Pakenham boy meets Paralympic hero

Avid sports fan Kai was surprised when the Aussie paralympian arrived to shoot hoops as an undercover support worker.

By Jessica Anstice

A young Pakenham sports fan received the best surprise of his life when his number one idol went undercover as an independent disability support worker.

Australian tennis and basketball Paralympian, Dylan Alcott, went undercover as a support worker to surprise 12-year-old Kai Ferano with support shooting three pointers at a local rec centre before the Covid-19 lockdown.

Kai lives with a congenital genetic syndrome known as 1p36 deletion syndrome, characterised by mild intellectual disability.

His mother, Charlotte, signed Kai up to Mable – an online platform that enables people with disability to connect with independent care and support workers in their local community.

When Mr Alcott met the Ferano family at the local basketball courts, Charlotte said Kai’s face “lit up” with excitement.

“Not a day goes past where Kai isn’t running around with a ball in his hand,” she said.

“We often shoot hoops together, so when Dylan surprised him as a support worker to help with his ball skills, it was a real treat for Kai.

“Having access to support people who can discuss my son’s interests while working with him allows me to be more of a mum and less of a carer.”

Even if it’s simply cooking a meal with him, Kai’s support workers need to know how to talk in sport terms, name players or discuss who kicked the winning goal in last season’s AFL series.

Mr Alcott himself knows the importance of connecting with independent support workers on all levels after working with support people as a young child.

It was his hired support workers that enabled Mr Alcott to pursue his ambitions and become the tennis and basketball champion, DJ and businessperson he is today.

“Support looks different for everyone, from in-home care to experiencing activities you’re passionate about out in the community,” Mr Alcott said.

“For me, that was tennis, and I was lucky to have to support people available to me as a teen in order to go to lessons – hobbies and interests weren’t covered by providers back then.

“Mable is challenging that outdated model by providing an easy platform that is changing the future of disability support in Australia – and I’m thrilled to be working with them to help their users live full lives and pursue their passions.”