Celena Ponce started Hands United because she noticed a gap no one else seemed to be filling: Deaf children in immigrant families were being left out of conversations about their own lives.
These kids often grow up between worlds. Their parents may speak Spanish or Mandarin or Somali at home, but those languages don't include American Sign Language (ASL). Schools might teach ASL, but not in a way that connects to their family's culture. Immigration lawyers don't know how to communicate with Deaf clients. The result is families navigating the most stressful moments of their lives—immigration proceedings, legal consultations, school enrollment—without a real way to talk to each other.
Hands United, now operating across 30 states, has built something different: free ASL classes, multilingual ASL dictionaries, legal navigation support, and visual communication tools designed specifically for immigration and detention contexts. The organization has supported around 300 families so far. Six Deaf immigrants are currently working with Hands United's legal consultants—people who understand both ASL and the immigration system well enough to actually help.
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Start Your News Detox"We're not just offering services," Ponce explained in a recent conversation. "We're building trust. These families have been left out of so many conversations. They need to know someone actually understands what they're navigating."
The work has earned backing from major Deaf community organizations, including the American Society for Deaf Children (ASDC). But the real proof is simpler: families keep coming back, and they bring others with them. Word spreads when someone finally listens.
What makes Hands United sustainable is its model. Everything stays free because the organization runs on collaboration—partnerships with educators, interpreters, and community leaders who show up because they believe in the work. Ponce is now thinking about how to scale further, to reach families in places where Deaf immigrant communities exist but no one's paying attention yet.
This kind of change doesn't require a massive budget or a flashy campaign. It requires someone willing to notice what's missing and patient enough to fill it properly.
