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Erik posted on One Wheel Man today that he made it to Canada yesterday!! The best part, like I mentioned before, is that this trip is in training for his cross country trip next summer where he will collect donations for The Deaf Dream!!! Follow his journey here >> Congrats, Erik!! Remember you can easily sponsor a Deaf Dreamer's college education for just $1-$5/day. Donate here! >> [Posted by: Destiny Yarbro] #ErikJensen #Utah #Canada #Unicycle #TheDeafDream #OneWheelMan

I just found out that our Deaf Dreamer, Victoria Aggrey, has been selected as team captain for the Ghana National Deaf Volleyball team. They will be competing in a tournament at Gallaudet University in July! Way to go, Victoria!! [Victoria is second from the left in this photo.] The joy for me is knowing that she will be able to see the Deaf community at it's best at Gallaudet and take that vision home to her Deaf community in Ghana. This will be much more than a sport event for her! Here is the announcement on the Ghana Deaf Volleyball Association: Remember that you can sponsor a Deaf Dreamer for only $1-$5 per day. Donate $5 here! >> [Posted by: Destiny Yarbro] #VictoriaAggrey #DeafDreamer #DeafCollegeScholarships #TheDeafDream #DeafCollegeEducation #GhanaDeaf #GhanaDeafVolleyballAssociation #GallaudetUniversityVolleyball

You probably already know about Erik, thanks to his viral video, but we are following his journey because he is raising awareness for The Deaf Dream. Woot woot! :) He started his journey this morning! [Posted by: Destiny Yarbro] #ErikJensen #Unicycle #Utah #Canada #DeafDreamer #Deaf #DeafUnicyclist #TheDeafDream #DeafCollegeScholarships

Erik Jensen, a deaf teacher from Utah, is unicycling (that's right, on a UNICYCLE) from Utah to Canada from June 13th to June 27th. The best part, in our slightly-biased opinion, is that he is raising awareness for The Deaf Dream as part of his journey! His video above went viral within hours of posting and is up to 43,000+ views! We are so grateful for Erik's idea to use his dream to empower our Deaf Dreamers. Thank you, Erik! Remember that sponsoring a college degree for a Deaf Dreamer is as cheap as $1-$5/day. Donate $5 here >> [Posted by: Destiny Yarbro] #ErikJensen #Unicycle #TheDeafDream #DeafCollegeEducation #DeafCollegeScholarships #DeafDreamer #Dreamer #Utah

I am in Ho Chi Minh City and was able to meet up with Khiem!! He has been BUSY since my last visit! For those of you who don't know Khiem - he is absolutely amazing. I met him first in 2012 while on Semester at Sea and was the main reason for starting The Deaf Dream. He desired to go to university and...really, really long story short, he has completed his two year degree and currently is focused on building the Vietnamese deaf community. Read more of Khiem's story here >> Anyways, since starting school, he has: taught his community everything he learns at university (technically we're just sponsoring his degree, but really, your donations are sponsoring an entire deaf community's education!) started a campaign against deaf women abuse started teaching sign classes for hearing students put together massive events where his deaf community performs and spreads awareness been interviewed on multiple Vietnamese news stations Since my last visit, he has: been reaching out to other disability communities (he recognized that the larger numbers people with disabilities in Vietnam have, the greater impact they can have on the law) took part in putting together a large disability conference (to be held next week) continues to expand disability rights and law-changes regarding deaf-deaf marriages, driving, etc. I am constantly amazed by Khiem's enthusiasm and tenacity to make a difference. GO KHIEM! Khiem's education cost about $1/day = $250/semester. Every dollar of your online donation makes a HUGE difference and goes directly to the dreamer (not to overhead costs). Donate here! >> [Posted by: Destiny Yarbro] #Khiem #Vietnam #Deaf #GhanaDeafVolleyballAssociation #Dreamer #DeafCollegeScholarships #DeafCollegeEducation #VietnamDeafCommunity #VietnameseDeafLeader #VietnamDisabilityAssociation #DCOH #HoChiMinhCity #TheDeafDream

