Diversity is an Invitation to Co-create a Compassionate Community
At the lecture by long-time supporter of the deafblind community, Vlasta Nussdorfer, we reflected on respect, empathy, cooperation, and human dignity. With warmth and a personal address, she encouraged us toward self-reflection: how each of us, through our own actions, helps to shape the community in which we live.
Already as a young girl, she felt the calling to protect the most vulnerable, later deepening it into active efforts for a society built on kindness, support, and understanding. She emphasized that respect is not a privilege but a right for all. That is why the symbol of a hand—the sign of the Slovenian Deafblind Association DLAN—speaks to her as an invitation to connection and closeness.
“Difference is not permission to exclude,” she stressed. In a society where compassion is often lacking, it is essential that each of us, to the best of our ability, helps to create an environment that unites and includes. This does not depend on professional expertise but on our willingness to BE HUMAN.
She also recalled her cooperation with the DLAN Association, which through its work is changing societal mindsets and striving for the equal inclusion of people with deafblindness—through the deafblind language, personal assistance, and interpretation. She was especially touched by the moment when she received a statue depicting her face: “How beautifully I am seen by those who cannot see.”
She encouraged the members of the DLAN Association to continue their courageous efforts for rights and expressed support for the adoption of the Draft Act on the Deafblind Language. Together with us, she looks forward to celebrating the 20th anniversary of the Slovenian Deafblind Association DLAN, which will take place on October 22, 2025, at the SiTi Theater BTC in Ljubljana.
Closing message: In a world that too often focuses on scarcity, the deafblind community brings a precious reminder: humanity belongs to everyone, and together we can achieve anything.
Ljubljana, September 5, 2025
