She has worked as a social worker in the areas of mental health, crisis intervention, special education and disabilities. Her areas of research and teaching include Social Work and Social Justice, Black Women and Families, Disability Studies (primarily d/Deafness) and Cultural Competent Social work Practice. She received her B.S.W., M.S.W. and Ph.D. in Justice Studies from Arizona State University. Her dissertation was titled: Being a Deaf Woman in College is Hard. Being Black Just Adds: Understanding the Complexities of Intersectionality.