Janie Mejias

US Organizer at Women Enabled International

Janie is responsible for coordinating Women Enabled International’s U.S. focused projects.  Prior to joining WEI’s team Janie completed her PhD in Disability Studies from the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC). While completing her doctoral program Janie worked as a Teaching Assistant and Instructor for UIC’s large undergraduate program in Disability Studies. During her graduate studies Janie was the recipient of the Ethel Louise Armstrong Fellowship and Alice J. Dan Dissertation Award.

As a lifelong wheelchair user Janie is very active in the disability rights community.  She has previously served as a member of Access Living’s Young Professionals Council and the Disability Justice Mentoring Collective.  She also worked as an intern for the American Association of people with disabilities (AAPD), and was a delegate for Mobility International’s cross-cultural exchange program in Japan. Janie was selected as an ADA25 Emerging Leader, and completed leadership training alongside other emerging leaders in the Chicago area.

Janie enjoys spending spare time with her service dog, Haven, and is an active volunteer for Canine Companions for Independence (CCI), the organization that trained Haven.