Fil-Am armless pilot Jessica Cox helps raise awareness for people with disabilities

Filipino-American pilot Jessica Macabare Cox, the first armless person to receive a flying license, arrived in Manila on Thursday to raise awareness for people with disabilities. Cox is also one of the speakers at the 14th Asia Pacific Life Insurance Congress, an annual event of life insurance and financial services practitioners from all over the region. Aside from spending a two-week vacation in Samar, the hometown of her Filipino mother Ines, Cox plans to promote her fundraising campaign on Indiegogo.com. The campaign, called “Rightfooted,” aims to raise $30,000 for a documentary about Cox’s life. Already it has raised $10,975 from 38 donors and has less than a month to meet its goal. The documentary will cover Cox’s upcoming visit to Ethiopia, where, in collaboration with nonprofit organization Handicap International, she will speak with children and their peers about how to “think outside the shoe.” According to a press release, Cox’s visit is expected to “reinforce Handicap International’s ongoing efforts to foster the inclusion of children with disabilities in Ethiopian schools, and to help change long-held societal beliefs about the role of people with disabilities.” Born without arms, Cox learned early on to live normally using her feet in lieu of hands—she can drive, type on a keyboard, scuba dive, dance, surf, play the piano, and do many other things, all with the use of her feet. With the support of her parents, Cox enrolled in taekwondo classes and earned her first black belt in the International Taekwondo Federation when she was 14. Her famous accomplishment was learning how to fly a plane, which earned her a Guinness World Record in 2011 for being the first armless person in the world to obtain a pilot’s license. A psychology graduate from the University of Arizona, Cox was named among the “100 Most Influential Filipino Women in the US” in 2009 by the Filipino Women’s Network, Most Watched Female Aviator in 2010 by the AOPA Live Pilots Choice Award, and Most Aspirational by the Inspiration Award for Women. Now a motivational speaker who has traveled through 17 countries, Cox inspires people to learn to be creative and innovative. - VVP, GMA News