My friend working in Ghanaian Deaf schools this last year has helped us locate our next possible Deaf Dreamer, Victoria Aggrey. I absolutely loved Victoria's video submission so I thought I'd share it with everyone. :) Victoria is absolutely passionate about learning. After both of her parents passed away, one of her teachers at school, Emmanuel, saw her enthusiasm and decided to support the rest of Victoria's primary education. If not for his financial support, she would have had to drop out of school and forgo her dream to become a deaf teacher. Unable to support her college education, Emmanuel and Victoria reached out to us and we are hoping to be able to sponsor her degree (if she can pass the exams and get accepted into a school). Victoria has met with the disability representative at a nearby college, Rose, and is preparing for her entrance! [Photo below L to R: Emmanuel, Victoria, Rose.] It is wonderful to see the dreams of Deaf leaders (and potential leaders, like Victoria) from around the world! Remember that you can sponsor a Deaf Dreamer for only $1-$5 per day. Donate $5 here! >> [Posted by: Destiny Yarbro] #VictoriaAggrey #Ghana #TheDeafDream #DeafDreamer #DeafCollegeScholarships #DeafCollegeEducation

Originally posted on November 1, 2012 Meeting Khiem was a miracle, no question about it. I had contacted my LDS church in Vietnam prior to arriving in their nation, hoping to attend church with fellow Vietnamese members. It was through a series of complex connections that someone gave me Khiem’s email. During the course of my Semester at Sea program I kept in contact with Khiem, surprised that he knew some English despite living in a country with limited Deaf education. After church, we made our way to downtown Ho Chi Minh City and met Khiem in the center of a round-about next to an enormous statue. It was evening but we still had plenty of light left. We crossed the street, Khiem walked up to us, and I began to chat with him. Our conversation went on for hours. What topped the night, was the discussion Khiem and I had in the center of that round-about in Ho Chi Minh City. Khiem was mainly self-taught in his education. I learned that he has studied all subjects and even learned both Vietnamese and English just in case he was able to study at Gallaudet University (knowing full well this would be very unlikely). He and his mother petitioned the Vietnamese Communist government to allow them to meet with other Deaf and teach them sign language and other school subjects. For 10 years, their petitions were rejected until last year when they were finally approved. After such a long wait, over 250 Deaf now meet regularly with Khiem. However the government will not allow the establishment of an Association of the Deaf because they view Deaf incapable because of their low education. Khiem is determined to move forward Deaf rights in Vietnam. He wants to study at Gallaudet to learn more about various Deaf teaching methods and the legalities behind Deaf rights. He has already tried to get to Gallaudet on his own, but the cost to get a student visa and study in the States is far too much. Khiem sells his paintings at low cost on the streets to be self-sufficient. Typically setting up a language base between two sign languages took some time but thankfully our sign languages were quite similar [both French Sign Language based] and the process was fast. We talked as much as possible until after dark and then went to his mother’s apartment. She was so kind, gave us tea, and showed us Khiem’s artwork. It was an incredible night full of miracles; a meeting that should have been impossible, but wasn’t. Since that time, Khiem and I have kept in contact via email and Facebook. He has asked me hundreds of questions concerning Deaf in America, Deaf rights, education standards, etc. Needless to say, this has been an incredible learning experience for me! 🙂 The point is he made clear he was not very comfortable with using our money for his education until I made clear to him that this was not only education for him but for the rest of Vietnam Deaf. We are empowering him with education so that he can empower the 250+ Deaf in his group and push forward Deaf rights for the Deaf in his nation. I have no doubt we were meant to find Khiem. He is an incredible Deaf individual who has already done so much for his country. This is why I feel we can trust he will put his all into his American education: he has already done so much to prove himself a Deaf leader in his nation. It is amazing how things work out. I ask that each of your search your hearts and find a way to support Khiem’s education. There is so much good in the world! We want to support Deaf Dreamers who do the most with their current circumstances and give them opportunity like Khiem. Thank you for supporting these efforts! Life is oh-so-good! Destiny

