Minnesota Commission of the Deaf, DeafBlind & Hard of Hearing

09/18/2026

Join Lee Vang, Nura Hersi, Elena Miranda at the 2026 Collaborative Experience Conference for their presentation, “Supporting Culturally Diverse Families Where They Are”.

Navigating a child's hearing loss journey is complex, and being a culturally diverse family adds an extra challenge, facing unique systemic linguistic and cultural barriers. Meeting them at their unique intersection of culture, language and deaf journey without judgment is so important to build rapport, trust and connection. For culturally diverse families navigating the child's hearing loss diagnosis is often complicated by systematic gaps, language barriers and the former cultural perceptions of hearing loss. By integrating culturally responsive practice providers who can meet families exactly where they are in their hearing loss journey, we will examine the strategies for implementing multicultural support on an unbiased communication honoring the family native culture.

Lee met Minnesota Hands & Voices in 2023 which inspired her to join MNH&V in September 2023. She serves as the SE Asian Community Parent Guide throughout the state. Her passion is supporting, sharing, and connecting Asian community families with MNH&V services. Lee has a son who has unilateral, profound hearing loss. In her free time, she loves cooking, fishing, spending time with her family, and giving back to the community by volunteering to pack food at Feed My Starving Children Foundation and Neighborhood House. Lee currently lives in St. Paul Park, Minnesota.

Nura was born in Somalia; she has lived in the USA for about 11 years. Her older child has hearing loss. She loves to work with the NE African community, connecting with new families and helping them to find resources and support. When she meets new families, they really appreciate learning what is available to them. In her free time, she loves to play with her kids and read books with them. She also enjoys helping her neighbors and being an active member of her community.

Elena Miranda has been with Minnesota Hands & Voices since August 2017 serving families, finding resources, support and family connections. She is passionate about social interaction with new families. She is a single mom of the 3 kids, her oldest is bilaterally profoundly deaf. His primary communication mode is ASL but also speaks Spanish and English. Elena is an active woman who cares about others finding the way to support them with her Latinas Group. She really enjoys everything she does with their kids; cooking, organizing, paddleboarding, fishing, playing in the snow, biking, and decorating. She truly believes that the less isolated, the more success in everything you do.

ID: Banner with the presenters’ headshots and names on the left, with “2026 Collaborative Experience Conference: Presenter” on the right side.

https://mn.gov/deaf-commission/advocacy-issues/education/collaborative-experience/

09/14/2026

Join Justin Small at the 2026 Collaborative Experience Conference for their presentation, “Persistent Drive for Autonomy”.

This session will explore Persistent Drive for Autonomy (PDA)—a complex and often misunderstood profile within the autism spectrum. Originally known as Pathological Demand Avoidance, Persistent Drive for Autonomy is a term that better reflects the individual's innate need to remain in control and avoid perceived threats to autonomy. This session will provide an overview of PDA, beginning with its historical roots in autism research. We will unpack the key characteristics of PDA, including demand avoidance, anxiety-driven control behaviors, and high levels of emotional sensitivity. The workshop will explore how these traits impact social relationships, emotional regulation, and academic participation. Examine the social and academic implications of PDA, and touch upon compassionate, autonomy-supportive strategies that foster trust, reduce anxiety, and promote meaningful engagement.

Dr. Justin M. Small Is a Transition Coordinator at Metro Deaf School in the High School. When called upon, he teaches at St. Catherine University in the ASL & Interpreting Department, focusing on disability studies. Justin is an avid teacher and presenter. Justin is also a father to a Persistent Drive for Autonomy (PDA) 13-year-old as well as a Neurodivergent 11-year-old with dysgraphia who keeps life a joy. Justin has previously worked as a therapist and job developer for Deaf, Hard of Hearing, and Deafblind individuals. Justin has conducted multiple workshops related to Mental Health, Interpreting, and ASL through the years. Justin aims to share knowledge through his workshops. Easy to approach and work with, Justin values knowledge, culture, and learning. Let his passion move you!

ID: Banner with the presenters’ headshots and names on the left, with “2026 Collaborative Experience Conference: Presenter” on the right side.

09/11/2026

A Celebration of Life memorial service for Karen Clark, a former Minnesota legislator, will be held on Friday, September 18th, from 4-8:30 PM at Minnesota Orchestra Hall.

Mary Hartnett, former Executive Director of the Commission, shares the following words about Karen’s legacy:

“Karen Clark’s work began with expanding communication access for Minnesota’s deaf, deafblind, and hard-of-hearing communities. In the 1980s—before the Americans with Disabilities Act—she was the chief author of legislation establishing TACIP, or Telecommunications Access for the Communication Impaired. Minnesota became the first state to create a telephone relay system that enabled people who were deaf or hard of hearing to communicate more independently.

Before TACIP, people often had to rely on large TTY machines, friends, or organizations such as the United Way to make telephone calls for them. Deaf advocates, including Linda Nelson, helped advance this groundbreaking effort. The relay system was eventually replaced by modern communication technologies, but the legislation included dedicated state funding to ensure that communication access remained available and sustainable. MADC later operated relay services in Minnesota, Arkansas, Louisiana, and Florida.

Karen Clark also authored and helped pass other legislation supporting Minnesota’s deaf, deafblind, and hard-of-hearing communities.

She went on to become the chief author of Minnesota’s marriage equality legislation and was the first openly le***an person elected to public office in Minnesota.

