Sunita Thapa to become first lawmaker with hearing impairment in Gandaki Provincial Assembly

Pokhara, December 11 — The Nepali Congress has decided to make Sunita Thapa from Syangja a member of the Gandaki Provincial Assembly under the proportional representation system.

As a result, the Provincial Assembly Secretariat will need to arrange for a sign language interpreter in the parliament sessions. This is a new requirement as such an arrangement was not previously in place in the Provincial Assembly.

Sunita Thapa, who was nominated by the Congress as a provincial assembly member, is unable to hear what others say due to her hearing impairment. She communicates through sign language and relies on an interpreter for understanding what others speak. This is why the Provincial Assembly has to make special arrangements for an interpreter during the sessions.

Currently, Sunita is assisted by Renu Shah, who helps her as an interpreter. Despite her hearing impairment, Sunita expressed her gratitude to the constitution for paving the way for her to participate in policy-making, and to her party for trusting her and nominating her as an MP.

"I was very happy when my name was included in the closed list by the party. At that time, the party did not receive enough votes for me to become an MP," Sunita said through the interpreter. "After the passing of Didi (Bimala Gauchan), who was in the first seat, the party nominated me for the vacant seat."

Though happy to become an MP, Sunita expressed sadness over the death of Bimala Gauchan. She shared that her experiences in the disability sector over the past 14 years would guide her in advocating for better implementation of policies for people with disabilities.

"I have been to many countries where the rights of people with disabilities are not only legislated but well-implemented. I hope to bring similar changes here and will advocate for that in parliament," she said.

Having been active in the Congress for seven years and with 14 years of experience working in the disability sector, Sunita is currently a delegate at the Congress Provincial Convention. She has committed to acting as a bridge to bring the concerns of the disability community to parliament.

"We don't hear what is happening in parliament. I have raised the issue of the need for sign language interpretation many times, and now, as I have become an MP, I will work to bridge that gap," she said.

With the passing of Bimala Gauchan, who was a representative from the indigenous women’s quota, Sunita will now fill the seat as the fifth-ranked nominee from that category.

This will make Sunita the first person with a disability to become a member of the Gandaki Provincial Assembly. As a result, the Provincial Assembly Secretariat has mandated the presence of a sign language interpreter during sessions.

Sunita, who can speak both Nepali and English fluently but cannot hear, was born in 1992 in Chapakot, Syangja. She was not born deaf but lost her hearing after contracting typhoid when she was in grade 7.

Her hearing impairment was only noticed after she failed a class, despite previously being a good student. "I was a good student, but suddenly I couldn't hear or understand what the teachers were saying. At first, no one believed I couldn't hear," Sunita recalled.

She later pursued a Bachelor's degree in Education and overcame many challenges in her academic journey. Despite the limited availability of sign language resources in Nepal, Sunita is committed to working towards better access to education and communication for people with disabilities.

Now that the Nepali Congress has nominated Sunita as a provincial assembly member, her appointment will be finalized after approval by the Election Commission, followed by an oath of office administered by the Provincial Speaker.