April Dunn (July 6, 1986 – March 28, 2020) was an American

disability rights The disability rights movement is a global social movement that seeks to secure equal opportunities and equal rights for all people with disabilities. It is made up of organizations of disability activists, also known as disability advocat ...

activist. Dunn lived in Louisiana and worked as chair of the Louisiana Developmental Disabilities Council (LDDC) and for the governor's office. Dunn was best known for helping to advocate for the passage of Act 833 which provides an alternative to graduation for students who are unable to pass

standardized test A standardized test is a test that is administered and scored in a consistent, or "standard", manner. Standardized tests are designed in such a way that the questions and interpretations are consistent and are administered and scored in a predete ...

s in the state.

Early life

Dunn was born on July 6, 1986, and was put up for

adoption Adoption is a process whereby a person assumes the parenting of another, usually a child, from that person's biological or legal parent or parents. Legal adoptions permanently transfer all rights and responsibilities, along with filiation, from ...

by her biological mother. At the age of five months, she was adopted by a teacher, Joannette Dunn, and lived with both her mother and her grandmother in

Covington, Louisiana Covington is a city in, and the parish seat of, St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 11,564 at the 2020 United States census. It is located at a fork of the Bogue Falaya and the Tchefuncte River. Covington is part of ...

and

Baton Rouge Baton Rouge ( ; ) is a city in and the capital of the U.S. state of Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-sma ...

growing up. Dunn was born with both fetal alcohol syndrome and

cerebral palsy Cerebral palsy (CP) is a group of movement disorders that appear in early childhood. Signs and symptoms vary among people and over time, but include poor coordination, stiff muscles, weak muscles, and tremors. There may be problems with sensa ...

. As a child, she often had

upper respiratory infections An upper respiratory tract infection (URTI) is an illness caused by an acute infection, which involves the upper respiratory tract, including the nose, sinuses, pharynx, larynx or trachea. This commonly includes nasal obstruction, sore throat, ...

and

pneumonia Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severity ...

. She attended

Glen Oaks High School Glen Oaks High School (GOHS) is located in Merrydale, unincorporated East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana, United States, near the city of Baton Rouge.diploma A diploma is a document awarded by an educational institution (such as a college or university) testifying the recipient has graduated by successfully completing their courses of studies. Historically, it has also referred to a charter or offici ...

at graduation because she was unable to pass the

s in the state.

Work

Dunn became involved in advocating for Act 833 in the

Louisiana State Legislature The Louisiana State Legislature (french: Législature d'État de Louisiane) is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is a bicameral body, comprising the lower house, the Louisiana House of Representatives with 105 represen ...

. The act passed in 2014 and "establishes alternative pathways for grade promotion and graduation for students who have not passed standardized tests." Dunn testified in front of committees and met with lawmakers about her own experiences not receiving a diploma. She was present when Governor

Bobby Jindal Piyush "Bobby" Jindal (born June 10, 1971) is an American politician who served as the 55th Governor of Louisiana from 2008 to 2016. The only living former Louisiana governor, Jindal also served as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives a ...

signed the bill into law. Dunn went on to become the vice-chair of the Louisiana Developmental Disabilities Council (LDDC) and after showing her leadership skills at a quarterly meeting, became the chair. In 2018, as chair, she criticized the lack of visibility and poor access to information about Act 833, saying that "information on the department's website was difficult to access". In 2017, she became a staffer on the governor's office of disability affairs and rose to the position of senior coordinator. She monitored legislation and did outreach, including recording a video with Governor

John Bel Edwards John Bel Edwards (born September 16, 1966) is an American politician and attorney serving as the 56th governor of Louisiana since 2016. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served as the Democratic leader of the Louisiana House of ...

to encourage businesses to hire more

people with disabilities Disability is the experience of any condition that makes it more difficult for a person to do certain activities or have equitable access within a given society. Disabilities may be cognitive, developmental, intellectual, mental, physical, se ...

. Dunn was also included in the State as a Model Employer Taskforce.

Death

Dunn was working on March 10, 2020, attending meetings throughout Louisiana. She and her co-workers all tested positive for

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei, identified in Wuhan, China, in December ...

after these meetings. She was soon hospitalized for complications from the virus and her mother was not allowed to visit. On March 28, 2020, Dunn died at a hospital in

Baton Rouge, Louisiana Baton Rouge ( ; ) is a city in and the capital of the U.S. state of Louisiana. Located the eastern bank of the Mississippi River, it is the parish seat of East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana's most populous parish—the equivalent of counties i ...

References

External links

Video with John Bel Edwards
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dunn, April 1986 births 2020 deaths People from Covington, Louisiana People from Baton Rouge, Louisiana American disability rights activists American activists with disabilities Deaths from the COVID-19 pandemic in Louisiana People with cerebral palsy American adoptees African-American activists 21st-century African-American people 21st-century African-American women