On this year’s International Day of People with Disabilities, we’re handing over the reins of our blog to Jason, who we support in Greater Manchester.
Hello, I’m Jason.
I’m 35 and I have a learning disability. I also love going out, playing sports, listening to music, I’m a water boy for a local rugby group and I DJ three times a week. I love it.
I wanted to become a DJ after seeing videos of people mixing music and I liked the idea of making music that people would enjoy. It all started with a night out nearby in a place called VIBE and then I got some of my own equipment – AFG even gave me the chance to DJ at their events and I loved it; I get to meet new people and make new friends. The most requested songs I have to listen to a lot are definitely the Venga Boys, SClub 7 and Steps! I enjoy playing dance music but my favourite song to play is Hello by Adele.
I love getting great feedback from people who listen to my music and getting requested for birthday parties – it makes me feel fantastic. I still get a bit nervous but once people are joining in and dancing, I just feel excited. My biggest gig to date was someone’s 60th birthday recently and I played lots of music from the 60’s and 70’s, lots of Niel Daimond and people had a great time.
My dream is to be a nightclub DJ so if you’re reading this and have a slot open up let me know 😊 and finally, a little piece of advice to anyone reading this thinking that they might not be able to do something is this – give it a go – at least you tried and you might just end up loving it and filling your dreams.