UHD’s origin started with a small group of Hmong women with disabilities. Meet the visionary co-founders who built this movement from the ground up.
Cynthia Yongvang
Cynthia Yongvang is a disabled Hmong woman, wife, and a passionate advocate for social justice and disability rights. Based in Washington State, she is a philanthropist, creative artist, and leader in her community. As the Executive Director of the United Hmong with Disabilities (UHD), Cynthia plays a pivotal role in advocating for the rights and inclusion of Hmong people with disabilities on a national level. She is also the co- founder, CEO, and President of the Hmong Impact Giving Network, a national philanthropic organization dedicated to uplifting the Hmong community through strategic collective giving.
Cynthia’s creative talents shine through her work as the founder and CEO of the CYNTHIA YONGVANG™ brand, a textile and fashion company inspired by her rich Hmong heritage and global cultures. Her artistry and advocacy are deeply intertwined, reflecting her commitment to cultural preservation and empowerment.
With over 25 years of experience in the nonprofit sector, Cynthia has held numerous leadership roles, including as the former Executive Director of the Hmong Association of WA and the Women’s Initiative for Self-Empowerment, an immigrant and refugee women and girls’ organization. She has been instrumental in various initiatives, such as founding the Hmong Women’s Giving Circle in MN, leading the formation of the WA Hmong Farmers Cooperative during the pandemic, and serving on the Regional Food System steering committee at the Northwest Agriculture Business Center (NABC). Her work has had a lasting impact on both the Hmong community and broader immigrant and refugee communities.
Cynthia’s dedication to community service extends to her involvement on multiple boards and committees, including the United Communities of Laos, a coalition of Hmong, Lao and Khmu organizations, the Advisory Committee of Disability and Philanthropy Forum, the Empowering to Thrive’s Hmong Men/Boys Conference Planning Committee, the Hmong National Development Leadership Symposium, and the Disability Inclusion Fund’s Grantees Convening Planning Committee. She was also a 2018 Fellow from the Community Leadership Institute at Puget Sound Sage in Seattle.
Through her diverse advocacy roles, Cynthia Yongvang continues to champion the rights of marginalized communities and inspire others to lead with compassion and creativity.
Mai Thor
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.
Mai N. Vang
Mai 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.
Houa Moua
Houa 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.
Kathy Thao-Shada
Kathy 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.
Mai Shoua Moua
Mai 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.
Where It All Began: Grassroots
* UHD’s origin started with a small group of Hmong women with disabilities.
