Speaker
Biography
Silvano Stefanoni is a public administrator and associative leader from Lombardy, long committed to promoting the rights of people with disabilities, social inclusion, and the building of a more accessible society.
From 2019 to 2024 he served as Mayor of Lierna, a municipality in the province of Lecco overlooking Lake Como. His election gained national attention as well, since Stefanoni, who is totally blind, assumed leadership of the municipal administration, bringing to his administrative experience his personal background and his commitment to the autonomy and participation of people with disabilities.
Throughout his term in office he represented a concrete example of the participation of people with disabilities in public life, helping to promote a culture grounded in autonomy, responsibility, and full citizenship.
On 2 June 2025, on the occasion of the Festa della Repubblica, he was awarded the honour of Knight of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic, a recognition that adds to his institutional, administrative, and associative career.
He currently holds the position of President of the Lombardy Regional Council of the Italian Union of the Blind and Visually Impaired UICI ETS-APS, an organisation committed to protecting the rights and promoting the autonomy of blind and visually impaired people.
He is also President of F.A.N.D. – Federation of National Associations of People with Disabilities – of the province of Lecco, Vice-President of F.A.N.D. Lombardia, and President of the Fondazione I.Ri.Fo.R. Lombardia, an organisation engaged in research, training, and rehabilitation with particular reference to visual disability.
From 2019 to 2024 he served as Mayor of Lierna, a municipality in the province of Lecco overlooking Lake Como. His election gained national attention as well, since Stefanoni, who is totally blind, assumed leadership of the municipal administration, bringing to his administrative experience his personal background and his commitment to the autonomy and participation of people with disabilities.
Throughout his term in office he represented a concrete example of the participation of people with disabilities in public life, helping to promote a culture grounded in autonomy, responsibility, and full citizenship.
On 2 June 2025, on the occasion of the Festa della Repubblica, he was awarded the honour of Knight of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic, a recognition that adds to his institutional, administrative, and associative career.
He currently holds the position of President of the Lombardy Regional Council of the Italian Union of the Blind and Visually Impaired UICI ETS-APS, an organisation committed to protecting the rights and promoting the autonomy of blind and visually impaired people.
He is also President of F.A.N.D. – Federation of National Associations of People with Disabilities – of the province of Lecco, Vice-President of F.A.N.D. Lombardia, and President of the Fondazione I.Ri.Fo.R. Lombardia, an organisation engaged in research, training, and rehabilitation with particular reference to visual disability.
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