Originally published 14 June 2013 SAIGON / HO CHI MINH CITY, VIETNAM My friend, Cassie, took me to a school where I would meet Khiem and his organization tonight. Cassie dropped me off once I met a Deaf man from the organization and I hung out with him until others showed up. I was reminded again how different Vietnamese Sign Language is compared to American Sign Language (or rather, reminded how much Khiem really does know a lot of American Sign Language 😉 ). It was perfect because I had time to chat and re-learn some Vietnamese Sign Language before others showed up. I didn’t know until I arrived in Vietnam, that for the first time in Vietnamese Deaf history, a group of Singapore Deaf would be visiting their organization! And as “luck” would have it, I was in Vietnam for this historical night. (Though I don’t believe in luck 🙂 ). It was awe-inspiring to see all of the Vietnamese and Singapore Deaf learn from each other, play games together, and laugh ’til our sides hurt. The energy in that stuffed school classroom was incredible—the Singapore group is traveling around Asia meeting Deaf and performing their cultural dances. The Vietnamese group also prepared and performed dances as well. I got a ton of film and cannot wait to make a video for The Deaf Dream! The best part of the night for me was to watch Khiem direct and encourage those in his group. He is SO proud of his organization and it’s obvious that he has dedicated his life to this group. It inspired me to be better and do more. Khiem watching one of the groups playing games. It was fun to interact with the Singapore group because our sign languages were more similar. I met some amazing people in both groups: so many Deaf Dreamers that are making a difference in their communities despite the stigma around deafness. After group pictures and the Singapore Deaf group left, we took lots of pictures with each other. 🙂 One of the most memorable experiences of the night was when the Khiem started passing out the school supply kits that they had received from the Singapore group. One young boy ran up and gave one to me. I was shocked and at first tried to hand it back, but quickly realized this was a gift from the entire group. I had a rush of emotion and promised to bring it home with me. Afterwards, Khiem helped me arrange the bus. They told me my bus (#56) wasn’t working at 20:00 o’clock so he had me go with one of the students. He was so kind and safely walked me to the bus where he rode with me. It was dark and we were walking in downtown Ho Chi Minh City. This was the first of several “trusting moments” tonight. I had to trust in the innate goodness of people after doing my best to be in safe situations. I was praying, asking my Heavenly Father if I should get out of this situation but even with the nerves of walking downtown with someone who was a stranger a few hours ago, I felt at peace. There is a family bond in the Deaf world and as long as I’m cautious, there are times when traveling when I just have to trust people. 🙂So we went on bus 150 but the bus ticket man said it wasn’t going my direction. [The ticket man was talking with a Vietnamese boy who wrote it in Vietnamese for my Deaf friend who then signed it to me in Vietnamese sign language—it was another fun/crazy multi-lingual experience! 🙂 ] I didn’t know how to get home so my Deaf friend (who told me to call him Nick since I didn’t understand his real name in Vietnamese fingerspelling :)] told me to come to his house first to get a motorcycle. There are times when it’s hard to write in a blog my feelings because they are thoughts that need to be carefully written. I write the following not to judge or incite pity, but instead to open minds to new perspectives on life and express my gratitude. So for the second time tonight, I had to pray and trust again that I would be ok. I knew he had 3 other brothers in his family, but I was not prepared for their one room, tiny home down a skinny alley [I could not even stretch one arm out while walking in the alley.] The “kitchen” was a corner of the room with a bucket that served as the shower too. There was room for a small table that had a big computer on it that the brothers were using for school work. The room had a floor built between the floor and ceiling to create a second floor and one of the brothers was laying up there.After their initial shock of having me show up, one of the brothers drove me home on a motorcycle. We stopped at a gas station because the tank was completely empty. He only could buy $1 of gas (20,000 dong) to get the spindle off the “E” mark on the tank. I felt so badly to use their gas but my offer to pay for my own gas seemed to be embarrassing for him and slightly offensive. He was a good driver (though I am glad he was NOT my first motorcycle experience as he drove much faster than Cassie and we were driving at night amid the semi-trucks) and we made it to the school near Cassie’s home drenched from the rain. Again, I was praying to remember how to get home as it was night. But the Lord helped me find the house and I must say, I had a feeling of accomplishment when I walked in the front door of Cassie’s home! 🙂 I was grateful for the feeling of peace I felt the entire trip home (about 3 hours time) and am still in awe that I was able to participate in the Singapore/Vietnam Deaf conference today! The Lord is in the details, it’s obvious to me everyday!