Katie Ellis

Katie Ellis serves as Professor in Internet Studies and Director of the Centre for Culture and Technology at Curtin University, where she has established herself as an internationally recognized expert on disability and digital access. Her research focuses on the intersection of media access, representation, and disability rights, working closely with government, industry, and community stakeholders to create tangible benefits for people with disabilities. Her significant academic contributions include authoring and editing 17 books, including two agenda-setting handbooks and serving as series editor for Routledge Research in Disability Media Studies. Her work has been particularly influential in understanding the relationship between digital technology, disability, and human rights, as demonstrated through her Australian Research Council Discovery Early Career Researcher Award research on disability and digital television. As founder of the Critical Disability Research Network at Curtin, she continues to advance the field of disability media studies while actively engaging with the media on disability-related issues and leading innovative initiatives like the Learning Futures Accessibility Challenge, which brings together students, academics, and industry leaders to develop creative solutions for accessibility challenges