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Ernest E. Garrett III
My name is Ernest E. Garrett III and I am proud to be a member of National Black Deaf Advocates, Inc. I first learned of this organization in 1999, during my first year at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock (UALR), when I became involved with the black deaf community who were members of Little Rock Black Deaf Advocates (LRBDA). I fondly recall Ella Irby, LBRDA chapter president, who was like a “mother†away from home during my time at college. I have served as an assistant to NBDA Secretary Cory Parker since 2005. Currently, I am the Newsletter Editor for NBDA and most recently ran for the position of NBDA President during the NBDA 2007 Conference in Saint Louis, Missouri, in addition to chairing and serving as a member of two conference planning committees. A native of Saint Louis, Missouri, I was born hearing and became audiologically deaf (severe to profound sensorineural hearing loss) at the age of two years, due to bacterial meningitis. I received my special education services as a deaf student in a mainstreamed setting throughout the course of my K-12 education from Special School District of St. Louis County. After graduating from high school with honors in 1999, I decided to advance my education at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. While a college student, I was active with Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., and was involved with INROADS/St. Louis, Inc., through which I interned at The Federal Reserv e Bank of St. Louis for three years. I graduated from UALR in May 2003 with an Associate of Arts Degree in General Studies, and again in August 2003 with a Bachelor of Arts in Professional and Technical Writing, and a Bachelor of Arts in History. After an uneventful job search during the summer of 2003, I decided that the time was ripe for me to proceed with my graduate education. I therefore began in the Master of Social Work Program at Gallaudet University in 2003, and decided to pursue the School Social Work Specialization. The following spring semester, I began my studies as a simultaneous degree student in the Master of Science in Administration program. While a graduate student at Gallaudet University, I supported mysel f through scholarships/grants, and by teaching beginning and intermediate American Sign Language at Prince George’s Community College and by working as an ASL Instructor in the Adult Education Program of Arlington, Virginia. I also served as an English Tutor and Writing Advisor at Gallaudet University. In December 2005, I received my Master of Science in Administration Degree and graduated in August of the following year with my Master of Social Work Degree. My first job as a school social worker was at the Wisconsin School for the Deaf, located in rural Delavan, Wisconsin. I worked there for one school year before resigning and accepting a job with Special School District as a Social Worker with Deaf and Hard of Hearing. I am pleased and honored to return to the district that contributed in many positive ways towards my educational success! Finally yet importantly, I am a doctoral student in the Doctor of Philosophy in Applied Management and Decision Sciences Program at Walden University, pursuing the Leadership and Organizational Change Specialization. In my spare time, I like to travel internationally, cook vegetarian dishes, golf, play tennis (beginner), exercise (weight-lifting and distance running), discuss history and politics, perform community service with my fraternity brothers, and a plethora of other passions and interests!
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