President at heart. Fighter by nature.
Janko Plesec likes to introduce himself as the former president of the Deafblind Association of Slovenia DLAN – and for good reason. With his upright posture, dark glasses, cochlear implant and hearing aid, he is an indispensable voice and face of the deafblind community. But what you feel first is his courage, bravery and love for people.
He was born blind, underwent several operations as a child, and later began to lose his hearing. Despite difficult trials, he never gave up. He always looked for ways to contribute – for himself, for others, for all of us.
Janko says:
“When I came to the DLAN Association, I felt trust. When I became president, I was extremely happy. Those were the best times of my life. Golden times. I will never forget them.”
Today he is a former president, but his bravery remains with us. He continues to write, create, and leave a mark in every poem and every sentence. His poetry collection The Happy Wanderer is full of life’s wisdom.
A special moment that will forever remain in his memory? When singer Stane Vidmar personally sang the song “Ne opupaj in pojdi na pot” to him.
“He held my shoulder, and I felt the content,” says Janko.
He wants one thing above all for the future: for every person with deafblindness to feel that they are worthy. For them not to experience discrimination. For every person with deafblindness to find their own space and voice.
“I want each of us to feel good. For us to show what we can do together. For us to be proud of ourselves.”
Ljubljana, 16. 7. 2025
