“I’m not a person who allows any grass to grow under my feet.”

Earnest Glover has always been on the move. Even as a young kid growing up in Queens, Earnest never let his vision impairment hamper him. He was determined to navigate busy city streets, making his way to school through various bus routes.

By the time he was 10 years old, Earnest began having trouble seeing the board in the front of the classroom. After extensive testing, doctors told him he had a condition called macular degeneration. In short, macular degeneration is a disease that causes the loss of the center of your field of vision. The doctors told him he would likely be totally blind by the age of 18. Aside from arranging for things like extra work time on tests and assignments, Earnest kept on moving. In combination with his experience with navigation, he used memorization and bravado to explore the city.

“I never thought of my visual challenges, I just did it. Thank god I never got hurt.”

Earnest went on to Newberry college, where he graduated class of 1997 with a B.S. in Mass Communications. After school, Earnest went on to pursue a number of different endeavors, He started a few clothing stores, worked as a technical director for WLTX News in South Carolina, and moonlit as a theater professor for Charleston Southern University. Earnest Glover is not afraid to try anything!

Earnest Glover’s role at the Lighthouse

When he first started at The Lighthouse for the Blind, Inc. in 2018, it was never meant to be long term. “I gave myself a year at the Lighthouse. If I hadn’t transitioned into marketing, I was going to move on.” Then, miraculously, right as his first year was ending, a spot opened on the Marketing and Communications team.

Earnest’s current title is marketing assistant, but he also holds another role at the Lighthouse. As part of the National Industries for the Blind, he enrolled in the Public Policy Advocates program, where he’s able to advocate on behalf of his coworkers, and the greater blindness community, to representatives on the federal, state and local level.

“I want to make sure I stay embraced and involved in the community – so I can be accurate and knowledgeable in the way that I represent the Lighthouse in my communications with the local, federal, and state elected officials.”

The mission of The Lighthouse for the Blind, Inc. is to empower those who are blind, DeafBlind, or blind with other disabilities by creating diverse, sustainable, and meaningful employment opportunities. For Earnest Glover, working with the Lighthouse is about much more than a paycheck.

“As a father of 3 children, I have to be able to instill leadership skills in them. I have to show that I have those same skills. I don’t want them to see me making excuses; life is about progression and it’s about focus and accomplishing goals. In my life living those words and applying that will hopefully reflect well on them.”

When asked what’s next for him – Earnest simply replied, “I’m gonna keep on growing and making great things happen”. For Earnest, being on the move is a part of life, but moving forward is the only way.