Bree Hadley

Background

About Bree Hadley

Bree Hadley is a teacher, researcher, arts leader, and activist recognised internationally for her work in equity, diversity, inclusion, and access in the arts, media, and cultural industries. Hadley’s work advocates for our right as d/Deaf, Disabled, and Neurodivergent people – and as intersectionally identified d/Deaf, Disabled, and Neurodivergent people – to lead the teaching, research, policy, and service programs that impact our lives. Hadley has been awarded over $4 million in competitive, commercial, consultancy, and other forms of research funding. She leads the Evolution of Disability Arts In Australia ARC SRI grant, documenting 50 years of Disability Arts practice with performing, visual, creative, and screen media artists around Australia. As Chief Investigator on three ARC LIEF grants, Hadley has also made records of underrepresented performance practices available via the UNESCO Memory of the World register listed AusStage database of live performance in Australia. As Chief Investigator on the Disability and Digital Citizenship ARC DP grant, she is collaborating on research to increase inclusion of disabled Australians in a fast-evolving digital society. Hadley has also partnered with arts, disability, and social services organisations – including Brisbane Festival, Circa, Access Arts, CPL, and Centacare – on a range of program design, development, delivery, and evaluation initiatives. Hadley’s practice-led research investigating integration of audio description, interactive display, captioning, and other access tools into arts events has been awarded national and international awards. The Vis-Ability Exhibition collaboration with Professor Janice Rieger, for example, won a 2020 Museums & Gallery Association Award and a 2021 International Association for Universal Design Gold Award. Hadley is editor of The Routledge Handbook of Disability Arts, Culture, and Media (2019, with Donna McDonald), and author of Theatre, Social Media, and Meaning Making (2017) and Disability, Public Space Performance & Spectatorship: Unconscious Performers (2014). She has published extensively on representation, industrial relations, and access in the arts, media, and cultural industries. She has also written for The Australian, ArtsHub, and Australian Stage Online. Before joining QUT in 2007, Hadley worked as a writer, dramaturg, director, arts facilitator, and administrator. Hadley is a past President of the Australasian Association for Drama, Theatre and Performance Studies (ADSA), a past Director of Performance Studies international (PSi).