Valentino grew up with Spanish-speaking families and his grandparents were from Mexico. He used Mexican gestures to communicate with existing families and was educated in a mainstreaming school that had a program for hard of hearing and deaf students. He learned to speak English and used Seeing Essential English during school years until he attended Gallaudet College in Washington, D.C. where he learned ASL and Deaf Culture.
He received his M.A. degree in Deaf Education at University of Northern Colorado and worked with deaf and hard of hearing in K-12 schools in Nebraska and Colorado from 1998 to 2004. He has taught ASL and Deaf Culture since 1998 for high school and college students, interpreters, K-12 teachers and parents with children who are deaf and hard of hearing.
He enjoys attending Deaf community events and is involved in Teaching and Learning ASL workshops through state and national organizations for ASL instructors. His favorite activities with his family are outdoor adventures and traveling.