In March 2006, World Flight for Hearing takes off from Sweden to circumnavigate the earth and spread information about hearing impairment. The hearing impaired Johan Hammarström will pilot a small airplane around the globe and by that, he will be the first hearing impaired person in the world to accomplish such a mission. Johan, who has taken the initiative to the expedition, has in spite of his hearing disability managed to become a pilot. Johan and his two team mates Henrik Ejderholm and Martin Håkansson will constitute the crew of this unique expedition.World Flight for Hearing (WFH) is sponsored by the technology leading hearing instrument provider GN ReSound. The purpose of the expedition is to increase understanding of hearing impairment and the technology that is available to help affected people. Hundreds of millions of people around the world suffer from hearing loss and WFH intends to spread information about how common hearing impairment is. Many people today suffer from hearing loss but still resist using technical aids because they are uncomfortable with telling friends and colleagues about their disability. By showing that even pilots can be hearing impaired, WFH seeks to educate people about their hearing impairments and to motivate them to try modern technology to reduce the impact of their disability.
All the publicity that the project will gain throughout the expedition will be dedicated to the hearing impaired and to the organizations and people working for these matters. Examples of activities that have been arranged so far are seminars, media activities about the hearing impairment and, speeches. The speech "Reaching your goals despite your hearing impairment - about World Flight for Hearing", given by Johan, has been a very successful contribution to several congresses, exhibitions, and school activities.
The WFH team will accomplish a 60,000-mile journey in an airplane normally built for distances between 100 and 1,000 miles. Flights around the globe in light aircraft are not an everyday event. Since the first flight around the world in 1924, only a limited number of pilots have successfully completed the achievement. The expedition is expected to last for five months, from March to August 2006, and will require meticulous planning and preparation. The around-the-world-flight will involve visiting hard of hearing schools and organizations in more than 25 countries. Plenty of the planning is still in progress so there are still chances of having WFH landing in your town.
About World Flight for Hearing
World Flight for Hearing, sponsored by GN ReSound, is a world recognized expedition that intends to raise publicity about hearing impairment and hearing impaired people and their possibilities. Founder of the project is hearing impaired Johan Hammarström, 28, that, despite his hearing impairment has managed to become an experienced pilot. Johan is a living proof that with the right attitude and the right technical aids anything is possible. Johan and his team consisting of Henrik Ejderholm and Martin Håkansson will accomplish the expedition in collaboration with hard of hearing organizations, professionals' organizations, and the industry.
World Flight for Hearing is accessible to everyone by the official website www.worldflightforhearing.com that was launched in May 2004. At the web site it is possible to follow the expedition step by step.
For more information on GN ReSound, visit www.gnresound.com
