Austria swears in deaf MP

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iafrica.com | news | world news Austria swears in deaf MP

Green politician Helene Jarmer became Austria's first deaf parliamentary deputy when she was officially sworn in on Friday.

Jarmer, a 37-year-old art and mathematics teacher, will replace Ulrike Lunacek as a Green party deputy, after Lunacek was elected to the European Parliament last month.

Jarmer will only be the third non-hearing person to hold a parliamentary seat in Europe, alongside Hungarian conservative politician Adam Kosa, who was elected as a member of the European Parliament in June, and Helga Stevens, who has been a member of the Flemish parliament since 2004.

Born to deaf parents, Jarmer lost her hearing as a result of a car accident when she was two.

She is president of the Austrian Deaf Association.

As a result of her appointment, the Austrian parliament has introduced simultaneous sign-language interpretation of all debates and speeches.
 
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