Jason Barnett - my colleague at deafPLUS, and friend - has been given an amazing opportunity to represent Great Britain in a Football tournament, to take place in Bologna, Italy, to celebrate the 65th Anniversary of Deaf Sport.

Not only is this a great personal opportunity for Jason, it's also an amazing opportunity to show the world that Deaf people aren't 'disabled', but are just as able to succeed as everyone else, given the chance and encouragement.

Jason is a married man with 3 children. As anyone can understand, £500 is a lot of money when you have a family to support, so would very much be missed. But the chance to represent your country is also greatly important to Jason, and the wider Deaf community here in the UK.

I'm calling on colleagues, friends - and everyone else - to get behind Jason, and the Deaf community in the UK by donating any amount that you can spare. Any donation, of any size, will help to make a lifelong dream a reality. It is also a chance to inspire others whom, without role models like Jason, may never understand that they can be more than just a disability.

Any additional funds raised will go into a fund to help other people at deafPLUS in a similar situation.