Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards recently lost a beloved member of his staff due to complications from COVID-19. April Dunn died on March 28. She was 33 years old.
She served in the Governor’s Office of Disability Affairs and was described as a “tireless advocate” for people with disabilities, KATC reported.
“It is with heavy hearts that we mourn the loss of our dear April,” Gov. Edwards said in a statement. “She brightened everyone’s day with her smile, was a tremendous asset to our team and an inspiration to everyone who met her. She lived her life to the fullest and improved the lives of countless Louisianans with disabilities. April worked hard as an advocate for herself and other members of the disability community. She served as the chair of the Louisiana Developmental Disabilities Council…She set a great example for how other businesses could make their workforce more inclusive.”
Dunn was part of the State As A Model Employer Taskforce and was well-known as an advocate for people with disabilities.
“Dunn’s face was familiar around the capitol, where she frequently testified during budget hearings. Her own disability made her pleas especially powerful,” WAFB 9 reported.
She was instrumental in passing Act 833 in 2014, which offers an alternative pathway to a diploma for students with disabilities.
One person tweeted: “Rest, well, April Dunn. Louisiana just lost a fierce advocate for people with #Disability Thank you for everything, for showing up when folks gave up on us. Thank you for working for our rights. Thank you for loving us.”
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“April was the voice that we all needed,” Jamie Tindle, whose son lives with a disability, told WAFB 9.
“Take this seriously,” Tindle said, asking healthy people to heed the governor’s stay-at-home order and to practice social distancing. “Take it as if it’s life or death, because it is. We just lost somebody dear to us.”
“Louisiana currently has more than 3,000 cases, and the numbers are climbing quickly. The state Department of Health says it is monitoring clusters at six nursing homes,” CNN reported.
