Dr Katie Butler
AccessAbility Advisor
Student Central (Human Services)
Career Summary
Biography
Katie is a disabled community development practitioner, disability inclusion specialist and social researcher. Driven to advance equity, opportunity, and inclusion, she concurrently focuses on improving organisational policy and practice for inclusivity and working directly within diverse communities to build empowerment and community connectedness. Katie is passionate about working collaboratively with others to bring about social change, delivering innovative and meaningful outcomes, and contributing to and measuring progressive social impact.
Katie is a qualitative researcher in fields of disability community and organisational inclusion; social policy; and equity, diversity and inclusion. Katie completed her PhD at the University of Sydney in 2024. Applying action research, she investigated an innovative method to build capability for disability inclusive practice and planning in large organisations, carrying out her fieldwork in a regional local council.
Katie has worked in the human services sector across local government, not-for-profit and higher education since 2012. She has extensive experience in community development, project development and management, evaluation, adult education, community engagement, advocacy and strategic planning. Katie also holds a Bachelor of Social Science, Master of Disability Studies, and full professional membership with Developmental Educators Australia.
As a proud disabled professional and academic, Katie strongly advocates for and works to enable disabled leadership in research, policy development and service design and delivery. Katie is a member of the Disability Leadership Institute.
Katie has held both professional and academic roles at the University of Newcastle. She is currently employed as a Lecturer in human services in the School of Humanities, Creative Industries and Social Sciences.
Qualifications
- Doctor of Philosophy, University of Sydney
- Bachelor of Social Science with Distinction, University of Newcastle
- Master of Disability Studies, Flinders University
Keywords
- Inclusion
- action research
- community development
- disability
- disability employment
- economic inclusion
- equity, diversity and inclusion
- local government
- social policy
Fields of Research
| Code | Description | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| 330401 | Community planning | 25 |
| 440712 | Social policy | 25 |
| 420318 | People with disability | 50 |
Professional Experience
UON Appointment
| Title | Organisation / Department |
|---|---|
| Lecturer | University of Newcastle School of Humanities, Creative Ind and Social Sci Australia |
Publications
For publications that are currently unpublished or in-press, details are shown in italics.
Conference (1 outputs)
| Year | Citation | Altmetrics | Link | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 |
Butler K, Leonard C, 'Making the Potential of UDL a Reality: Challenging Barriers to Institution-Wide UDL Adoption', Making the Potential of UDL a Reality: Challenging Barriers to Institution-Wide UDL Adoption (2025)
|
Open Research Newcastle |
Journal article (4 outputs)
| Year | Citation | Altmetrics | Link | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 |
Duncan J, Butler K, Leonard C, Foggett J, Page A, Roche L, 'Uncovering Challenges in Universal Design for Learning in Higher Education', Australasian Journal of Special and Inclusive Education (2025) [C1]
|
Open Research Newcastle | |||||||||
| 2025 |
Duncan J, Butler K, Punch R, 'Exploring the experiences of undergraduate students with disability who withdraw from university studies', Australian Educational Researcher (2025) [C1]
|
Open Research Newcastle | |||||||||
| 2023 |
Butler K, 'Key achievements of New South Wales local government Disability Inclusion Action Plans in the era of inclusion policy and planning: A policy content analysis', AUSTRALIAN JOURNAL OF SOCIAL ISSUES, 58, 398-411 (2023) [C1]
|
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| 2023 |
Davies K, Butler K, '(Under)valuing lived experience in the disability workforce: A snapshot of Australian job recruitment', AUSTRALIAN JOURNAL OF SOCIAL ISSUES, 58, 425-440 (2023) [C1]
|
Open Research Newcastle | |||||||||
| Show 1 more journal article | |||||||||||
Other (1 outputs)
| Year | Citation | Altmetrics | Link | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 |
Davies K, Butler K, 'Working in the disability sector: Why is it important to include people with lived experience?' (2022)
|
Open Research Newcastle |
Thesis / Dissertation (2 outputs)
| Year | Citation | Altmetrics | Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Butler K, 'Exploring the Influence of Role Reversal on Disability Inclusive Planning and Practice: An Action Research Approach in Local Government' (2024) | ||
| 2017 | Butler K, 'Factors that Contribute to Situations of Genuine Inclusion for People with Disability' (2017) |
Grants and Funding
Summary
| Number of grants | 1 |
|---|---|
| Total funding | $233,397 |
Click on a grant title below to expand the full details for that specific grant.
20251 grants / $233,397
Research and evaluation: advancing gender equality in gender segregated industries$233,397
Funding body: Unions NSW
| Funding body | Unions NSW |
|---|---|
| Project Team | Doctor Chris Krogh, Doctor Katie Butler, Ms Karen Willis |
| Scheme | Research Project |
| Role | Investigator |
| Funding Start | 2025 |
| Funding Finish | 2025 |
| GNo | G2500457 |
| Type Of Funding | C3100 – Aust For Profit |
| Category | 3100 |
| UON | Y |
Dr Katie Butler
Positions
Lecturer
Equity Diversity and Inclusion Unit
School of Humanities, Creative Ind and Social Sci
College of Human and Social Futures
AccessAbility Advisor
Equity Diversity and Inclusion Unit
Student Central
Academic Division
Focus area
Human Services
Contact Details
| katie.butler@newcastle.edu.au |