 Gerhard van der Merwe (26) is the director of a Cape Town-based snack company. He has a degree in business science and an honours degree in economics from the University of Cape Town.
Gerhard was born deaf. He received his first analogue hearing aids at the age of two, and attended the Carel du Toit Auditory-Oral Centre for deaf children at Tygerberg Hospital in Cape Town from age three up until age six. From there, he was sent to a mainstream primary school and, later, to a mainstream high school in Durbanville.
After school, Gerhard went to England for two years, where he received his first digital hearing aid, a Widex Senso. He wore this hearing aid for more than seven years and upgraded this year to the Widex Senso Diva.
Gerhard's speech is almost perfect. This he attributes to early intervention, the dedication of his parents and the use of state-of-the-art hearing equipment.
He believes that more children with hearing impairments could benefit – no matter what their socio-economic background.
Find out more about Gerhard by clicking here.
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