Julie is passionate about being an advocate for changing attitudes, perceptions and inclusion in the disability sector and in her local community. She would like to see people with disability from multicultural backgrounds to be respected, valued, connected, and included within their communities.

Since joining DDAlliance, Julie enjoys seeing peers look out for each other. She enjoys connecting with peers and sharing her knowledge, experiences and stories. She has also built strong relationships with other organisations and made new friends.

With DDAlliance, she has worked in numerous roles and projects. In 2024, she was elected as Vice President of the Board, and looks forward to providing a valuable contribution in this role. She’s also a Peer Facilitator with our Peer Cafes, a Circles Facilitator with the Circles of Support project, and a Peer Researcher with the Evaluation team. She has learnt new skills, including the recruitment and interviewing of peers for our research project, research skills, chairing and facilitating meetings, note taking, person-centred practices and community engagement.

Currently, Julie is involved with two advisory committees with the Canterbury-Bankstown Council. These include Universal Access and Community and Inclusion as well as being involved as a panel speaker for the International Day of People with Disability (IDPwD) event (2022) and the Disability Inclusion Action Plan external reference groups.

She enjoys watching sports such as cricket, basketball (Sydney Kings), AFL; catching up with extended family and friends; plays trivia, and enjoys listening to music, audiobooks and podcasts.