Symposium speaker series – Linda Perry
About the event
On December 5, 2023, Linda Perry, former executive director of Vela Canada, gave a presentation titled “Inclusion, Quality of Life and Community Networks of Support” at the fifth session in the Province’s Children and Youth with Support Needs Symposium Speaker Series.
The presentation had the stated objective of making caregivers and professionals better informed so they can give feedback to agencies taking important steps to deliver inclusive and quality services to children and youth with support needs and their families, like the Ministry of Children and Family Development.
The symposium speaker series is part of the Province’s broad engagement process to inform a new, effective system of children and youth with support needs (CYSN) services.
Note: For privacy reasons the Province isn’t posting a video or the presentation materials for this particular symposium session on this website, but a summary of discussions had with participants at this event can be read below.
Summary materials
- Summary of discussion with participants at the event
Biography
About Linda Perry:
Linda was the executive director of Vela Canada for 32+ years. In the early 1990’s Linda created the first non-profit to provide mentoring and resource support for Microboards. And through this organization developed the first Microboards in B.C. She also played a significant roll in the development of Community Living British Columbia’s Individualized Funding option.
As a volunteer, Linda has been involved with a number of other societies. She was a board member of: the Family Focus Society; the Lower Fraser Valley Aboriginal Society; and, most recently joined the board of the Family Support Institute. Nationally Linda sat for years on the Prime Minister’s National Volunteer Awards Counsel. Internationally Linda has been a volunteer with the Zero Project for several years. After retiring from her position as Executive Director of Vela, she took on project work for the organization and consults locally, nationally, and internationally.
Linda acknowledges with gratitude and respects that she has the privilege to live, work, and play on the unceded and unsurrendered lands of the Kwantlen, Katzie, Musquem and Semihamoo peoples. Linda’s personal connection with the Kwantlen peoples is a gift and honour.
How to get involved
If you are interested in providing comment on this presentation or getting involved in the broader dialogue on CYSN services, please share your perspectives and ideas through an online feedback form to help inform the path forward.