:50Hi!
02:51Hey, our cover star, Ali Stroker!
02:54So now such a huge part of my career is finding opportunities where I can be represented and seen for our younger generation.
03:04Seeing someone like myself in a chair on the cover of a magazine is a huge deal.
03:10I wish that I had had this when I was a teenager.
03:14The Emmy goes to us!
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