Matt Ayyash is proof that hard work pays off as he has become Nova Scotia's first and only deaf soccer referee
Matt Ayyash loves soccer.
He also happens to be deaf, but that hasn't kept him on sidelines as he's become the first and only deaf referee in Nova Scotia.
Ayyash, who was born in Jerusalem, is proof that hard work pays off.
After moving to Canada when he was 13 years old, he got involved in several different sports growing up.
"It wasn't until five years ago that I got the idea to become a soccer referee," Ayyash said through interpreter Mae Smithman. "I remember thinking that I wanted to be a ref and I was like, 'but can I?' When I decided to become a referee there was a lot of people that would comment, and they're like 'you're gonna become a ref, but your deaf. How is that gonna work?' And I was like 'I don't know but I'm gonna try.'"
His brother, Mike Ayyash, said Matt is "a really determined person."
"Since we were kids, he never saw his lack of hearing as a disability, he thinks more about what he can do and not what he can't do," Mike Ayyash said.
Carman King is a fellow referee with Soccer Nova Scotia.
"When Matt first approached me about being a referee he said 'I'd like to take the course. How far do you think I can go. Do you think I can be a referee?' and the answer was, 'of course you can be a referee, it's just a matter of do you want to be and how eager are you to be involved in this?"
King says it's difficult to know what limitations, if any, there might be for Ayyash.
"He has met all the expectations on him he has not found a barrier yet to being able to advance," King said.
Ayyash says there was a somebody from another province who contacted him about a deaf child who had seen him.
"(The child) had seen me and started to look up to me, and was really excited to see deaf ref," Matt Ayyash said. "So in that sense, I guess I am a role model. I just want to use the access that I'm given in order to show the world that deaf people can do things, it's not about whether you're hearing or you're deaf, it's about your abilities."
His brother, Mike is proud of him.
"It just shows that there's no barrier that you can't overcome if you put your mind to it," Mike Ayyash said. "It's an inspiration, really, not only to us but to anybody who's passionate about something and they want to do it."
Matt Ayyash says it's important for people with disabilities to know that their disability shouldn't be an obstacle.
"Whatever your passion is, if you have it, go ahead and do it," Matt Ayyash said. "It doesn't matter if you have a disability or you're deaf. Don't make it an excuse."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.