As the DeafNation RV splashed through the puddles in the Starbucks parking lot, we pulled up to see Deaf Women of Oregon and Washington (DWOW) President Kim Clemenhagen get out of her car. Grinning in the direction of our RV, it was easy to say the gloomy weather didn’t affect her one bit!

After exchanging greetings and grabbing our lattes and hot chocolates, we settled down with President Clemenhagen to learn more about her, her current term as President, and the upcoming Deaf Women United Conference in 2009, hosted by DWOW.

Clemenhagen wasn’t always deaf – after losing her hearing from medicine she was given at age two, she continued to be treated like a hearing person: meaning, no interpreters or any sort of support system(s) provided by her school. It was also, not until Clemenhagen was 18 when she met her first Deaf person. Inspired by the meeting, she was determined to become more involved in Deaf activities.

Fast-forward to 2005, when Clemenhagen got together with women from both Oregon and Washington to help establish DWOW (which was not officially recognized until 2007). Serving as a board member for the first two years, then signing on to be Vice-President the following year, it didn’t take Clemenhagen long to earn the respect and trust of the women of DWOW, who saw her fit to currently serve as President.

“[DWOW is] so invested in the community,” Clemenhagen stressed. “We do so much with the limited resources we have,” with Clemenhagen going on to tick off a long list of DWOW’s recent events: the DWOW calendar, their newsletter, the DWOW Progressive Dinner, their annual Tea Party, and much more. They also recently, in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness month, had a breast cancer workshop.

But the real cherry on top is, to date, DWOW’s most monumental task: coordinating the upcoming 12th Biennial Deaf Women United Conference in Portland, Oregon, set to take place on July 22-26 this summer. Damara Paris, a woman who has been a longtime member – and an extremely involved advocate – of DWU and DWOW, is the conference chair.

Want to find out more information about DWU’s Conference? You can go to http://dwu.org/conferences/2009/index.html

Related posts:

1. RIT Campus Tour, an Interview with NTID President Dr. Hurwitz, and Social Night with RRCD!
2. Racing to Interview with Greg Gunderson
3. Visiting with ASADV (Advocacy Services for Abused Deaf Victims)
4. Meeting Famous Faces – and the Devil, too!
5. NASRA 2008 Conference
6. Greener Grass on the Vermont Side
7. Picture Perfect: Photo Shoot at NTID, continuation of Day 2!
8. The Audacity of (Deaf) Hope
9. Tyese Wright, '02-'04 Miss Deaf America
10. In Hot Water: Hot Springs in Northern California!