Her career reflects the lasting impact of advocacy and public policy in expanding access, independence, and equality for communities that have historically faced exclusion.”

Several Commission staff and contractors plan on attending the memorial service. Everyone is welcome to attend.

Info to register:

You are invited to join us for Karen Clark’s Celebration of Life Memorial on Friday, September 18, at Orchestra Hall, Minneapolis.

09/08/2026

Join Michelle Moe and eL Warnest at the 2026 Collaborative Experience Conference for their presentation, “The Itinerant's Edge: Aligning DHH Specialized Instruction with the MN READ Act”.

The Minnesota READ Act has shifted the landscape for every educator in the state, but for itinerant DHH teachers, the challenge is unique: you have to bridge the gap between general education literacy requirements and the specialized linguistic needs of your students—often while traveling between multiple different schools in one day.

With a career spanning nearly three decades, Michelle Moe is a dedicated educator committed to breaking down barriers for students who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing (DHH). Since she began teaching in 1997, Michelle has cultivated a deep expertise across a vast array of educational landscapes, including elementary, middle, and high school levels, as well as specialized center-based programs. Currently serving as an Itinerant Teacher for the Deaf with Saint Paul Public Schools, Michelle brings a versatile and student-centered approach to her work. Her educational philosophy is rooted in two core pillars: universal access to content and student empowerment. She believes that providing the right tools is only half the battle; the other half is teaching students to become confident self-advocates who can navigate the world with independence. Through her unwavering advocacy and evidence-based instruction, Michelle continues to ensure that every student she serves has the "seat at the table" they deserve.

eL Warnest is a licensed Teacher of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (DHH) with two decades of expertise spanning center-based and itinerant settings. Currently serving students from Pre-K through 12th grade at St. Paul Public Schools, eL brings a comprehensive approach to deaf education, including an endorsement in Work-Based Learning. Their career is defined by a commitment to supporting deaf plus learners and students across the communication spectrum—from ASL to spoken English. A dedicated advocate for accessibility, eL integrates the principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion into every facet of their instructional practice.

ID: Banner with the presenters’ headshots and names on the left, with “2026 Collaborative Experience Conference: Presenter” on the right side.

09/02/2026

Join Riss Leitzke at the 2026 Collaborative Experience Conference for their presentation, “DeafBlind Education”.

This presentation centers the lived experiences of DeafBlind adults who navigated education as children and youth, including the presenter's own experience. It will explore gaps in representation, access, and meaningful instruction, and highlight how educational practices can better support DeafBlind students. The session will also examine the disconnect between isolated skill instruction and day-to-day classroom learning, and offer insight into what more responsive, accessible, and student-centered education can "feel” like for DeafBlind youth.

Riss Leitzke (they/them) is a DeafBlind consultant, advocate, and organizer based in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Their work focuses on DeafBlind access, equity, and education, drawing on lived experience navigating the education system as a DeafBlind student. They bring a strong personal perspective to conversations about representation, meaningful instruction, and better support for DeafBlind children and youth.

ID: Banner with the presenter’s headshots and names on the left, with “2026 Collaborative Experience Conference: Presenter” on the right side.

09/01/2026

Sharing from the community:

WANTED! SURVEY PARTICIPANTS!

Do you identify as Deaf? Do you use ASL?
Are you willing to share your life experience via survey?

Looking for participants willing to interview about life growing up for a research study.

Survey link: https://tinyurl.com/2p9v774a
QR Code also provided in flyer

If you have any questions, please contact Leah Dolezal, at [email protected]. This is a research study approved by the University of Minnesota - Twin Cities.

ID: Flyer for the study with the information above and a scannable QR code.

08/31/2026

Join Debbie Golos, Kayna Plaisted, Emily Manson, Danelle Gournaris, Leah Dolezal, and Chris Bretz at the 2026 Collaborative Experience Conference for a workshop on “Sparking Equitable READ Act Access: Innovations for Deaf, Hard of Hearing, and DeafBlind Learners”.

The READ Act sparked an important opportunity for Minnesota to strengthen equitable access to Structured Literacy for Deaf, Hard of Hearing, and DeafBlind learners. This session will highlight recommendations from the Minnesota Department of Education's Deaf, DeafBlind, and Hard of Hearing Working Group on literacy training, screeners, and curriculum for students who cannot fully access sound-based approaches, such as phonics. Participants will explore research on alternative pathways to reading development, expanded definitions of literacy, and considerations for screening, curriculum, and professional development. Presenters will showcase emerging tools and innovations, including curriculum rubrics, decision-making flowcharts, training resources, and body-of-evidence approaches for screening. This session connects research, implementation, and access as Minnesota works to support equitable Structured Literacy for all students.

The presenters represent different sectors of Minnesota’s comprehensive education and family support system with representatives from BrightWorks, the University of Minnesota, the Minnesota Commission of the Deaf, DeafBlind & Hard of Hearing, public schools, and the Minnesota Department of Education.



ID: Banner with the presenter’s headshots and names on the left, with “2026 Collaborative Experience Conference: Presenter” on the right side.

08/31/2026

We’re here at the State Fair today!

Come stop by the Minnesota Council on Disability's booth in the Education Center. We’re here all day until 9 PM. Stop by and say hi!

ID: Danelle and Jess stand behind the Commission’s booth at the State Fair.

08/28/2026

A great event to visit at the State Fair!