Kathryn Fordyce

Awarded for service to community, advocacy and inclusion; volunteering

Born: 22 September 1978

Entered on roll: 2023

"Providing a voice"

Kathryn Fordyce is committed to championing the rights and voices of autistic people, and her leadership has provided life- changing and neurodiversity affirming support to hundreds of children and their families.

Kathryn worked for Autism Queensland, Autism Spectrum Australia, and the National Autistic Society in the United Kingdom before moving to Tasmania in 2011 to lead the newly established North West Tasmania Autism Specific Early Learning and Care Centre. Kathryn successfully partnered with other organisations to secure funding for research, and to implement early autism surveillance state-wide. She has co-authored peer reviewed academic papers on autism, best practice, and early intervention.

Kathryn has applied her expertise on numerous boards and committees, including Autism Tasmania, the Minister’s Autism Advisory Panel, the National Disability Insurance Agency Autism Expert Panel, and various Tasmanian Government committees.

Kathryn has served on the boards of Playgroup Tasmania and Playgroup Australia, where she has worked to expand inclusive programs for children with disabilities across the nation. She has also assisted Councils to design all-abilities playgrounds.

Kathryn is committed to improving speech pathology services particularly in regional and remote communities. She has raised awareness of speech pathology shortages in Tasmania and has advocated for and advised on the development of a new speech pathology program at the University of Tasmania. She has served on the national board of Speech Pathology Australia and as Tasmanian Branch Chair and has been the speech pathology representative on the Primary Health Tasmania Allied Health Network Advisory Group.

Kathryn’s most recent achievements include advocating for victim-survivors of sexual violence, particularly those living with disability. Since becoming Chief Executive of Laurel House in 2021, Kathryn has also joined the boards of the National Association of Services Against Sexual Violence, and Providers of Sexual Assault Care.

She was appointed to the National Strategy to Prevent and Respond to Child Sexual Abuse Advisory Group, and the Disability Royal Commission sought her expertise regarding the experience of sexual violence and access to specialist supports for women and girls with disabilities.