Hands United
Organizational Awardee

Hands United is one of the few organizations in the country dedicated to serving Deaf and hard-of-hearing immigrants and their families. Founder Celena Ponce has worked directly with detained Deaf immigrants, immigration attorneys, and families to ensure people can communicate with legal counsel and understand consequential immigration proceedings. Beyond crisis response, Hands United provides American Sign Language instruction, trains interpreters and educators, and develops multilingual accessibility and Know Your Rights resources. Its work helps Deaf immigrants and their families navigate schools, healthcare, and legal systems with greater access, dignity, and independence.
Portland, Oregon
September 23, 2026
Organizational
Award
Awarded to:
Hands United
Organizational awards recognize local nonprofit organizations taking specific actions to build bridges and strengthen communities, such as supporting disaster recovery, championing equality, or building consensus and collaboration around common areas of need within their communities.




