THANK YOU TO uhd TEAM 2021-2022 FOR YOUR SUPPORT AND COMMITMENT
January 22, 2022 was the date for our Online Hmong with Disabilities Conference featuring amazing interactive workshops, speakers, panel storytelling and discussions lined up.
By using the theme “Reflecting on the past, sharing today’s experiences, and building for tomorrow,” we are answering that all voices and experiences are valued and calling on communities to become involved in this effort. Participants have the possibility to use the conference as an opportunity to gather or give input on important community initiatives such as this one. Please share with your circle.
By using the theme “Reflecting on the past, sharing today’s experiences, and building for tomorrow,” we are answering that all voices and experiences are valued and calling on communities to become involved in this effort. Participants have the possibility to use the conference as an opportunity to gather or give input on important community initiatives such as this one. Please share with your circle.
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Co-FounderCynthia Yongvang is a Hmong woman with a disability, a graphic and textile artist, and a social justice and disability advocate. She is currently the Executive Director of the United Hmong with Disabilities, a national Hmong disability organization; the former executive director of the Hmong Association of WA; the current co-founder/CEO & President of the Hmong Impact Giving Network, a national Hmong philanthropic organization; and a business owner as the founder and CEO of the CYNTHIA YONGVANG™ brand in Washington state, a textile and fashion company inspired by art forms from her Hmong culture and other cultures around the world.
Cynthia has over 20+ years of experience in the nonprofit sector as the former executive director of an immigrant and refugee women and girls’ organization, the former Chair of the New American collaborative, a coalition of over 13 immigrant and refugee organizations, the former co-founder of the Hmong Women’s Giving Circle and served on several boards and commissions in MN before she moved to Washington state in 2008. She currently serves on the Empowering to Thrive’s Hmong Men/Boys Conference Planning Committee ‘23, HND Leadership Symposium ‘23 and the Disability Inclusion Fund’s Grantees Convening Planning Committee ‘24. Previously, she also served on the Regional Food System steering committee at the Northwest Agriculture Business Center (NABC) and on the board of the United Communities of Laos, a coalition of Hmong, Lao and Khmu organizations, and was a 2018 Fellow from the Community Leadership Institute at the Puget Sound Sage in Seattle. |
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co-founderMai Thor, 2021 Bush Fellow
Mai seeks to embed disability justice in the work of larger justice and equity movements. As a person living with a disability and as a leader who has helped design more accessible and inclusive systems for people with disabilities, she sees that social justice movements often leave disability out of their efforts. She wants to transform these movements to be completely accessible and inclusive so that every march, rally or community meeting is informed by a disability perspective. To grow her capacity to lead, she will study ableism and disability culture, history and law. |
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co-founderMai N. Vang identifies herself as a Hmong Deaf woman. She was born hearing then became Deaf around 2 years old. Mai is in her final year at Metropolitan State University for Human Service Family Studies and she is aiming to receive her Bachelor of Human Services degree. Mai currently working at ThinkSelf, a non-profit organization that serve adult education and Domestic Violence/Sexual Assault for Deaf and Hard of hearing community. In addition to her job at ThinkSelf, Mai is Deaf Mentor with Deaf Mentor Family Program and has been working for 6 years as a Deaf Mentor. Mai believes learning American Sign Language is part of our communication access, language foundation, and part of who we are to express ourselves. American Sign Language (ASL) is our most language access and part of our language foundation. Mai is looking forward to sharing her story with Hmong community and spreading awareness about Deaf in Hmong community.
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co-founderHoua Moua is an advocate for disability justice in her community. As a Hmong American with a disability, she has lived experience navigating multiple layers of marginalized spaces. Because of this she has developed an outgoing spirit and a desire to be a helping hand to others. A lifelong admirer of the performing arts, she enjoys going out to plays and other local events to support her immigrant community.
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co-founderKathy Thao-Shada is a stay-at-home mom to 3 of her children. The first one is five years old; the middle is 2, and the 3rd is 9 months. She was born in Saint Paul, MN. She have cerebral palsy since birth. She graduated with her bachelors of science in Corporate Finance in 2011.
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co-founderMai Shoua Moua was born at a refugee camp in Bangkok, Thailand. Her family and she immigrated to Minnesota in 1989. At four months old Mai Shoua got really ill. When she first attended school her 1st grade teacher noticed she was not engaging in conversations about schoolwork when being spoken to. It was brought to the attention of her parents that she may have a hearing loss. Her mother took her to an audiology specialist and was identified as a hard of hearing person.
