April Meredith brings both professional and personal experience to the position as a former Independent Living (IL) Specialist at Empower Tennessee, the Middle TN Center for Independent Living, and as a self-advocate with multiple disabilities. She is also the National Federation of the Blind Tennessee (NFBTN) Nashville Chapter Treasurer, a member of the NFBTN State Legislative Committee, the Chair of the WeGo Access Policy Advisory ADA Compliance Subcommittee, a former Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) Program participant, and a Partners in Policymaking Leadership and Advocacy Institute graduate. In her role, as an Information & Referral Coordinator, April connects individuals with disabilities, their support networks, and public/private agencies to appropriate resources and other related social services in Tennessee; provides training presentations; and assists in maintaining Pathfinder’s online directory of services. April is a devoted wife of Dr. David Meredith and a loving mother of 3 human children – daughter Kayla plus sons Asher and Kannon – and 2 fur babies – cats Monkey and Daryl.
Specialties: Disability Specialist of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) National Trainer Leadership Network, USA Certified Adult Mental Health First Aider, information & referral, empowering persons with disabilities and intersecting identities
Interests: Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, & Accessibility (DEIA); initiating/fostering positive, lasting professional partnerships; disability advocacy; women’s rights; Japanese language & culture; cats
Fun Facts about April
Hobbies: reading audio books on BARD; watching gameshows & audio-described films; writing, especially poetry; playing games; listening to NPR
Favorite Book: I love so many but the first book I checked out of my elementary school library over and over again was Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein. Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland also holds a special place in my heart. My favorite book genre is psychological thrillers.
Favorite Music or Song: It depends on my mood and the occasion. I like artists in every genre. If I had to pick one song, I suppose it would be “The Rose” by Bette Midler because it reminds me of my mom.
Favorite Movie(s) or TV Show(s): A few favorite movies are Beaches, An American Tale, My Neighbor Totoro, LOTR series, and Beetlejuice. Some favorite TV shows of all time are X-files, Law & Order SVU, Criminal Minds, Friends, Jeopardy, The Twilight Zone, and Netflix’s Black Mirror.
You can reach April Meredith at April.d.meredith@vumc.org.