Seattle Seahawks full-back Derrick Coleman has stated that a combination of determination and hearing aids are what have helped him realise his dream of playing in a Super Bowl.
Coleman has been deaf since he was three years old, only hearing vague tones and possessing excellent lip reading skills, which have aided him throughout his NFL career.
His disability has never held him back, and he has insisted that he uses it as a positive to help him grow as a player and as a person.
"I don't use it as an excuse. It has never held me back," Coleman told reporters. "If you have a disability, you might have to work extra hard, but you can do anything. No matter what your dreams are, you can achieve them. I'm in the Super Bowl and the sky is the limit.
"Everybody in the world has problems. That's where the hard work comes in. It has made me who I am. Getting the chance to play in the Super Bowl is basically saying when people are hard of hearing now, they can do it too.
"I get to be a role model, help out kids. I'm able to show them they are not the only ones with this problem. Everything they are going through, I've been through."
Coleman recently starred in a widely-praised Super Bowl commercial for Duracell batteries, which focuses on his deafness and his ability to "trust the power within".
