Deaf climbers with an artificial leg, and a person with epilepsy. Only two of the individuals in the group did not reach the summit. Heidi Zimmer is the first deaf woman to reach the summit of Mt. McKinley in Alaska. She is the first deaf individual to reach the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro in Africa, as well as Mt. Elbrus in the Republic of Russia which has an elevation of 18,510 feet. She has a goal of completing the seven summits which consist of the highest peak in each continent. This is considered a huge accomplishment in the climbing world. Yasayuki Okobu,
Heidi Zimmer 1978. In 1996, Zimmer was diagnosed with Usher's syndrome. She hopes to climb all the Seven Summits, the highest mountains of each of the seven continents. Heidi Zimmer Heidi Zimmer is an American deaf mountaineer who has accomplished several notable firsts in mountaineering. She was born deaf, and became the first deaf woman in history to reach the top of Mt. McKinley on June 13, 1991. At the top, she unfolded a banner reading "DEAF WOMAN, A PARADE THROUGH THE DECADES". On August 15th, 1992, Zimmer became the first deaf person to summit Mt. Elbrus. On September 22nd, 1994, Zimmer