Dr. John Butterworth to Receive AUCD’s 2024 George S. Jesien Distinguished Achievement Award

Dr. John Butterworth, Institute for Community Inclusion’s (ICI) recently retired Senior Research Fellow and Director of Employment Systems Change and Evaluation, has received the prestigious George S. Jesien Distinguished Achievement Award from the Association of University Centers on Disabilities (AUCD) at their annual conference on November 4, 2024.

The AUCD George S. Jesien Award is presented to a staff member from a University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (UCEDD) who “has demonstrated a distinguished career of excellence and leadership in support of AUCD’s mission to advance policy and practice for and with people living with developmental and other disabilities, their families, and communities.”

John Butterworth has over 45 years of experience as a researcher, consultant, trainer, manager, and direct support professional focused on community-based employment and related day services. He has worked tirelessly with states, community providers, and advocates to develop a service system that leads to high-quality, competitive integrated employment and community life engagement outcomes for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD).

While the core of Dr. Butterworth’s work is research, he has always been driven to understand the story that the data tells. What does the data tell us about systems? How can the data inform policy and practice? How do policies impact services and outcomes? What are the experiences of the people who receive support and their families? John Butterworth has consistently demonstrated his ability to engage thoughtfully with state and federal policymakers in these important discussions that influence decision making.

Dr. Butterworth has always valued and integrated the voices, experiences, and opinions of people with IDD and their families in research that impacts their lives. Dr. Butterworth’s team has used inclusive employment practices to prioritize hiring and training researchers with IDD. Throughout his career, John has encouraged his staff’s professional development to ensure that there continues to be a strong cadre of researchers and leaders who can support important work in employment policy for people with disabilities for years to come.

Please join us in congratulating Dr. John Butterworth for his exceptional contributions to the field as a renowned researcher, community leader, and advocate!

This year’s AUCD conference theme was Stronger Together: Creating a More Inclusive World. Each year, more than 1,100 researchers, policymakers, practitioners, professionals, advocates, community leaders, and students come together at the AUCD conference to promote and advance disability advocacy, policy, and research initiatives.