Our Team

Me llamo Valentino. Well, I don’t speak or teach Spanish. My relatives in my family including existing families speak Spanish. Thus, I was born into Mexican culture and was exposed to traditions and customs. However, I was born Deaf and learned to communicate with my family and relatives through facial expressions, body language, and Mexican gestures.

I grew up in Colorado and attended a public school that had a program for deaf and hard of hearing students in K-12 settings. There were several teachers, sign language interpreters, and speech-language teachers who used signed English to communicate with the students.

I attended Gallaudet University, the only college for the deaf in Washington, D.C. and graduated at University of Northern Colorado with B.A. and M.A. in Deaf Education. I worked as a teacher of the deaf and hard of hearing for several years and became a language instructor in ASL at high schools, community colleges, and universities.

My research interests are ASL pedagogy for 1 st and 2 nd language users, Gestuno (International Sign Language), and Mexican Sign Language (LSM). What I enjoy outside of my profession is family gatherings, outdoor activities, and traveling. I am thrilled to be a new member of the LanguageBird with diverse and multiple language teachers.