The Bavarian Social Democrat Heike Heubach will be the first deaf member of the Bundestag this week. The 44-year-old replaces SPD politician Uli Grötsch, who has been elected federal police commissioner. In the 2021 federal election, Heubach ran in the Augsburg-Land constituency, but narrowly missed entering parliament.
The President of the German Association of the Deaf, Helmut Vogel, called Heubach’s promotion to the Bundestag “an important step for the sign language community” in Germany. The deaf community’s long-held wish is being fulfilled “that a deaf person is represented in the heart of German democracy, i.e. in the House,” he told the newspapers of the Funke media group.
Parliament President Bärbel Bas (SPD) viewed Heubach’s entry into the Bundestag as a “strong sign” of inclusion. “The Bundestag administration has been preparing intensively for months to enable Heike Heubach to carry out her mandate in a largely barrier-free manner,” Bas told the Funke newspapers. Heubach, like all other MPs, must be able to represent the people in her constituency, do her work in the committees and take part in the debates in the plenary session.
According to Bas, sign language interpretation should be ensured in the plenary hall. Conversely, an interpreter will translate their speeches in the plenary hall. “My employees are in close contact with Heike Heubach for further assistance with work in their parliamentary office,” said Bas.
