As SPD MP Heike Heubach coming to the Bundestag plenary for the first time, she is greeted with loud and muted applause, with many MPs raising their hands in applause, clapping in sign. The social democrat from Bavaria is starting her term in parliament now as deputy – not unusual. But Hoibach’s case has something special: the 44-year-old is the first deaf member of parliament in the history of the Bundestag.

“Today we are really making history, if I may say so. We have with us the first deaf member of parliament who represents her constituency here”said the president of the Bundestag Berbel Bas (SPD) at the beginning of the meeting. “We are particularly looking forward to working with our colleague and her work here in parliament.”

Hoibach sits in the front row, next to a sign language interpreter. The MP will be accompanied by interpreters both during the talks with her colleagues and during her meetings with the media. As Hoibach tells the German News Agency (dpa), this process “is working very well, already within a short period of time the team is working together perfectly.” As for the possibility of something getting lost in translation, Hoibach isn’t worried at all: “The interpreters’ job is to translate everything, and I trust them to do just that.”

“So far everything is going well”

Heubach then moves to a position a little further back, with two interpreters in front of her. This will be her position in the remaining meetings as well. Unlike her colleagues, Hoibach will have a permanent seat in the ranks of the SPD, as will her interpreters. A corresponding solution will be found for her work in the competent committee for housing in which the MP participates. Because as she says, her goal is “to make housing affordable again”.

Heubach also wants to work for gender equality, environmental protection and the promotion of people with disabilities. During her first speech to the plenary she will be next to the stenographers and an interpreter with a microphone, who will transmit the speech in live time for the rest of the parliamentarians.

“The organization of the Bundestag administration, the party and the interpreters is excellent. We are all in a learning process”says Hoibach. “So far everything is going like clockwork”.

The MP also has two daughters, who are now adults. Before becoming a politician, Heubach worked as an accountant for a Bavarian energy company. He joined the SPD in November 2019, running in the 2021 federal election in the constituency of Augsburg where he lost entry to parliament by just a few votes. He now takes the place of Social Democrat Uli Gritz, who was elected last week to another seat.

Greater inclusion in the political arena

Hoibach’s entry is groundbreaking for Germany’s federal parliament and sets a precedent. The German Association of the Deaf recognized Hoibach’s entry into parliament as a “great achievement”. The MP fought hard for her participation in the democratic processes, as Helmut Vogel, president of the Union, emphasized to dpa: “We hope that the example set by Heike Hoibach will contribute to greater visibility and acceptance of deaf people in politics. Society needs to realize that deaf people can be politically active, although they need communication support. “The time has come to fight together for a more inclusive political scene.”

Jürgen Düzel, the federal government’s commissioner for people with disabilities, emphasizes that the Bundestag must be made fully accessible for people with special needs – “and overnight. And something like this should not be a challenge but normality”. He would like other parliamentarians and the Bundestag administration to see “Hoibach’s work as an opportunity and a profit, but also to take advantage of the opportunity to be a model for inclusion.” Parliament should be the mirror of society. And only through equality and interaction can any reservations be addressed.

Edited by: Giorgos Passas