Her parents and she had no prior knowledge about hard of hearing. Mai Shoua encountered many difficult challenges growing up in middle school through high school. Some teachers were not very supportive or respectful towards students with disabilities. While other challenges included her struggles of being bullied by other students because of her disability. In the beginning of her journey Mai Shoua thought that her disability would limit her career options, however she has been successful. Mai Shoua has 10+ years of experience working as a PCA-- providing care for individuals with disabilities which include dementia, Alzheimer, cerebral palsy, physical, intellectual or learning, cognitive, neurological disorders, etc. She has had experiences as an Assistant Program Manager for mental illness clients, deaf and blind individuals. She is currently working with the State of Minnesota. |
Meet the planning Committee Team 2021-2022
of the first UHD hmong national virtual disability conference
Sue Yang, Pa Nhue Vue, Cynthia Yongvang, Mai Thor, Mai Shoua Moua, Susun Xiong, Pang ChaXiong, Houa Moua, Melaine Yang, Nancy Yang, Chee Lor, Tsua Xiong, Cristy Yongvang, Tong Kou Lor, Youa Lee, PaNyia Vang, and Fleurine Yang.
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Committee Chair
Sue Yang (she/her) is a disability advocate from greater Minnesota. She lives with her parents, who are from the older generation that didn’t know about the needs of disability awareness and knowledge. She taught her parents about generalized disability consciousness that led her to become an activist to bring more disability awareness and education to our community. |
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Member
Pa Nhue Vue (she/her) is from WI and currently resides in MN. She received her Bachelor of Sciences in Rehabilitation Psychology with a certificate in Global Health from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She is passionate about doing equity work to amplify the voices and experiences of underrepresented populations. She has served the disability community for over three years with her latest experience being in disability advocacy services and outreach in the Hmong community. |
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Member
Nancy Yang (they/she) is a mad queer HMoob womxn and psychiatric survivor. Her personal experiences and intersectionality make her passionate about advancing disability justice, neurodiversity, and gender and racial justice. Nancy loves to spend their time doing whatever feels right in the moment. Currently, Nancy is the Education and Programs Assistant at Autistic Women and Nonbinary Network (AWN). Nancy is also working on her Masters of Arts in Disability Studies at the City University of New York School of Professional Studies. A picture of a Southeast Asian person with short, teal hair with lavender highlights. They are smiling into the camera. They are wearing a white tank top, sunglasses, and long dangling earrings with Hmong paj ntaub cloth at the ends. |
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Member
Tong Kou Lor, pronouns are he/him/his, and identify as a first-generation Hmong male. He was born in Thailand and immigrated at the age of 2 to and grew up in Sacramento, California. He currently resides in Minnesota and he works as an Access Consultant at St. Catherine University located in St. Paul. His journey to Higher Education and Student Affairs started with personal experiences with his older brother, who is Deaf, and his familial culture. Deciding to attend school at the community college to learn American Sign Language (ASL) for better communication skills, resulted in an exposure to impactful stories from his sibling. His initial plan was to be an ASL teacher at the elementary level; however, those plans changed as he felt he was able to work better with college students than younger students. Tong looks forward to bringing more awareness of disability in the Hmong community. |
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Member
Youa Lee is an alumni from St. Catherine University with a Bachelor of Science in Public Health with a Health Educator concentration and a minor in Psychology. She is from MN. Youa is a Program Director at PICS - Partners in Community Supports, offering financial and technical support for individuals with disabilities and families who self-direct care. She worked with Hmong families on Consumer Support Grants (CSG) and Consumer Directed Community Supports (CDCS) to understand program policies and procedures and provide support while they keep their independence in their own home and communities. Youa have a passion for education, social responsibility, and community reach. I love to connect, learn, and bring awareness around disabilities. |
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Member
Pang Chaxiong is a co-founder of the Facebook group Supporting all Abilities Welcoming all Voices (SAWV) and is a graduate student in Educational Psychology at the University of Minnesota. Her work focuses on understanding Hmong families' experiences with autism and ways to improve autism identification and connection to services/supports. |
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Project Manager
Pa Nyia Vang (she/her/we) is a parent to six wonderful children with three having special healthcare needs, disabilities, and complex acute chronic medical needs. She is a community philanthropic advocate and individual freelance contractor developing platforms and contents where she focuses on providing direct assistance and justice works in the Special Healthcare Needs and Disabilities communities (Children Youth Special Healthcare Needs (CYSHN)). As a parent with children with multiple visible and invisible special health care needs, she understands the complications of raising and navigating the systems of a child and youth with special health care needs, as well as how to navigate Hmong culture, traditions, beliefs and stereotypes. She has formally connected families to resources and assistance both inside and outside the community, hospital and school settings. Pa Nyia provided leadership and been on several community/organizations boards, committees, councils, cohorts, and groups including the founding of a grassroots group called, Hmong with Special Needs, for Hmong families in collaboration with several CYSHN organizations. She received the 2015 Ramsey County, Minnesota Public Health Awards at the Ramsey County Board of Commissioners, the award was honored for exceptional contributions to improving the health of individuals, families and communities in the county. |
Thank Yous!
The UHD Team express our appreciation and thank you to everyone who came and made the first national virtual Hmong with disabilities a success! Without you and everyone’s support this wouldn't have been possible -- thank you!
