Meet Linus Benjamin Bauer, 37. He is the Founder and Managing Director of Bauer Aviation Advisory (BAA) Dubai (UAE) and Singapore. Born profoundly deaf in 1986 in Bonn, Germany, it meant Linus‘ early years were spent in complete silence as he learned how to lip-read and carried with him constantly his trusted pen and paper.

At the age of 13, he was offered a lifeline in the shape of cochlear implants – a surgically implanted neuroprosthetic device providing a person with moderate to profound sensorineural hearing loss a modified sense of sound to regain their hearing.

However, following tests, it was decided that he was only suitable for just one implant. And despite restoring 50 percent of his hearing, his challenge was only really just beginning. For him, it was like having an empty waste basket that had to be filled by the millions and millions of sounds that up until that point had been alien to him.

Teenage years are tough enough for all people, but for Linus, he was suddenly thrust into a world full of noise, where his learning was only really beginning. For him, it was a big challenge, dealing with school and, at the same time there was very intensive training to assimilate his cochlear implant. He was basically starting to learn English at the age of 18, not at the age of 7 or 8.

Linus literally taught himself how to hear through his early teenage years. He had to repeat two years of secondary school and was told on many occasions that his disability would render employment opportunities limited at best.

Back in the old days, Linus and his parents heard from teachers, doctors, and specialists, that he cannot lead a normal life and that his parents should be prepared for having somebody just do simple jobs. Even the teacher told him that he would not be capable of going to a university.

Through tenacity and grit, Linus speaks three different languages fluently (German, English, and French) and is an internationally renowned aviation expert and entrepreneur speaking at global and regional conferences across the globe on a frequent basis. In addition to that, he is a Visiting Lecturer in Air Transport Management at the City University of London.

Image: Linus Benjamin Bauer