Hands United
Supporting immigrant families with children who are Deaf or hard of hearing to connect and grow with their child.
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New & Featured Resources
Search All Dictionaries
Explore our new multilingual ASL dictionary. Search across all languages in one place.
Buy Our Printed Dictionaries
Support our work and access full-color multilingual ASL dictionaries for families and classrooms.
Digital Know Your Rights Card
Interactive digital rights card. Choose your sign language and watch the video in your language.
Download Know Your Rights Card
Printable and downloadable Know Your Rights cards for ICE situations and legal protection.
Upcoming Events
Spanish Family ASL Classes — Starting in April
Our 8-week Spanish Family ASL classes are designed for immigrant families with Deaf or hard-of-hearing children. Classes focus on reducing language deprivation, strengthening home communication, and building practical everyday vocabulary.
Language: ASL with spoken Spanish support
Start: April
Platform: Zoom
ASL Permit Classes — Starting March 25
Online permit classes taught fully in ASL to ensure Deaf and hard-of-hearing students understand traffic laws, safety principles, and testing expectations. Created to increase equitable access to driver education.
Start Date: March 25
Platform: Zoom
Know Your Rights — ASL & Arabic Sign | March 7
A Know Your Rights workshop focused on ICE interactions, constitutional protections, and communication rights for Deaf individuals. Presented in ASL and Arabic Sign to increase access for newly arrived communities.
View Know Your Rights Resources3-Part Math Workshop — Algebraic Thinking (CEUs Available)
A three-part professional development series supporting interpreters and educators working in math classrooms. Covers algebraic thinking across elementary, middle, and high school levels with practical language strategies.
Dates: March 9, 11, 13
CEUs: Available
Language: Spoken English
Beginning Spanish for Interpreters — 3-Part Series (CEUs Available)
A beginning Spanish series taught in SimCom using the Destinos curriculum. Designed for interpreters and ASL-fluent community members seeking foundational Spanish skills for working with immigrant families.
Dates: March 23, 25, 27
CEUs: Available
National Partnerships & Featured Collaborations
National Deaf Youth Day – Virtual Panel (Hosted by NHLAD)
Hands United is proud to provide Spanish and ASL interpretation for NHLAD’s National Deaf Youth Day Virtual Panel.
This event celebrates Deaf Hispanic/Latino high school and college students and highlights their leadership journeys, challenges, and achievements.
Date: March 6, 2026
Time: 7:30–9:00 PM EST
Empower Communities: Enforcement & Detention (Hosted by NILC)
Hands United will provide ASL interpretation for the National Immigration Law Center’s workshop focused on enforcement, detention, and immigrant community protections.
This collaboration ensures Deaf immigrants have equitable access to national-level immigration advocacy conversations.
Date: March 25
Register for NILC WorkshopResources Galore!
We are excited to share our resources with you!
We have a searchable Spanish/ASL dictionary available online in our Spanish website.
We have also made communication boards for use in ICE/immigration situations. Please download them and share them as needed.
Languages Supported
To date, we have provided ASL classes and resources in Tigrinya, Amharic, Burmese, Russian, Spanish, and Chuukese. We look forward to continuing to grow in our outreach. Vote on our next languages here
Upcoming Workshops
Who We Are
Beginning in 2021 through the Center for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Youth (CDHY) in Washington State, we offered American Sign Language in spoken Spanish to 6 families. Since that time, we have grown to over 330 families across the US. In May 2024, we decided to start our non-profit organization to offer more services to our families.
Our board members have over 50 years of experience working with Deaf children and immigrant families. We also partner with organizations in 10 states. Click here for more information about our board.
Our Mission
Hands United’s mission is to reduce language deprivation among Deaf and hard-of-hearing children in immigrant families by addressing the language and cultural barriers that often prevent effective communication and access to essential services.
We empower families by providing comprehensive support that includes multilingual American Sign Language classes, English/ASL instruction for newly arrived Deaf individuals, enrichment workshops, school and IEP advocacy, immigration and legal resource connections, community support programs, and employment readiness services.
In addition, we strengthen the professional ecosystem that serves Deaf communities by offering interpreter and translation services, professional development workshops, and media/resource development. As part of our commitment to equitable access, we also support and provide pathways for the certification of foreign sign language interpreters—particularly for those coming from countries where no formal certification system exists—ensuring they can continue to serve their communities with recognized qualifications.
Through these combined efforts, we strive to foster lifelong inclusivity, expand sign language proficiency across diverse populations, and promote greater independence, access, and self-determination for Deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals and their families.
Teachers Pay Teachers
Some of our earlier multilingual resources remain available on Teachers Pay Teachers. Our newest and most up-to-date materials are now available through the Hands United Store.
