Elizabeth Vera Perlin, OC (1902 – 1974) was a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

advocate for the rights of the mentally disabled and a reformer who influenced the entire school system of

Newfoundland Newfoundland and Labrador (; french: Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador; frequently abbreviated as NL) is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region ...

and broke new ground on a national scale with her vision and accomplishments. Perlin was the founder of the Newfoundland Association for the Help of Retarded Children, founded two years before the nationally orientated Canadian Association for Community Living. Perlin was born in St. John's,

(now

Newfoundland and Labrador Newfoundland and Labrador (; french: Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador; frequently abbreviated as NL) is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region ...

, Canada), the daughter of Mitchie Ann (Manuel) and

John Chalker Crosbie Sir John Chalker Crosbie (11 September 1876 – 5 October 1932) was a Newfoundland merchant and politician. An aggressive and energetic entrepreneur, he created a fortune (which he lost) and started the Crosbie dynasty. His son, Chesley Cro ...

, married Albert B. Perlin. Her husband and family were part of the small but influential Jewish community in St John's. She was educated at

Holloway School Beacon High is a coeducational secondary school for 11-16-year-olds in the Tufnell Park area, located in the London Borough of Islington, England. Beacon High is a member of the Islington Futures Federation of Community Schools and the Islington ...

in St. John's and private schools in

Toronto, Ontario Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

. While volunteering at the United Church Orphanage in St. John's, Perlin encountered many foster children with developmental disabilities who were receiving no education as a result of special needs. As a member of the advisory board of the United Church Orphanage, she persuaded church officials to fund an experimental day school modeled after schools she had studied in

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It is ...

. Perlin recruited

Molly Dingle Molly Dingle MBE (1892–1987) was a Canadian educator, born in St. John's, Newfoundland. Dingle at the age of 16 began as a teacher's aid at Holloway School, then Methodist College, and joined the staff in 1915. When she retired in 1952, she was i ...

as teacher and opened the school in the orphanage on Hamilton Avenue in 1954. In 1956, Perlin founded the Newfoundland Association for the Help of Retarded Children, which is now known as the Newfoundland and Labrador for Community Living. With the aid of donations and volunteer work the association opened the Vera Perlin School in 1959 on

Patrick Street Patrick Street is an Irish folk group founded by Kevin Burke (formerly of The Bothy Band) on fiddle, Andy Irvine (Sweeney's Men, Planxty) on mandolin, bouzouki, harmonica and vocals, Jackie Daly (De Dannan) on button accordion, and Arty McGl ...

. In 1966, a multipurpose building was constructed to help support the growing program, initially named The Vera Perlin School, it has since been renamed The Perlin Centre. The program expanded and eleven branches were established outside of St. John's to further support those with developmental disabilities. The Vera Perlin Society, a community living organization is named after her.

Awards

* 1955, President of the Regional Council of Home and School Associations. * 1962, first Citizen of the Year Award given by St. John's * 1967, one of 11 Canadian women honoured as ''Women of the Century'' by the National Council of Jewish Women. * 1968, appointed Officer of the

Order of Canada The Order of Canada (french: Ordre du Canada; abbreviated as OC) is a Canadian state order and the second-highest honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the ...

for her "services to the community in many organizations, particularly those dealing with the care and treatment of retarded children". * 1970, awarded an honorary LL.D. by

Memorial University of Newfoundland Memorial University of Newfoundland, also known as Memorial University or MUN (), is a public university in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, based in St. John's, with satellite campuses in Corner Brook, elsewhere in Newfoundland and ...

References

1902 births 1974 deaths Officers of the Order of Canada People from St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador {{canada-activist-stub

Awards

See also

References