An especially special thank you to all the team players that made this conference a reality -- thank you:
Our grantor: Borealis Philanthropy (Disability Inclusion Fund - DIF)
Our Fiscal Sponsor:
Hmong Association of Washington
Our sponsors:
Lifeworks Services Inc.
Dr. Mai True Lee of Health and Wellness Chiropractic Clinic, P.A.
PICS - Partners in Community Supports
SAWV - Supporting all Abilities Welcoming all Voices
Hmong with Special Needs - (Rebranded to: Hmong Supporting Needs)
Our event planner servicer:
Claim Our Space, LLC
Our graphic designer:
MaivFolk
Our campaign and fundraising servicer:
Flipcause
Our event platform servicer:
Whova @ whova.com
Our Hmong interpretation and translation servicer:
KZ Interpretation @ kzinterpreting.com
Our ASL interpretation servicer:
Signing Resources & Interpreters, LLC (SRI) @ signingresources.com
Our printing and mailing servicer:
The Shipping Center
Our Pioneer Champion speakers:
Ya Yang
Nancy Yang
Sue Yang
Pang Chaxiong
Houa Moua
Mai N. Vang
Kathy Thao-Shada
Long Yang
Ka Xiong
Xeng Her
Dao Xiong
Mai Thor
Nou Yang
All our amazing Donors:
Yea Thao
Kathy Mouacheupao
Chee Lor
May Her-Vang
Nuqou Vang
Our awesome Planning Committee Team and Co-founders:
Cynthia Yongvang
Mai Thor
Mai N. Vang
Houa Moua
Kathy Thao-Shada
Mai Shoua Moua
Pa Nhue Vue
Susun Xiong
Sue Yang
Pang Chaxiong
Melanie Yang
Nancy Yang
Chee Lor
Tsua Xiong
Cristy Yongvang
Tong Kou Lor
Youa Lee
Fleurine Yang
"All UHD members and stakeholders from 2019 -2022!"
UHD’s Project Manager:
Pa Nyia Vang
Thank you -- we look forward to an impactful future together. We appreciate and value our communities' support!
Together, let's transform our community and buoy the next generations!
* We apologies for any inconveniences it may have caused regarding the email sent out to attendees on Sunday with the wrong after-event networking date and time. -- correction: February 23, 2022 at 7pm CST.
Please see the whova app for the information and link or email us at: [email protected]
Thank you!
-UHD Team
The UHD Team express our appreciation and thank you to everyone who came and made the first national virtual Hmong with disabilities a success! Without you and everyone’s support this wouldn't have been possible -- thank you!
An especially special thank you to all the team players that made this conference a reality -- thank you:
Our grantor: Borealis Philanthropy (Disability Inclusion Fund - DIF)
Our Fiscal Sponsor:
Hmong Association of Washington
Our sponsors:
Lifeworks Services Inc.
Dr. Mai True Lee of Health and Wellness Chiropractic Clinic, P.A.
PICS - Partners in Community Supports
SAWV - Supporting all Abilities Welcoming all Voices
Hmong with Special Needs - (Rebranded to: Hmong Supporting Needs)
Our event planner servicer:
Claim Our Space, LLC
Our graphic designer:
MaivFolk
Our campaign and fundraising servicer:
Flipcause
Our event platform servicer:
Whova @ whova.com
Our Hmong interpretation and translation servicer:
KZ Interpretation @ kzinterpreting.com
Our ASL interpretation servicer:
Signing Resources & Interpreters, LLC (SRI) @ signingresources.com
Our printing and mailing servicer:
The Shipping Center
Our Pioneer Champion speakers:
Ya Yang
Nancy Yang
Sue Yang
Pang Chaxiong
Houa Moua
Mai N. Vang
Kathy Thao-Shada
Long Yang
Ka Xiong
Xeng Her
Dao Xiong
Mai Thor
Nou Yang
All our amazing Donors:
Yea Thao
Kathy Mouacheupao
Chee Lor
May Her-Vang
Nuqou Vang
Our awesome Planning Committee Team and Co-founders:
Cynthia Yongvang
Mai Thor
Mai N. Vang
Houa Moua
Kathy Thao-Shada
Mai Shoua Moua
Pa Nhue Vue
Susun Xiong
Sue Yang
Pang Chaxiong
Melanie Yang
Nancy Yang
Chee Lor
Tsua Xiong
Cristy Yongvang
Tong Kou Lor
Youa Lee
Fleurine Yang
"All UHD members and stakeholders from 2019 -2022!"
UHD’s Project Manager:
Pa Nyia Vang
Thank you -- we look forward to an impactful future together. We appreciate and value our communities' support!
Together, let's transform our community and buoy the next generations!
* We apologies for any inconveniences it may have caused regarding the email sent out to attendees on Sunday with the wrong after-event networking date and time. -- correction: February 23, 2022 at 7pm CST.
Please see the whova app for the information and link or email us at: [email protected]
Thank you!
-UHD Team
