Meet Saudamini Pethe, Bar Council of Delhi’s first ‘Deaf’ advocate

Her experience in classroom at SH Jondhale High School, as a Deaf student among “normal kids”, was “sometimes isolating”, she said. “I did my education by myself. I could not hear what the teacher was teaching. I had to study on my own. I bought guides and asked friends to help me with notes,” Pethe said. She said her teachers were encouraging, and when she did well in her studies, they would use her as an example to encourage other kids.

Pethe did her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in English Literature from Mumbai University in 2000. But it was not until 2008 that Pethe learned Indian Sign Language (ISL) while working as a documentation executive at Noida Deaf Society. By then, she had married Yashdeep Pethe (43), who is also Deaf and is posted in Gujarat as an Indian Oil Corporation executive, and had moved to Faridabad. She also worked as a greeting card copywriter after qualifying a test among 30 candidates.  Prior to learning ISL, Pethe used to communicate by reading lips, and on occasion by writing. Apart from 15 years of experience in content writing, she is presently a director at All India Foundation of Deaf Women and a trustee at Access Mantra Foundation.

In 2018, while attending a workshop organised by Centum GRO, a Deaf advocacy NGO, she witnessed Deaf American advocate and CEO of the National Association of the Deaf (NAD) Howard Rosenblum give a presentation on Deaf Legal Advocacy Worldwide (DLAW) fellowship for Deaf Law Aspirants. Pethe experienced the harm that the “inaccessible education system” has had on Deaf youth while working as an activist.

After receiving DLAW fellowship in 2019 she pursued LLB at Institute of Law and Research, Faridabad. Given the dearth of sign language interpreters in India, she had to go through the first semester almost without access. She eventually got an interpreter, which was covered by the fellowship along with tuition fees. After completing her LLB in August this year, Pethe got enrolled with Bar Council of Delhi last month. She is waiting for her son, Dhruva Pethe (15), to pass class 10, she said. “My plan is to begin practising after that. I have started applying to several places,” she said. She is interested in cyber laws and intellectual property laws.

For other Deaf law aspirants, especially women, she had one message — to be tenacious. “Earlier, I did not have the confidence or a sense of agency. After learning ISL, I feel stronger and empowered. Today… I have control over my life, including my decision to pursue law,” she said.

After completing her LLB in August, Pethe got enrolled with the Bar Council of Delhi last month. She is waiting for her son, Dhruva Pethe (15), to pass class 10, she said. “My plan is to begin practising after that. I have started applying to several places,” she said. Apart from Deaf advocacy, she is also interested in cyber laws and intellectual property laws.

For other Deaf law aspirants, especially women, she had one message — to be tenacious. “Earlier, I did not have the confidence or a sense of agency. After learning ISL, I feel stronger and empowered. Today my husband and I make decisions together and I have control over my life, including my decision to pursue law,” she said.