Gerhard van der Merwe (26) is, for all practical purposes, deaf. Without his hearing aids, he cannot hear a thing below 90 decibels. In other words, if he stands right next to a rumbling lawn mower, he might be able to detect a faint humming sound.
However, when he introduces himself, I cannot detect a single syllable or sound that is out of place. In fact, if it weren't for the crescent-shaped, flesh-coloured hearing aids behind his ears, I would never have guessed that he had any hearing problem at all, let alone a mere 3% of hearing.
This young man's remarkable story begins in 1978 when a shortage of oxygen during birth damaged the neural pathway between his inner ear and his brain. When, at age two, Gerhard didn't start talking like his nephew of the same age, his parents suspected that something might be wrong.
Specialist after specialist told them what they already knew to be true. Although some recommended sending Gerhard off to a school for the deaf, one of the specialists made a different suggestion. It was on his recommendation that Gerhard and his parents left their Kimberley home and moved to Cape Town a few months later, in order for Gerhard to be treated at the Carel du Toit Auditory-Oral Centre for deaf children where pioneering work was being done.
Importance of early intervention highlighted
Here, Gerhard and his parents became part of an intensive programme built on Professor Carel Du Toit's belief that "it's not about how much hearing is lost, but about how much is left". For three years, between the ages of three and five, Gerhard learned how to adapt to his first hearing aids and was taught to speak. Likewise, Gerhard's parents were trained to deal with his disability.
The fact that he learnt how to use a hearing aid at an early age, made a vast difference, Gerhard believes. "The brain loses the ability to learn language after the first few years of life," he explains. "However, if you already learned how to speak, and lose your hearing at a later stage, hearing aids will work."
At the age of six, Gerhard was sent to a mainstream primary school and, later, to a reputable, mainstream high school in Durbanville. After matric, he went overseas and returned two years later to do a business science degree at the University of Cape Town.
Introduction to digital hearing technology
It was during his stay in England, that Gerhard was first introduced to a digital hearing aid. "I was very privileged in that my father always wanted me to try out the latest and best hearing aids on the market," Gerhard says.
He notes that the phenomenal thing about his first digital hearing aid, a Widex Senso, was the exceptional sound quality. "The first thing that struck me was the high frequencies. This is where my hearing is particularly poor. For years, I had to take extra speech therapy lessons to try and perfect my speech in terms of the s's and th's. But the moment I was fitted with the new digital hearing aids, this was the first thing I could hear. Working it into my speech came automatically after that." After less than a week, the difference was noticeable.
Now, as a successful Cape Town businessman and shareholder in an innovative snack company, communication is as simple as it would be for someone who has no hearing problem whatsoever. He chats on his cell phone, listens to music and can talk simultaneously to a few people, without losing track of who says what - even though his hearing impairment is greater than that of thousands of South Africans that have to rely on sign language to communicate.
Few have similar opportunities
Gerhard is one of the lucky ones. In South Africa, only one out of five people who need hearing aids, actually have one. And many aren't aware of the magnificent technological advances that have made the "impossible" possible.
"So many people don't even know there's an alternative to sign language," according to Gerhard.
He realises that the opportunities he had, made all the difference. "I wouldn't have had my own company today if I had to depend on sign language," Gerhard says. What has made it possible for him to cope with a demanding work environment, where hearing is essential, is the combination of early treatment, support from his dedicated family and the use of state-of-the-art hearing equipment.
When he interacts with deaf people – who rely on sign language – he can often sense their regret when they realise that their hearing functionality is better than his.
Others could benefit
However, he believes that more children with hearing impairments could benefit – no matter what their socio-economic background. "In my experience, if the parents are resolved to get the funding for their child's hearing aid, they usually get it," Gerhard says.
Gerhard also speaks as a member of the Carel du Toit Board of Trustees and the governing board of the school. "One of the major focuses of the Carel du Toit Centre is to try to detect hearing disability as soon as possible. We would like to pursuade the government to pass legislation that will make it compulsory for hospitals to test the hearing of new-born babies," he says. According to Laurette du Preez, principle of the Carel du Toit Centre, this has already happened in the United States.
If this could happen in other parts of the world, permanent disability due to hearing impairment, as well as sign language, may one day be a thing of the past, Gerhard believes. "I am excited about the future. I suspect that the hearing aid will also become an information device – with built-in radio etc. – that everyone would want to use."
For more information:
Contact the Carel du Toit Auditory-Oral Centre on +27 21 938 5303 or Widex South Africa on +27 31 563 4425.
Gerhard van der Merwe (26) is, for all practical purposes, deaf. Without his hearing aids, he cannot hear a thing below 90 decibels. In other words, if he stands right next to a rumbling lawn mower, he might be able to detect a faint humming sound.
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