Laura Butler

Laura N. Butler, MRC, MA has a BA in Healthcare Administration from Midway College and a masters’ degrees in Rehabilitation Counseling and Applied Environmental and Sustainability Studies from the University of Kentucky. She has worked with people with disabilities in various capacities for over 25 years. Ms. Butler serves on multiple projects at the Human Development Institute at the University of Kentucky working to improve the quality of life for people with disabilities. Among these is her decade-long work with inclusive higher education efforts in Kentucky. During that time, she has worked at both the system and individual level to help students successfully navigate the world of higher education. Additionally, she founded My Choice Kentucky. Through this project, Kentucky has become a leader in the emerging paradigm of supported decision-making. Ms. Butler also works collaboratively with subject matter experts in the medical and dental fields, creating content designed to be used over a number of different platforms by any potential stakeholder. Her research interests also include ensuring that all people are included in environmental and sustainability-related research and that people from all races, ethnicities, socio-economic statues, and ability levels are considered when environmental policy and legislation are being developed.

Email: laura.smith2@uky.edu

Research Areas: Disability inclusion, universal design, adaptive recreation, graphic medicine

Collaborative Interests: grant collaborations, guest lectures, research collaborations