Yakima Valley Association of the Deaf

04/07/2026

Spanish (Espanol):
¡Hola a todos! Aquí tienen la versión en español de la próxima asamblea pública del ODHH, que se llevará a cabo el 25 de abril de 2026, de 10:00 a. m. a 4:00 p. m. Si asistirán familias de habla hispana, por favor avisen al ODHH para que puedan reservar un intérprete de español. ¡Gracias!

English:
Hello everyone! Here is the Spanish Version of the upcoming ODHH Town Hall Meeting on April 25, 2026, 10 am - 4 pm. If there are Spanish-speaking families that are coming, please let ODHH know to reserve a Spanish translator to be present. Thank you!

04/07/2026

Spanish (Espanol):
¡Hola a todos! Aquí tienen la versión en español de la próxima asamblea pública del ODHH, que se llevará a cabo el 25 de abril de 2026, de 10:00 a. m. a 4:00 p. m. Si asistirán familias de habla hispana, por favor avisen al ODHH para que puedan reservar un intérprete de español. ¡Gracias!
English:
Hello everyone! Here is the Spanish Version of the upcoming ODHH Town Hall Meeting on April 25, 2026, 10 am - 4 pm. If there are Spanish-speaking families that are coming, please let ODHH know to reserve a Spanish translator to be present. Thank you!

Send a message to learn more

03/03/2026

Welcome to the exciting ODHH Town Hall meeting on April 25, 2026, for an informational training workshop from 10 am - 4 pm! YVAD will be hosting, and food will be provided. Your voices will be heard as well, and we are looking forward to seeing you there!

02/04/2026

There will be a Family Night at the Children's Village. Even though the reservation is on January 30, 2026. If you are still interested, please scan to send your information and to let them know. Thank you.

01/24/2026

YVAD wants to inform that we lost a long-time YVAD Honorary member on January 21, 2026.

Mike Sanders has been the most active and supportive member of YVAD for over 60 years! He has worked with many members who have been gone for over 50 years!

Michael will be missed, and he is loved by many of us who knew him. His laughter and smiles are contagious! He always uses his ILY hands in all his photoshoots.

If you would like to add your memories of him in the comments, and share your pictures of him as well. Please click the link below to open Michael's obituary. Thank you.

Michael Keith was born on April 14th, 1943 and passed away on January 21st, 2026 at the age of 82

01/19/2026

Yakima Valley College (YVC) is hosting a Culture Fair focusing on the allyship of the disabled community, the neurodivergent community, and the ASL community to educate and share our cultural diversity for all students, parents, teachers, and families to observe.

YVC Disability Support Services, DEI department, Accessibility department, and the ASL club/community have been working together to collaborate with all disability agencies/resources that will be sharing with all at their interactive stations.

On February 5th, the building's location is on the corner of S.16th Avenue & Nob Hill Boulevard, in Yakima Valley College, at the Hopf Union Building (HUB), building # 9. There will be no need to pay for parking. Please do not park in the staff parking lot.

February 4th is the other option if you would like to go to the YVC Grandview campus, if you live in the area. If you need more information about its location, please send me a message via the YVAD page.

Drinks and refreshments will be provided. ASL interpreters will be available for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing as well. Hope to see you all there!

01/19/2026

On our first opening night at the Union Gap ASL Library, the space was packed with 70 attendees on January 8, 2026. Everyone participated and learned the basics of ASL. Cody is excited to continue teaching on the 2nd and 4th Thursdays of each month for a year.

The Librarian, Ary, reached out to Yakima Valley Association of the Deaf (YVAD), and we are excited to be a part of the community to teach about the Deaf culture and the language of ASL.

01/17/2026

The gathering event for the DNO (Deaf Night Out on January 17, 2026, is canceled today. This is due to a large crowd attending the Seahawks vs. 49ers Division game. Sorry for the inconvenience.

01/05/2026

YVAD had a 2025 Thanksgiving/Christmas party and potluck festivities with ham, turkey, desserts, and many wonderful main dishes. We celebrated 10 people with their birthdays.

We had an elephant gift exchange for both kids and adults.
Both kids and adults also played a "plastic wrap roll" game (the name of the game is unknown). There were gifts inside, and we all had to race to unwrap them, with kitchen mitts and wait with matching dice rolls to get our turn. It was a fun-filled wild game, and the final winner received $20!

A total of 34 people attended. We celebrated with a Christmas spirit of love, laughter, and positivity as a YVAD family! ❄️☃️🎄

01/05/2026

YVAD is now starting a new chapter in 2026! We had a meeting on January 3, 2026, regarding the votes of the Board Officers, and new members' enrollment to continue for the year.

Jennifer Hopper, President; Dorian Welch, Vice President; Kourtney Girard, Secretary; Lawrence Poulin, Treasurer; Patsy Crase, Trustee 1; Kevin Sampson, Trustee 2; and Dalia Ventura, Trustee 3.

We will plan to send a picture of the new Board Officers. Please stay tuned! 🎊🎉

01/05/2026

Forgot to add the video of YVAD members' September birthdays. We love you guys!🥳🎊🎁🎈🎂