Since 1994 Katie has worked across the country listening and responding to families with disabled children, young people and adults.
Thanks to her personal lived experience and having the best teacher in the world – her disabled daughter Nadia – Katie set up two charities working with families with disabled children called 1Voice – Communicating Together and Calderdale Parent Council which spearheaded parent participation across England. These now both continue and are sustainable without her involvement.
In 2012 Katie established two social enterprises and works from her home in Halifax:
- Visits Unlimited works with the tourist industry and is linked closely with the work of Visit England. Visits Unlimited has a team of trainers and access auditors who work with venues, attractions, hotels and businesses to raise awareness of access and inclusion, improve customer service and meet current legislation.
- Bringing Us Together is a proactive parent led organisation bringing families with sons, daughters and loved ones together via social media, face to face, through blogging, webchats and social media forums. Bringing Us Together (BUT) is known for its work around co-production with NHS England on their Transforming Care agenda. BUT runs a monthly and annual award programme for Bloody Awesome Parents (BAPs), writes family led Survival Guides, offers a range of training and consultancy workshops to parents and professionals, and has written several reports based on their innovative and response methods of engagement.
Katie has 6 grown up children and hosts destitute young refugees. She volunteers locally, as well as in Calais and Greece on different refugee projects and regularly has events and gathers donations at her home.
