 In
the Spotlight
Donald A. Tinsley
IAD's First Black President
Former National Black Deaf Advocates (NBDA) Treasurer
and Board member, Mr. Donald Tinsley, made history at the
Indiana Association of the Deaf (IAD) biennial conference in April
2003 where he was elected IAD first Black president. IAD has only
once before had a Black officer—Joe Kindred, who was elected
IAD Secretary in 1963.
In his professional life, Mr. Tinsley is the Program
Director of Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services (DHHS) at Indiana
Government Center in Indianapolis, Indiana.
Mr. Tinsley graduated from the Indiana School for
the Deaf in 1969 and attended the National Technical Institute for
the Deaf (NTID), in Rochester, NY. He also earned an associate degree
in Electrical Engineering Technology from Indiana University—Purdue
University at Indianapolis (IUPUI). Additionally, he became an ordained
minister in 1991 after graduating from Aenon Bible College in Indianapolis
and has served as director of Deaf Ministry at local churches.
Adding to his long list of accomplishments, Mr. Tinsley
graduated from Partner in Policy Making in 1994, serves on the Culture
Inclusion Committee for the Governor's Planning Council for People
with Disabilities (GPC), and chairs the Indiana Relay Consumer Advisory
Committee.
Notably, he remains an active member of NBDA; in fact,
he is the founder and current president of the Indianapolis Black
Deaf Advocates (IBDA) chapter.
Michael E Graziano
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